Roy steps down as coach in QMJHL; the timing is very curious with Keefe decision looming
Hall-of-fame goaltender Patrick Roy has officially stepped down from his head coaching and general manager roles for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. The Remparts are coming off a Memorial Cup victory as well as their first Gilles-Courteau Trophy as the champions of the QMJHL. As for whether or not he has any offers on the table to jump back into the NHL, Roy said "absolutely not".
As a player, he is arguably one of the greatest goaltenders of all-time, sporting a 531-315-131 record in the regular season and a 151-94 record in the postseason. He's a 4-time Stanley Cup Champion, 3-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, 5-time William Jennings winner, 3-time Vezina Trophy winner, and of course a member of the 100th Anniversary Team.
He became a franchise owner of the Remparts back in 1997-98, became Vice-President of Hockey Operations from 2003-04 to 2004-05, before becoming the head coach and general manager from 2005-06 to 2012-13. He made the leap into the NHL and joined the Colorado Avalanche as Vice President of Hockey operations and head coach in 2013-14 and held those roles until 2015-16 when he was fired but did win the Jack Adams Award in 2014.
He then re-joined the Remparts in 2018-19, a position he held until today. The rumour mill will be churning about his possible return to the NHL. There are several head coaching jobs that could entice the hall-of-famer into dipping his toes back in the water again, potentially including opportunities with the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, depending on what they decide to do with their respective coaches.
Sheldon Keefe has survived the mass hysteria so far but at one point it seemed like he would be the first domino to fall. Kyle Dubas took the limelight away from him and Dubas' dismissal ultimately put a hold on any plans the Leafs may have had on terminating Keefe. Brad Treliving said he'd give Keefe a fair shake before making his decision and a decision on his future is expected this week.
Patrick Roy's sudden availability isn't all too surprising as he did tell the Remparts before the season started that he would be stepping down from both of his positions come season's end.
With the Leafs looking to make a decision on Keefe this week, Roy's decision to leave Quebec could open the door for what would be a coveted position with Toronto. However as he has stated - for the time being - he has no interest in jumping back into the league. If this is something that happens, it would likely be a mid-season coaching change or perhaps a move the two sides could explore next summer. While there are no reports linking the two sides to one another right now, the timing of Roy's departure in Quebec and the Keefe decision in Toronto are a pretty funny coincidence.
In addition, Roy's resignation in Quebec comes on the same day as the Ottawa Senators have announced that they've agreed to sell the franchise to Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer. Just some food for thought in all of this.
