Last night, in his first NHL game as a coach in years, Patrick Roy won. The Islanders coach beat the Dallas Stars just over 24 hours after announcing his arrival in town.
Of course, he relied on assistants John MacLean and Doug Houda, who survived Lane Lambert’s dismissal.
But the fact remains that these are not Roy’s men. Was he going to make room for a man he could trust for his New York challenge?
The answer is obviously yes.
According to Stéphane Leroux, Gatineau Olympiques coach Benoît Desrosiers is now Roy’s third assistant in New York.
Patrick Roy’s first move: @OlympiquesGAT head coach Benoit Desrosiers, who was his assistant with the #Remparts, is leaving to join him in New York.
Serge Beausoleil to return to #Olympiques bench #QMJHL
– Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) January 22, 2024
His current assistants are obviously keeping their jobs.
What you need to know is that Desrosiers was his assistant in Quebec City from 2018 to 2023. He arrived in Quebec City in 2017 and left last summer, when the Gatineau Olympiques hired him as coach.
Serge Beausoleil, who is the Olympiques’ GM, will step down behind his team’s bench.
Details to follow…
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