When Patrick Roy decided to join the Colorado Avalanche organization as Head Coach, I was ecstatic. Not only was my hero, Joe Sakic, inches away from being General Manager, but the greatest goaltender of all time was about to lead this team back to relevancy.
And return to relevancy the Avs did. In Roy’s first year as coach, the Avs roasted the Central Division standings, finishing on top with 112 points. I’ll never forget laughing in disbelief as Roy nearly killed cheeto-cheeks Bruce Boudreau with the partition in that first game against the Ducks. The man brought passion back to the Avs.