If there was any question of what kind of passion first-year head coach Patrick Roy would bring to the Avalanche's bench this year, the answers were supplied on Opening Night when Roy tried to get at Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau following a knee-to-knee hit by Anaheim's Ben Lovejoy on Colorado's prized rookie Nathan McKinnon.
Lovejoy hit McKinnon knee-to-knee late in the third period of Colorado's dominant 6-1 victory over Anaheim, and when the horn sounded to end the game on the ice things were just beginning on the benches. An infuriated Roy was seen screaming in the direction of Boudreau because of the hit, and started pushing the glass partition that separates the two benches in Boudreau's direction.
Roy didn't want to see McKinnon, who was drafted No.1 overall by Colorado (1-0-0) in the NHL's 2013 Entry Draft, get seriously injured on what he perceived to be a dirty play by Lovejoy.
Following Boudreau and Roy pointing fingers and threatening each other and Roy pushing the partition in the Anaheim coach's direction, Ducks players Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon pushed it back Roy's way. An incensed Roy was carried away by his assistant coaches before a full-fledged brawl could erupt.
"That was a knee-to-knee hit, and should have been a penalty in my opinion," Roy said per Yahoo! Sports. "When it's 6-0, this game doesn't need that kind of cheap shot. After that, there was some talk from coaches I guess. What should I do? He put his fourth line on the ice, and I'm not going to put my first line out, so I put my fourth line out."
Roy added: "I matched lines with him all night."
Boudreau told reporters after the game that he was upset because Roy was yelling at some Ducks players following the hit.
"A coach has no right to start yapping at players. I told him its bush league," he said per Yahoo! Sports.
Colorado next hosts the Nashville Predators at home Friday while Anaheim (0-1-0) visits the Minnesota Wild. The two teams don't meet again until March 14.
As a player, Roy is renowned as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. He ranks first all-time in playoff wins with 151 and second all-time in regular season wins with 551.
Roy appeared in 1,029 games and had a career 2.54 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
While he's Roy made an impact on the NHL in his playing career for playing in over 1,000 games, he made his mark in coaching during his very first game Wednesday night.
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