Islanders Appreciative of Roy’s Aggressive Practice Style

EAST MEADOW, NY -- Patrick Roy has the New York Islanders singing a different tune. The structure is different. The way he wants them to carry themselves is different. And the practices are different. 

Whether it's a basic line rush or a drill they've been doing for 10 to 15 minutes, Roy will make sure to stop the play to correct what needs correcting. 

It doesn't matter who the player is. It's about getting the players to know exactly what needs to be done but also why. 

"Well, it is important because he wants to hammer away at the details of those things that mattered to him," Matt Martin told The Hockey News. "Things are done a little differently than they were before. So he's trying to break some of those old habits and some of the positioning, some of the structure, and some of the offensive-zone play. He wants guys in different spots than they were. 

"You saw it a lot with the defense today. So he really wants to hammer that home because he thinks that's what's gonna make this most effective and help us win hockey, and we're all for that. 

Martin continued: "He's not stopping it just to make life miserable for us. He wants us to win. He wants to be a part of a winning team. And he stresses that over and over again. He’s nothing but positive even when he grabs us, he tells you what he wants from you, and he tells you why and it's basically all to make this team better. You don't see him yell at us for no reason. So it's a pretty special vibe that he has, him being who he is. Guys are really absorbing a lot from him, and he's acknowledged because he is one of the greatest to ever do it, so he cares about it, and he's gonna make sure we're doing it right."

Roy has preached the "one-unit" mindset, and he trains his players to act like that at practice, whether it's sprinting as a group to the bench, to center ice, or off the rink. 

"Well, I think more than anything, it's a lot of high stress," Martin said. "You're constantly moving your legs and having to use your brain. He blows the whistle, and you have to go to the bench. We're not out there that long, either. It's just a lot of habits, and he wants us sprinting off the ice in games. so he wants us sprinting to the bench in practice. That's where I think he and Lou are probably cut from the same cloth in a lot of ways. They believe that you do things right all the time. And that's how you have success. You might not always have success, day to day, but over the long term, you're gonna have success. And you can see the passion that he has and why that clicked."

The question is, despite Roy and Lane Lambert having different styles, why were things, especially that attention to detail and effort, not something the team was strong at under their former head coach?

"It's on us. We didn't do a good enough job," Martin said about Lambert being fired, as many of his teammates have said since the news on Saturday. "Coaches do have a tough job and shelf life for just about all the greatest ones. And I know Lane was only the head coach here for a year and a half, but he was also here with Trotz for four years. I think once Pat came in, it's a whole new structure for everybody and a whole new system, whole new energy, and I think things can go a little stale from time to time. And he's certainly tightened things up and has us thinking and using our brains and you can tell that he just put so much thought into the way he wants us to play and his energy and passion for it, is bringing the best out of us."

The Islanders have hit the ice three times since Roy has taken over. 

Roy, who has focused heavily on the defensive side of the puck, has stopped drills to correct a few things in Alexander Romanov's game. 

“He’s like one more player on the ice who can give you a tip or add something," Romanov said. "It’s so important because I feel like he’s a part of the team, and he’s one more player out there.

“We just start learning. On the second day skating with him, we just keep learning and keep trying to understand the structure. We’re learning his process. He changed a lot, and sometimes it takes time to understand everything.”

Romanov also commented on the family aspect, and THN asked the young defenseman what's different the family feels now as opposed to a few weeks ago. 

“I mean, we always try to play as a team, together, but now it’s just the main point of our game," Romanov said. "So we should play together. We’re all brothers, like a family."

Jean-Gabriel Pageau loves the attention to detail. 

“I think it’s actually good for us. It shows us he’s paying a lot of attention to details, not that we were not before, but that we’ll be on top of it right away," Pageau said. "Most of it is fairly new for Roy.  It's all new to us. We’ve been playing the same system since I’ve been here, pretty much just around the same. Now, it’s completely different, so we need that talk. 

"Guys are smart on the ice, and we’re getting it pretty quick, but there are still some little details he wants us to be better at. Everything he says is constructive. He wants the best for us, and I think that he’s saying right now, this is the best way to do it. So, we know if you let it slide once or twice, you're not doing it correctly, and you create that habit. So, might as well create the habit the right way.”

This immediate fix is keeping the players accountable at the moment at practice rather than that accountability having to come to the forefront during a game, where each play counts a bit more. 

“It keeps you accountable, but also, when he’s talking to you on the ice, he wants to make everyone better also because it’s a habit that we’ve created over the years that might not be done the right way exactly," Pageau said. "So, I think he wants to bring that identity of we’re doing everything the right way and live with the result, but I think everyone likes it, and It brings a good vibe, good energy, and it forces you to be focused right away.”

Roy gave a ton of insight following Tuesday’s morning skate about the way he runs practice.

“I feel like every time we're on the ice for practice, we need to practice like we're gonna play our games, especially if you are limited in your number of practices,” Roy said. “So we want to make sure that the details are perfect.

“We don't want them to like the coaching staff because we let them do what they want. I want them to like the coaching staff because they believe we're going to make this our team better.”

The players seem to have bought into what Roy is selling and the immediate accountability should help exponentially in earning points in each passing game.