EAST MEADOW, NY — There had to have been some anxious moments for New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy regarding his job security over the summer.
Long-time president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello was finally shown the door, and Julian BriesBois’s protege with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Mathieu Darche, was on his way to take over as GM.
Most circumstances involve a new GM replacing the old leadership regime to hire their preferred head coach. But any thought of that went out the window on Darche’s “first day,” as Roy described it.
“We just had an honest conversation,” New York’s head coach said on Wednesday. “We talked about what we thought went well, what went wrong [last year]. And after that, I thought it clicked. I think you know those things. It’s gotta be a good fit for the both of us, and I think it was.”
Roy and Darche speak every day to fine-tune a collaborative relationship that still has the necessary boundaries to keep each personality in their own lane. While Darche gives his opinions on how he wants his Islanders to line up, the final decision is still ultimately Roy’s.
“You need to be able to be on the same page as your coach,” Darche said. “If you’re not on the same page as your coach, it’s very tough for it to work. Patrick and I are definitely on the same page. From our discussions over the summer, and how we feel we want to play, and what we feel about the lineup, we talk about the lineup every day. At the end of the day, coaches coach, managers manage.”
Perhaps what has impressed Darche the most is the controlled intensity with which Roy coaches. Once considered the Hall of Fame netminder’s Achilles’ heel as a player and even in his first stint as an NHL head coach with the Colorado Avalanche, it is now utilized to strengthen camaraderie within the Islanders’ ranks.
It was on full display on Nov. 18 in Dallas when Stars forward Mikko Rantanen boarded Islanders defenseman Alex Romanov late in a 3-2 game in which New York was leading. Roy, who later admitted that he thought Romanov had broken his neck when he crashed into the boards following that dangerous hit from behind, began barking at Rantanen, ultimately threatening him that he would not finish the next game the two teams play at UBS Arena on March 26.
He then irately relayed that message in French to Stars assistant coach Alain Nasreddine.
The hit ultimately ended Romanov’s regular season, as he needs shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the next five to six months.
“I didn’t know much about Patrick before working with him, but you can see his passion,” Darche said. “You saw this in Dallas, and it was genuine. He was mad, as we all are. We lost a player for the regular season. I think he’s done a great job.”
A good relationship between a GM and head coach only truly works, though, if there is success on the ice. With Thanksgiving often used as the first legitimate benchmark of a team’s season, it is abundantly clear that the Islanders have something special brewing under this partnership.
Entering Wednesday night’s meeting with the Boston Bruins at UBS Arena, they sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 13-8-2 record (28 points), just two adrift of the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
“I like where we are. I love the way we’ve been playing,” Roy said. “Confidence is a very important thing, and right now, it seems like we’re paying with a lot of confidence. Even in these last few practices, it seems like the guys are enjoying coming to the rink and feel confident about themselves.”
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