Riding a three-game win streak to start their seven-game road trip, the New York Islanders will take on the Utah Mammoth for the first time since the franchise adopted its new name.
Utah head coach André Tourigny -- who has been with this group of players since he was appointed head coach of the Arizona Coyotes ahead of the 2021-22 season -- joked about his friendship with Islanders head coach Patrick Roy:
Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) on XI asked Tourigny how much he looked up to #Isles coach Patrick Roy as a player.
“Could not hate him more.”
He explained that he grew up as a Quebec Nordiques fan. Roy, of course, played for the Montreal Canadiens.
When Tourigny became a GM in the QMJHL in 2003, he got to knowTourigny, who is from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, grew up during Patrick Roy’s reign as hockey’s greatest goaltender, and his childhood team, the Quebec Nordiques, were the biggest rivals of Roy’s Montreal Canadiens.
As coaches, the two went head-to-head throughout the 2000s in the QMJHL before joining forces for two years on the Colorado Avalanche's bench for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons when Roy was head coach.
While Tourigny later joined the Ottawa 67's for four seasons before returning to the NHL, he still has great respect for Roy:
#UtahHC Andre Tourigny, who was on Patrick Roy's staff with #GoAvsGo, spoke about going up against his friend tonight:
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 10, 2024
"He's a great coach. He's a very good competitor. He's always intense. Patty and I connect on a regular basis and we always kept a good relationship."#Isles
Roy has faced Tourigny just twice as New York's head coach, first falling 5-4 in overtime in the Islanders 2024-25 season opener on October 10, 2024, before defeating Utah 2-1 on January 11, 2025 in the team's first ever trip to Utah.
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