NHL fines Avalanche’s Patrick Roy $10,000 for outburst vs. Ducks
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Rookie Colorado Avalanche Coach Patrick Roy was fined $10,000 Thursday for his partition-banging outburst toward Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau.
“Roy’s actions at the conclusion of the game were irresponsible,” NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said in a prepared statement. “One of the responsibilities of an NHL coach is to help defuse volatile situations on the bench.”
Following Colorado’s 6-1 victory Wednesday in the regular-season opener, Roy objected strongly to a late knee-to-knee hit on Avalanche top pick Nathan MacKinnon by Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy.
Roy, a hall of fame goalie, yelled at Boudreau, then pounded on the glass partition that separated the teams during the game, to the point the partition nearly fell over on Boudreau.
“Bruce … could have had a new middle name … pancake,” St. Louis Coach Ken Hitchcock quipped. “He could have got squished.”
Roy told reporters Thursday he will “always defend my players.”
Boudreau said after the game the coach will learn he can’t repeatedly engage in arguments with opposing players and referees over disputed events in games.
“What Boudreau said was all lies,” Roy told reporters. “ … When you’re lying, this is classless.”
Nashville Coach Barry Trotz, whose team plays Roy’s on Friday, said, “There’s no room for coaches yelling at opposition players in this league. That’s not professional.… We’re the classiest league in the world and we should act that way.”
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