Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

LINCICOME: Roy isn't right fit as Avs coach

By Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 11, 2008 at 6:26 p.m.

Text size  

Poll

Who should be the next coach of the Avalanche?


Patrick Roy coached the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Memorial Cup in 2006, but his resume is too short as a possible coach for the Avalanche.

Photo by Mike Dembeck / Getty Images/2006

Patrick Roy coached the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Memorial Cup in 2006, but his resume is too short as a possible coach for the Avalanche.

More Colorado Avalanche

More stories »

Wait. I was only kidding when I suggested Patrick Roy for the coach of the Avalanche. So, I take no credit or blame if Roy gets to stand under his own jersey hanging up there in the Pepsi Center rafters, along with those two Stanley Cup banners he helped win.

My suggestion was in keeping with the Avs' fondness for leafing backward through their old scrapbooks. Oh, look. There's Ray Bourque.

Why not him? Or how about Adam Deadmarsh, great name. Chris Drury, old Captain Clutch, still playing, could be a player-coach.

No, it is Roy, the only name that gets the blood up, causes conversation. At least someone is talking about the next Avs coach, and will as long as Roy is bobbing through the rumor mill.

If the Avs are wise, and if they were they would not be looking for a coach, they will string the Roy story along like fresh chum. Otherwise, the discussion might as well be about snow tires.

If the Avs and their bewildered mixmaster, Francois Giguere, learned anything from the recent washout with old guys, it is that nostalgia can't skate and memories can't stop a puck.

The Avs need to be upgraded on the ice, not behind the glass and certainly not by a guy with a short fuse, a short view and a short resume.

Oh, not that Roy couldn't do it. Tony Granato did it for a while, if anyone remembers. It isn't that hard.

Coaching hockey is pretty much making sure the shifts are smooth, the matchups are right, there are never too many men on the ice (right, Mr. Quenne ville?) and when the goalie has had enough.

The easiest way to disappear is to either join the witness protection program or become a hockey coach. And who's to say that both are not being done as we speak.

Seen Wayne Gretzky lately?

Roy would clearly be a gimmick, just as Peter Forsberg was, or maybe he still is. The next time Forsberg shows up ought to be for his jersey retirement. Joe Sakic, too, sad to say.

Those things would be good for one night and a full house. Roy, too, would create a bit of buzz, something not common to hockey. The game is a boutique sport, safe among the cognoscenti and basic cable.

Hiring Roy would not be for those who know and care but for those who drop in now and again when there is something to stare at.

And Roy might be able to pull it off for a while, assuming his antics in a suit would be as they were in his pads. He might become the Lou Piniella of hockey, though there is no dirt to kick on the officials.

Or, and this is probably a better parallel, the Mike Ditka of hockey, a perpetual eye magnet, sideline buffoon and public pet, with no more actual coaching expertise than a carnival geek.

Roy's greatest value would be as it is in this column, as a conversation piece. Just the notion that he might join the Avs, or the suggestion that the Avs might want him, or the imagining of what it might be like is good for, up to this point, 541 words, with more to follow.

Far be it for any of us who are grateful for outrageous sports personalities to counsel against providing one, but we cannot be sure that Roy will both win and amuse. He is, after all, no Clint Hurdle.

Pat Burns seems to be at the top of the wish list, and he has far too many credentials for the job, a Stanley Cup winner, three- time coach of the year, 14 years' experience with four teams.

But the average sports fan couldn't pick him out of a closet full of clowns. And if the Avs wanted a real coach, they already had one.

There is no real indication that it could happen, that the Avs are considering Roy instead of an authentic, credentialed coach, never mind all this hoo-ha about whether it should happen.

But that is the special appeal of Roy, much as if John Elway could reasonably be projected as the coach of the Broncos, or that the Nuggets just give up and let Allen Iverson run the team as he does anyhow.

All of this would be very interesting but entirely wrong if the object is winning games.

Tough choice.

Comments

  • May 11, 2008

    11:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    GravityEyelids writes:

    It's more like "Lincicome isn't right fit for RMN"

  • May 11, 2008

    11:43 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    queenjacyln writes:

    You had me until the line about Sakic needing to retire. Hello! He's still playing at an elite level, you don't shove a player like him out the door. Plus I'm not in the camp that thinks having Forsberg was a mistake. Did you see the record with him in the lineup vs. when he was out. Something like ridiculous like 12 wins to 3 wins.

  • May 12, 2008

    6:50 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    T1anda writes:

    Roy is NOT interested in coaching the AV's. He is to busy owning and coaching his junior hockey team in Canada. That's his latest word on the subject.

  • May 12, 2008

    7:07 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    nmbronco1 writes:

    Why are all these Denver sports columnists trying to push Sakic and Forsberg (or John lynch, for that matter)out the door? These guys can still play with the best, despite their age. The Avs had a really good season marred by a lot of injuries. Some fine tuning to the roster and a bit more luck with the injuries, and perhaps another Cup is in sight. I don't see how negative columns like this one and Krieger's today do anything for Denver sports or even the RMN, as I don't see this kind of writing selling any more papers.

  • May 12, 2008

    8:52 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    rhodhse writes:

    There is low level of understanding in this article. The Avalanche would have never made the playoffs without Forsberg and Sakic. The biggest problem for Sakic this last year was the coach. There was no continuity on the team. Passes were always a bit off, and timing was terrible. I went to every home game this season, and the Quenville style doesn't work any more. Roy might not be the best choice for coach, but I'm not sure about Burns either. We need someone who understands and adapts to the post lockout NHL, not a defensive minded slow choke style of coach. Puck possession and transition game is everything and players need to play with each other all season to accomplish that.

  • May 12, 2008

    10:19 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    tjason11 writes:

    Bottom line, the Avs need to start with a goalie, then their defense. Their offense is fine. Their defense is weak and slow, and if anyone says Foote was good to get back is living in the past. Hannon was a horrible free agent pick up. Sorry Forsberg is over the hill and they should push him out.

  • May 12, 2008

    10:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SeaBronc writes:

    Here's a better idea - I think it is time for you to hang 'em dude, what a crock - Anybody that suggests anything other than letting Joe Sakic pick his own time ought to be taken out back of the wood shed. Shame on you, go look up loyalty and doing the right thing. I could smell how bad this article ws all the way up here in Seattle!

  • May 12, 2008

    11:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    R8R_H8R writes:

    The article is dead on, get over it. This CoLorado team suffered an AvaLanche of injuries on Offense and Defense. An extreme amount. Quenneville did a magnificent job keeping the team competitive, mixing lines with veterans and newly called up rookies. To even reach 95 pts. this season was amazing considering the ridiculous amount of top knotch players injured through out the season. Sakic is old. Up and coming new players have shown promise. Quenneville should NOT have been fired. He inherited a team in transition, losing Foote, Forsberg and others to the new salary cap era and having to plug in new players. This is still a team in transition with aging players on the way out and very young players coming in. Quenneville was/is as good as or better than any option out there. And a far better option than Patrick Roy as the head coach of the CoLorado AvaLanche. The G.M. should've been fired for complaining this team was not Offense Oriented enough for him.

  • May 12, 2008

    noon

    Suggest removal

    SE7EN writes:

    Lincicome proves once again how little he knows of hockey and the NHL. Forsberg a gimmick? Is that why nearly every team with a shot at the playoffs was trying to get Forsberg? Please...he makes your team better and was a UFA. Injuries have always come with the package of Foppa...that goes without saying.

    I do agree that Roy isn't a good fit, not because it is a gimmick, but because he's not proven anything. Could set this team back even further. The Avs should get Burns. Three time coach of the year winner with three different teams, 2 SCF appearances and 1 Stanley Cup under his belt.

  • May 12, 2008

    4:12 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    rodney writes:

    BERNIE, ONCE AGAIN YOU PROVE HOW INEPT YOU ARE. HOW DID YOU BECOME AN EXPERT ON HOCKEY IN JUST TWO WEEKS? A MONTH AGO YOU SAID THE WINGS WOULD LOOSE IN SIX. MEANWHILE THEY HAVE WON SIX IN A ROW. NOW YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT REPLACING THE AVS COACH. IF YOU ARE SUCH A SPORTS AUTHORITY HOW IS IT NO ONE EVER ASKS YOUR OPINION. YOUR ARTICLES WOULD BE CREDIBLE IF YOU STARTED THEM WITH ONCE UPON A TIME. THAT WAY NEW READERS WOULD INSTANTLY KNOW YOU ARE IN DREAM LAND WITH YOUR SPORTS KNOWLEDGE. PLEASE TELL US ONE THING IN SPORTS YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THE WORST PROFESSIONAL IN THAT SPORT-INCLUDING SHOOTING FREE THROWS WITH SHAQ

  • May 12, 2008

    9:23 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    originalsix writes:

    Make that 7 in a row. Thanks Bernie, you idiot.

  • May 12, 2008

    9:31 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Miles writes:

    Sakic should gracefully retire or agree to a significant home town discount in his salary. Why should he be paid more than the market rate for his CURRENT skills? Contracts are negotiated to reflect changing circumstances. As long as Sakic continues to receive roughly 15% of the total salary cap, the Avs will likely continue their slide into mediocrity. Do you really think the Rangers -- or any team for that matter -- would pay him close to $6.75 million? I'm all for him finishing his career with Colorado, but not by holding down the growth and potential of the team. Think of the young and/or free market talent an extra $3 million would allow the new coach and GM to work with given the current salary cap. As I understand things, Sakic is looking for another two years of inflated salary before sliding onto the Canadian Olympic team and only THEN retiring. If Giguere bites, count on the next two years being average -- at best.

  • May 13, 2008

    12:03 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Finn writes:

    That settles it. Roy should be the next coach of the Avalanche. I think Giguere was probably just waiting for Bernie to give his opinion so that he could feel 100% confident to go in the exact opposite direction.

  • May 13, 2008

    1:14 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    rodney writes:

    UPDATE FOR BERNIE. REDWINGS BEAT NASHVILLE ON THEIR LAST TWO MEATINGS. THEN OUR AVS DIDN`T SHOW UP AT ALL AND LOST 4 IN A ROW. NOW DALLAS HAS LOST 3 IN A ROW. THAT IS 9 WINS IN A ROW FOR THE REDWINGS. BERNIE HOW COME NO COMENT FROM YOU ON 2007/2008`S BEST HOCKEY TEAM. REDWINGS WILL SWEEP THE STARS AND WILL WIN THE CUP.