“I was so excited to play in the National Hockey League,” said Sakic.
Nordiques missed the playoffs in each of the first four seasons of Sakic in the NHL, with a combined record of 75-205-40. In his eighth season, after the removal of the team in Denver where she became the Avalanche, Sakic hoisted the Stanley Cup as captain.
his first year as executive vice president of hockey operations, Avalanche seems able to recover much faster. The team has a record of 6-1-0, the second-best start in franchise history, surpassed only by the 1985-86 season before the beginning of the career of Sakic.
Speaking before his induction into the Hall of Fame Canadian sports Wednesday Sakic admitted he had not anticipated that the Avalanche would be undefeated after his first six games. But it does not hurt to explain why the team started the season so well under the guidance of new coach Patrick Roy.
“Our guards were incredible, Sakic said. (Semyon) Varlamov played well, (JS) Giguere was sent into the fray in Boston and was named first star. Boys game offering solid and they are integral with one another. And the guards are there to support them, it’s really a team effort. “
Naturally, Roy gets a lot of credit. He tied the record for the best start by a rookie coach in the NHL (6-0-0), established by Mario Tremblay with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995-1996.
hiring Roy was the first major decision of Sakic as a great patron of the Avalanche. Their playing career at Coloardo when the Avalanche won two cups, played a big role in this decision, as the experience of Roy behind the bench of the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL.
“I played with him as a teammate and he is a great leader, said Sakic. I know what he did in Quebec and the time he spent and how it has led the young players. And for me, I assessed it would be a perfect coach for a young team. “
The average age of the flood is 27.6 years, with the first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon, 18, and Captain Gabriel Landeskog, 20. But others, like Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Paul Stastny are far from recruits.
“I know we still have some real young, but we have guys who are in their fifth, sixth, seventh season, continued Sakic. They begin to learn how to win, and that experience helps. “
Avalanche suffered their first defeat of the season, 4-2, on Thursday night against the same Red Wings against which Roy and Sakic delivered so many memorable battles. The former Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood is now a television analyst, and the man he once faced is in the spotlight because of his emotional temperament behind the bench.
But that’s exactly what Sakic wants from Roy.
“I think that’s what we need, he has said. He knows how far he can push. It is a fierce competitor and he wants to win. This is what you want from your coach.
“I know he knows how to deal with a young team and teach them. He was a great teacher to his players and he implies. He repeated that he wants to “partner” with them and at the training camp, he developed this relationship with them. “
Sakic admitted he “could not be happier,” Roy’s relationship with his players. But he also knows that the team will experience adversity. But he is confident that this group will be able to get out quickly.
“We will lose some games, but that’s the way to bounce back from these games and speed to do, he said. Get up in the morning and be ready to get back to work. “
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