Digging Out

When Patrick Roy took over as the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 2013, the results were immediate and he came in like a house of fire. Fast forward to today, and not only is that house burnt to ash, but Roy resigned as head coach after one great season followed by two mediocre seasons.

Where to begin? When Roy was hired, it was with Joe Sakic at the head of the operations when it came to roster decisions, and yes, Sakic is still there. Roy was plucked from Quebec of the QMJHL, where he led the Remparts to a Memorial Cup in 2006, but was better known for his outbursts, something that carried over in one of his first NHL games as head coach in a game against Anaheim. Along the way, he led the Avs to a Central Division title, helped waste the 2014 first round pick on Conner Bleackley, who was re-taken by St. Louis in this year's draft, fall to last place in 2015, and oversaw a collapse that saw the Avs miss the playoffs again this season. Oh, and the defense was mostly non-existent in his tenure, putting a great amount of pressure on the goalies to steal games.

What happens from here? The Avs are now in search mode for a head coach, and a name that is floating around is Bob Hartley, late of Calgary who also coached the Avs to a Stanley Cup in 2001. Of course, if true, Hartley would be replacing the guy that once did a little rearranging of Hartley's office in the middle of a temper tantrum. As for Roy, it is unclear whether he will be looked upon for an NHL coaching gig anytime soon, given the timing of his departure from the Avs.