Patrick Roy is just as involved in the game as the Islanders' players.
Patrick Roy is just as involved in the game as the Islanders' players.
The passion. The yelling. The volume. No, that's not referring to the New York Islanders faithful Sunday night at UBS Arena in what was an emotional roller coaster in a 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.
Those words refer to Patrick Roy's actions behind the Blue & Orange bench throughout the 60:41 minutes affair.
From the opening puck drop, Roy was pacing the bench, following the play up the ice and back down the ice, screaming so loudly that we could hear his voice from way up in the press box.
It was like nothing we've ever seen...or heard.
"I think if you guys can see it., we definitely felt it," Islanders forward Mathew Barzal said. "So, super positive all night. I thought he handled everything, you know, perfectly, so it's a great start."
It was a change of pace from a coach in Lane Lambert, who very rarely showed that kind of fire and personality despite being described as an emotional coach in the room.
While Roy was just being himself -- showing that he was as emotionally invested in the game as his players -- he was also teaching his players on the fly.
"We touched on a few details just defensively because obviously there are certain things that we got to pick up quickly on the fly with a change like this," Barzal said. "So that's really what it is. We're just learning on the fly right now. And I thought we did a great job tonight. I thought everyone really had a spark tonight.
"Patty came in before the game and gave us a little touch of him being a human, telling us he was a little nervous, and I was too, and it was nice to hear that from him. Sometimes, when you play with those nerves, it really forces you to get your legs going and be engaged in the game, and it absolutely translated immediately on the ice."
Bo Horvat, who scored the overtime tally 41 seconds into the extra frame, shared his thoughts on Roy's bench presence.
"It was great. I mean, he brings so much energy behind the bench. He feels like he's playing the whole game for us out there," Horvat said. "He's constantly engaged and yelling not only words of encouragement but helpful tips out there, too. So he was great behind the bench.
"He was definitely really into it. He was, like I said, playing the whole game for us. He's got so much passion and love for the game back there. You can tell he was a pretty vocal goalie when he was back there yelling at his defense, so it was definitely helpful back there, and it definitely felt good to get the win for him."
The pacing is something that's very unique to Roy, something that the players have to get used to.
"Somebody's gotta throw a Fitbit on him or something," Horvat said. "Track the steps. He was great back there."
Islanders Noah Dobson, who recorded two points in the winning effort, loved Roy's intensity out there.
"He had a great presence," Dobson said. "He's vocal and has a lot of energy and intensity.
Before the Islanders left the ice, Islanders captain Anders Lee skated over to the empty Dallas goal, snagging the puck for his new head coach.
"First win as an Islander. It's awesome," Lee said. That's a great way to start, and we're all looking forward to building off of that."
Lee, who shared he was stunned by the Roy hiring Sunday morning, enjoyed his presence on the bench.
"He's got a lot of energy. He brings it. He's seen the game very well, [sharing] little tips and talking the whole time," Lee said. "Make no mistake, it's just about right now, figuring it out, especially with the quick turnaround and everything.
"Guys were able to get on the same page with those little things. Really good first night."
While Roy screamed throughout the first period, he settled down as the game progressed, and here's why:
"I think at some point I have to let the players play the game and be themselves, and that's what I was trying to do," Roy said. "There are moments you want to have the intensity and show the players, but they know that I'm here to win, and they know that I'm going to be there for them. That's very important."
The Islanders haven't had a coach with this dynamic behind the bench since 2018, and Roy is even more electric than Barry Trotz was.
We will see how high the decibel level gets Tuesday night when the Islanders host the Vegas Golden Knight at 7:30 PM.
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter & Facebook.