MONTREAL - Former Habs goaltending great Patrick Roy is finally an NHL coach, as his new tenure was officially announced at a press conference in Denver Tuesday afternoon.
Roy, a Hall of Famer who won Stanley Cup in Montreal and Colorado, signed a four year deal, with a one-year option to coach and serve as vice president of hockey operations for the team, which is hoping to turn its fortunes around next season with the help of the top pick in the upcoming entry draft.
Roy, 47, sat with team executive and former teammate Joe Sakic at the announcement and noted that the last time he made a press announcement in Denver was upon his retirement a decade ago.
Since retiring, the mercurial Roy had a strong record coaching for the Quebec City Remparts of the Quebec junior league for eight years.
He came close to signing on to coach the Avalanche in the past but was apparently unable to settle on details of the contract with the team.
As a player, Roy did not always see eye-to-eye with his own coaches, once famously insulting Coach Mario Tremblay behind the bench after a poor outing. He was traded to Colorado the next day.
At the end of the conference, Roy spoke briefly in French to thank his fellow-Quebecers. "I know where I came from and I won't forget it."
