The Patrick Roy signing saga has finally come to an end as the Colorado Avalanche officially announced Thursday that the former Habs great has signed a letter of agreement to coach the team.
Roy’s brother had told local media several days ago that Roy, who won a Stanley Cup with the team in 1994, would succeed Joe Sacco behind the bench.
But nothing materialized until Thursday when team executive Joe Sakic made the signing official.
Roy, 47, will also act as Vice President of Hockey Operations, which means that he will consult with Sakic on player transactions as well.
The Rockies ended in last place in the Western Conference but are expected to improve with the first-overall choice in the upcoming draft, which they will likely use to pick Portland defenceman Seth Jones or Halifax forward Nathan MacKinnon.
Roy has spent the last eight years as coach and GM of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Junior league and has a 348-196 record in that time.
Roy is a Hall of Famer with three Stanley Cups, two with the Canadiens and one with the Avalanche.
He also won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender three times in his long career.
He had been rumoured as a top candidate to sign as Avalanche coach previous to Sacco’s hiring but apparently could not agree to the details of his contractual agreement with the Colorado club.
