There have been plenty of opportunities for the 57-year-old to return behind the bench in the NHL, but it appears that this year it's closer than ever.
ESPN's Kevin Weekes made an ominous post on his Twitter account on Saturday afternoon following the news of Gerard Gallant and the Rangers parting ways. In Weekes' tweet, he had two images, one of the New York City skyline and one of Patrick Roy.
Reading between the lines on Weekes' tweet, it appears that Patrick Roy could be a front-runner to be the next head coach of the New York Rangers. While there will be other candidates too, Rangers general manager Chris Drury is going to have a hard time passing up on the opportunity of bringing in a Hockey Hall of Famer, who has NHL coaching experience too.
As mentioned, Roy is no stranger to coaching at the National Hockey League level. From 2013 to 2016, Roy was head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, leading them to a 52-win season in his first year behind the bench. That season also earned him the Jack Adams Award.
Upon leaving the Avalanche in 2016, Roy returned to the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts, where he's been ever since as their head coach and general manager.
POLL | ||
MAI 7 | 229 ANSWERS LATEST | Patrick Roy could be back behind an NHL bench very soon Would you like to see Roy as the Rangers' next head coach? | ||
Yes | 109 | 47.6 % |
No | 78 | 34.1 % |
Need someone with more NHL coaching experience | 25 | 10.9 % |
See Results | 17 | 7.4 % |
List of polls |