April 5 (UPI) — The New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy on Sunday, replacing him with Peter DeBoer with only with four games remaining in the regular season and the team clinging to a playoff spot.
Roy, who compiled a 97-78-22 record with the Islanders after taking over midway through the 2023-24 season, was let go in the wake of a disheartening loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
New York had blown a 2-1 lead and dropped its fourth straight game with the season winding down before Roy was fired.
The Islanders, with 89 points, remained in third place in the Metropolitan Division and in playoff position despite the latest loss, but lead the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets by only a single point. The Flyers have two games in hand over the Islanders.
The Ottawa Senators, at 88 points, hold the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Islanders General Manager and Executive Vice President Mathieu Darche announced that Roy has been replaced by the veteran DeBoer, 57, who joins the team after serving as the head coach of the Dallas Stars from 2022-23 through 2024-25.
DeBoer has an overall coaching record of 662-447-152 in 1,261 games over 17 NHL seasons with Dallas, the Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. He ranks 18th in NHL history in coaching wins (662) and 22nd in games coached (1,261).
Roy, meanwhile, had two years left on his contract, The Athletic reported.
The former NHL Hall of Fame goalie also coached the Colorado Avalanche from 2013 through 2016. He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach with the Avalanche in 2014.
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