Islanders hire Patrick Roy after firing coach Lambert

The New York Islanders dismissed bench boss Lane Lambert and tabbed Patrick Roy as his replacement, the club announced Saturday.

"Patrick Roy was the only person I was interested in," Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "That's why he's here today."

The Isles' performance was a reason for the change, Lamoriello explained. "That fine line was crossed," he said, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross. "This was the time to do this."

"I felt that the inconsistency that has been going on for some period of time was not going to end," the executive added, according to The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner.

Lamoriello noted that the rest of New York's coaching staff will remain.

Roy was the Colorado Avalanche's head coach from 2014-16 in his only NHL stint as a bench boss. He won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in his first campaign with the Avalanche, guiding them to a 52-22-8 regular-season record.

Colorado was bounced in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that year, losing to the wild card Minnesota Wild in a seven-game series.

The Avalanche failed to make the postseason the following two seasons, leading to Roy's resignation in August 2016.

Roy was most recently the head coach and general manager of the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts from 2018-23. The 58-year-old resigned from the position after winning the Memorial Cup last spring.

"One of my objectives will be to bring some consistency to their game," Roy said, per Gross. The next head coach added: "Zero interest in management. And that's the first thing I told Lou."

As a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player, Roy is regarded as one the best goaltenders of all time. He lifted four Stanley Cups as a netminder, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on three occasions. Roy also won the Vezina Trophy three times and was named a year-end All-Star in six seasons.

Roy reflected on his previous NHL tenure in June, admitting that he made "some bad choices" with the Avalanche and that the way he left the team made it harder to get a subsequent NHL gig.

Lambert was named the Islanders' head coach in May 2022 after spending time as the team's associate coach under Barry Trotz. The former had a 61-46-20 record as the Isles' bench boss but lost in the first round of the playoffs in his only full season.

The New York job was his first as an NHL head coach. Previously, the 59-year-old was an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, both under Trotz. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 before following Trotz to Long Island, where he remained until his dismissal.

The Islanders have lost four straight and six of their last seven.

Lambert is the fifth head coach to be fired this season, joining Jay Woodcroft (Edmonton), Dean Evason (Minnesota), Craig Berube (St. Louis), and D.J. Smith (Ottawa).

The Islanders rank sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 19-15-11 record. New York is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and takes on the Dallas Stars on Sunday.