Not long after the Islanders' 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday night at UBS Arena, new Islanders head coach Patrick Roy was asked the inevitable question…
Have you thought about Thursday night yet?
"No," Roy said about the Isles' next game, against the Canadiens on Thursday night in Montreal. "Honest to God, I've been more focused on what's going on right now and try to stay in the present moment. I'll start thinking about Montreal (Wednesday)."
The Hall of Fame goaltender spent more than a decade between the pipes for the Canadiens and guided them to three Stanley Cup Finals, hoisting Lord Stanley twice. He had an ugly divorce from the Habs in 1996 when he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, but Roy went on to win two more Stanley Cups in Denver and ultimately became their head coach for three seasons from 2013 to 2016.
But the Canadiens legend will be back in town with a new team Thursday and is getting ready for what should be an emotional evening at the Bell Centre…with an important two points on the line for the Islanders, who are trying to get back into a playoff position.
"It's always a great atmosphere there," said Islanders Captain Anders Lee. "It's a great road game to play. It's always a fun city to go in and play an NHL hockey game against the Canadiens. Obviously, there's some Hall of Fame player on their team that is coming back as a coach so it's exciting for him. We have a big game in front of us. They played us really well last time we were there so we got to be ready to go."
Roy's number 33 hangs from the rafters at the Bell Centre after backstopping a pair of Canadiens Stanley Cup championship teams, one in 1986 and again in 1993, the year Montreal beat the Islanders in the Wales Conference Finals. He won three Vezina Trophies in a Habs jersey and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner both times he hoisted the Stanley Cup with the squad.
The Islanders are well aware that this will not be your typical regular season game atmosphere.
"This will be a real big one for sure," said forward Brock Nelson. "We know there's a history of Patrick there and what he meant to the city and the franchise. Going back, I'm sure it will be a pretty big welcome for him. It will be a special night that we can be a part of. For him, I'm sure it will be exciting and nerve-wracking but it will be fun."
The crowd in Montreal will certainly erupt when Roy walks from the locker room and takes his place behind the Islanders bench. From there, Canadiens fans will cheer on their team and the Islanders are hoping they can get a win for their new coach against his former team.
"It should be amazing," said forward JG Pageau. "He needs that respect and he deserves it. He's earned it. I think we'll just try to enjoy the moment with him."
Given a second chance on Tuesday night to talk about going back to Montreal, Roy admitted that he has thought about it…a little bit.
And he also took a moment to praise Islanders Country as he looks to get things turned around for his new team.
"It's always special going there," said Roy of his return to Montreal. "The fans have always been great to me. It's a great hockey town. It's like on Long Island – great fans, a great hockey town. So, it's cool to be part of that."
There will likely be a moment on Thursday night when Patrick Roy looks up into the rafters and sees his retired number, along with the two Stanley Cup banners that he was a part of, but that will just be for a moment. He's waited a long time for a second chance to be an NHL Head Coach, and now he has that shot with the Islanders.
And he would love nothing better than to show his old team that his new team can do something special.
