ROY ABRUPTLY RESIGNS AS COACH OF AVALANCHE
Patrick Roy resigned as the Colorado Avalanche’s head coach and vice president of hockey operations Thursday, hinting at a rift with the team’s upper management as the reason for his unexpected departure. The Hall of Fame goalie had served in those roles for three seasons. “I have thought long and hard over the course of the summer how I might improve this team to give it the depth it needs and bring it to a higher level,” Roy said in a statement. “To achieve this, the vision of the coach and VP (of ) Hockey Operations needs to be perfectly aligned with that of the organization. He must also have a say in the decisions that impact the team’s performance. These conditions are not currently met.” Roy won the Jack Adams Award that goes to the NHL’s top coach for his work during the 2013-14 season, his first in Colorado, as he guided the Avalanche to a division title. But the team failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons. “Patrick informed me of his decision today,” Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic said. “We appreciate all he has done for our organization and wish him the best of luck in the future. We will begin the search for a new head coach immediately.”