‘So positive. So much energy.’ Coach Patrick Roy already making an impression on the New York Islanders

It’s been a very exciting week on Long Island since the news of Patrick Roy taking over as the head coach of the New York Islanders broke on Saturday. Roy is a four-time Stanley Cup Champion and is considered to be one of the best goaltenders of all time. He is a guy plenty of current NHL players looked up to growing up. 

The Islanders have been competing and knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Final for quite some time now, and not only was this coaching change a good move for the team, but it’s a testament to what the Islanders organization has done over the last decade to build a foundation of hockey on Long Island. 

Matt Martin has been with the Islanders organization since the 2009-10 season when the team was in the middle of a stretch where they hadn’t made the playoffs over a five-year span, while they were also playing home games at Nassau Coliseum and practicing at Iceworks in Syosset. The standard for Islanders hockey when Martin first stepped into the league is nowhere near where it is in the year 2024. Hiring Roy speaks volumes to where this organization has come. 

Now that the Islanders have two games under their belt with Roy behind the bench, it’s back to just playing hockey and trying to recapture a playoff position. New York fell short on home ice against Vegas on Tuesday night, losing by the score of 3-2, but Roy felt very positive about his team’s performance.

“Sometimes the hockey gods aren’t on your side and tonight was the case,” Roy said.

The Islanders’ effort against Vegas wasn’t an issue at all, it was more so a lack of execution.

“Maybe we should have lost against Dallas and we should have won tonight. That’s the nature of hockey and sometimes you don’t get rewarded for what you do, but I know one thing — if we keep progressing like we are right now, we’ll win a lot of games,” Roy said. 

Martin’s perspective on the response of the hire is very unique. He is a guy that spent two seasons in the mecca of hockey, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it’s no secret that the media coverage of the Maple Leafs is unlike any other NHL team’s, but these past few days have been a whirlwind around the Islanders locker room.

“[Media coverage] definitely doubled, maybe tripled the other night. French media is around, there’s a lot of buzz,” Martin told Daily Faceoff. “He’s excited for the opportunity. We’re excited to have him here and he’s just so passionate — so positive and brings so much energy to the game that I think you see that on the ice.

“Back in the day — I don’t know if a name like Patrick Roy would be coming to the Island.”

Despite all the excitement with Roy taking over, the Islanders still understand that at the end of the day, the players are the ones who have to go out on the ice and perform. “There’s a combination of excitement, obviously disappointment in the way we got another coach fired. That never feels good,” Martin said. “Ultimately it comes down to us and the way we’re playing. Sometimes coaches take the blame or are the guinea pigs in it, but we know we need to be better and Patrick [Roy] brings a ton of energy.”

Martin is 34 years old and is skating in his 15th NHL season. You’d think a veteran like him, solidified in his role in the league, wouldn’t be fazed by a mid-season coaching change, but that might not be the case.

“Going from Trotzy [Barry Trotz] to Laner [Lane Lambert] was one thing. Laner was with Trotzy. A lot of the systems were the same, he knew the players — you bring a new coach in and it’s kind of a fresh start for everyone,” Martin said. “Hockey is definitely considered to be more of a “read and react” type of game, but there are a lot of little details along with X’s and O’s that can shift the entire way a team plays the game. 

“Everyone has to earn their stripes and I certainly think he’s been watching and watching tape. It’s really a fair shake for everybody. We’ve only had two morning skates and two games and there’s been a lot of energy in those — everybody is trying to prove themselves again. I think sometimes a shake up like that is necessary. He’s going to demand us to play hard and play his way.”

The Islanders only have two more games before the NHL gets a break for All-Star weekend. They play in Montreal against the Canadiens on Thursday night and are back home on Saturday night as they host the Florida Panthers. This will be Roy’s first opportunity to travel with the team where there are no distractions, Montreal media circus aside. The road is where a lot of the bonds are created in the National Hockey League — whether it’s going for dinners, hanging in the hotel or even playing cards on the plane. 

“I just can’t wait to have time to sit down with them individually. I got here Saturday and we played Sunday, then Monday they had a day off — we played last night, then today we’re going on the road. I might have a chance to connect with the coaches, have dinner with the coaches. Then Friday it’s their day off, then we play Saturday and they’re gone,” Roy said about the remainder of the week. “Right now it’s more about trying to bring my culture and my values — the DNA that I’d love for us to do and work with them” (H/t Stefen Rosner). 

It’s evident that Roy cares so much about creating individual relationships with each and every player, whether it’s the first line power play guy or an AHL player who got called up for one game. Roy is the kind of coach that players love going to battle for because they know that he genuinely cares about them. 

The Metropolitan division is as tight as it could be and with this shift in energy there is no reason to believe that the Islanders can’t climb their way to the top.