Former player begins to make the transfer to full-time coach.
Former Montreal star goaltender Patrick Roy was a winner Saturday in his first National Hockey League game against the Canadiens since taking over as coach of the Colorado Avalanche.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 29 saves for Colorado while Gabriel Landeskog, PA Parenteau, Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O’Reilly scored for the Avalanche, who improved to 12-1 with their six win since suffering their only loss of the season, to Detroit on October 17.
“It’s fun to see things working out here as well as they are,” Roy said. “This game meant a lot to the guys and it meant a lot to me.”
Roy, who took over as Colorado’s coach this season, had spent more than 10 seasons with Montreal to start his NHL career after the Canadiens picked him in the third round of the NHL Draft.
Roy sparked Montreal to two Stanley Cup titles and was twice named Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goaltender in a season.
After being traded to Colorado in December of 1995, Roy backstopped the Avalanche to a pair of Stanley Cups and an NHL-record third Conn Smythe Trophy.
The Avalance are off to their best start in club history, surpassing the 11-1 start in 1994 when they were based in Quebec City and known as the Quebec Nordiques.
Former Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote had his No. 52 jersey retired in a pre-game ceremony, joining Roy, Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque and Swedish star Peter Forsberg in having his number retired by the club.
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