The New York Islanders have fired coach Lane Lambert, president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello announced Saturday.
Patrick Roy, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and Hall of Fame goaltender, will be the Islanders' new coach, the team announced.
The Islanders' season is faltering after a promising, if inconsistent, start – Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the 31st-ranked Chicago Blackhawks was the final straw for Lamoriello, whose Team is 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. Lambert's group was ravaged by injuries, but the Islanders still managed to put together a 12-4-4 run and secure a good playoff position. After the current slide, the Isles sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 11th in the East, but are still two points out of a playoff spot. Lamoriello believes the season can be saved.
Roy has longed for a return to an NHL bench since leaving the Colorado Avalanche after the 2015-16 season after being coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL for the past five seasons. From 2005 to 2013 and from 2018 to 2023 he had two coaching positions with the Remparts. In the 2022–23 season, he coached the Remparts to the club's third Memorial Cup title. Roy resigned as coach and GM of the Remparts after winning the Memorial Cup.
He coached the Avalanche from 2013 to 2016. During his tenure, he compiled a record of 130-92-24 and reached the playoffs once (2013-14). Roy resigned on August 11, 2016, before being replaced by current Avalanche coach Jared Bednar.
Lamoriello doesn't have an extensive roster of former players and associates to rely on when looking for a coach, and he famously stepped out of his comfort zone to hire Barry Despite for the Islanders in 2018. Now he has found another legend in Roy, who is not his own, in Lamoriello's inner circle to hopefully give this team the boost it needs.
As a player, Roy is one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. He played 11 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and eight with the Avalanche, winning two Stanley Cups with each franchise. He is the only player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy three times.
In 1,029 games played, Roy posted a record of 551-315-131 with a 2.54 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. He was an eleven-time All-Star and three-time Vezina Trophy winner.
Lambert, 59, succeeded Despite as coach of the Islanders on May 16, 2022. His record with the Islanders in 127 games was 61-46-20.
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(Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)