Patrick Roy had never given goaltending tips at practice until Monday.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who won four Stanley Cups and three Vezina trophies.
But the now 59-year-old made it clear when he took the job with the Islanders that he would not coach his netminders.
He said he'd help out with the mental side of things, but he'll leave the goalie coaching to Piero Greco.
But on Monday, during practice, I noticed something for the first time. I looked around at the other coaches to make sure I was seeing things right.
My eyes weren't deceiving me as Roy was between the pipes.
No, he wasn't donning goalie gear or facing any live shots, but he was giving emergency recall goaltender Marcus Hogberg some advice.
That was awesome," Hogberg told The Hockey News. "Like he was helping me, and it's really cool when The Patrick Roy comes and gives some tips and stuff like that. So that was cool."
What was Roy helping the veteran netminder with?
"He said he wants to see me bending my arms a little bit more, I'm like. He wanted me to move my arms and hands a little bit better."
Hogberg said his movements were the biggest adjustment he'd had to make in his second stint in North America.
"I need to move a little bit more," Hogberg said. "Back home in Sweden, my game was more controlled, and I read the game. But I feel like if I'm just staying still here and trying to read the game, I'll be behind. So I've been working a lot with skating and getting the legs going, and I feel better and better."
So, what Roy was telling him to do was allow his hands to move before his body, giving him a leg up in making saves.
What a moment that teaching lesson must have been for Hogberg.