Ron Chenoy – USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Avalanche wasted little time firing head coach Joe Sacco once their disappointing season ended. With a ton of young talent, the first overall pick in this summer’s draft and two goaltenders who have both showed they can win regularly, the Avalanche should be a team on the rise and the coaching vacancy should be an attractive one. A name that will come up frequently is that of Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, who would make a great choice as the team’s next head coach.
Roy reportedly turned down the job in 2009, but at the time expressed a desire to coach at the NHL level at some point. Are the circumstances and timing right this time around? Since retiring, Roy has coached at the junior level and had a great deal of success. Given how young the Avalanche roster is, that could only help things. A proven track record of getting results from young players should be part of the job requirement at this point, and Roy took his Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) team to the playoffs in each of the first seven seasons he coached there.
Roy is still beloved in Colorado, thanks to the success he had while playing for the Avalanche. He would certainly be given every chance to succeed as head coach, and perhaps have a bit longer leash than someone who doesn’t have history with the team. It’s hard for players not to listen to someone when their jersey is hanging up in the rafters, after all.
Finally, even if Roy didn’t experience success right away, can things be a whole lot worse than they were this season? The Avalanche finished the year with just 16 wins and the fourth-worst goals-against in the league – you have to think Roy could help out with the latter.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
