Islanders fire Lane Lambert, hire Patrick Roy as head coach

The New York Islanders fired Lane Lambert and hired Patrick Roy as head coach. Roy was a Hall of Fame goaltender.

The New York Islanders made a major coaching change in the middle of their season, parting ways with Lane Lambert and bringing in Patrick Roy, a former NHL head coach and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender. The Islanders are currently 19-15-11 (49 points) this season, tied for fifth in the Metropolitan Division and two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have struggled recently, losing four straight games and going 2-6-2 in their last 10.

Lambert, who had been with the Islanders as an associate coach for four seasons, was promoted to head coach for the 2022-23 season. Under his leadership, the team went 42-31-9 (93 points) and made it to the first round of the playoffs, where they were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.

Patrick Roy, the new head coach, is widely recognized as one of the NHL's greatest goalies, but he has also had success as a coach. He previously coached the Colorado Avalanche from 2013-16, achieving a record of 130-92-24 in the regular season and 3-4 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2013-14. In his first season, he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year, leading the Avalanche to the Central Division title with 112 points.

Roy also has an impressive coaching record with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, winning Memorial Cup championships in 2006 and 2023. His overall record in 13 seasons with Quebec is 524-255-66.

As a player, Roy achieved 551 wins in 19 seasons, ranking third in NHL history behind Martin Brodeur and active goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. He also holds records for the most playoff wins and games played, as well as the second-most playoff shutouts. Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006 and had his No. 33 jersey retired by both the Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens.

The firing of Lambert marks the fifth head coaching change in the NHL this season, with other coaches from the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues also being let go. The Islanders will now look to Roy to provide a fresh perspective and turn their season around.