The New York Islanders had a terrible night against the New York Rangers on Thursday—and it was especially rough for the goalies. Head coach Patrick Roy made a decision on the bench that had fans scratching their heads, with some even claiming he’s trying to get himself fired.
Roy made one thing perfectly clear after the Islanders’ brutal 9–2 loss: he made a mistake. But fans weren’t having it. Many felt the Hall of Fame goalie completely humiliated 21-year-old Tristan Lennox, a third-round pick from the 2021 draft. With Ilya Sorokin out due to a lower-body injury, Marcus Hogberg got the start for the Islanders. He gave up six goals before being pulled, and Roy handed Lennox his NHL debut.
But just 4:43 later, after Lennox allowed a goal on only his second shot faced, he was yanked too.
“After the sixth goal, I wanted to give Marcus [Hogberg] a break—mentally, more than anything else,” Roy said, per the New York Post. “And I put Lennox in. When I saw the first goal… it’s on me.
“Maybe I should’ve kept [Hogberg in]. The kid didn’t have a chance to practice. I thought it was unfair to put him out there like this. That’s why I put Marcus back in. I didn’t want to expose [Lennox] or put him in a tough spot. The chances we were giving up were two-on-ones and three-on-twos. I didn’t think it was fair for him in his first game.”
Patrick Roy slammed by fans
Lennox recently returned from a major knee injury and has only played four games in the AHL this season. He was meant to back up Hogberg on an emergency basis—but Roy changed his mind mid-game.
“I’m sure he’s going to understand the situation. It’s hard,” Roy added. “He played yesterday in Bridgeport, drove here, had the morning skate, and then I put him in a situation like this. I’ll take responsibility for that. Might not have been my best decision.”
On social media, fans slammed Roy for the call. He’s already faced criticism for questionable in-game decisions and blunt postgame quotes—and now, some are suggesting he’s trying to get fired.
“Disgraceful what Roy did,” one fan wrote.
“Maybe Patrick Roy isn’t a good coach!?!” another added.
“He’s just trying to get fired at this point, right?” a third said.
“Man, Roy is really starting to come apart at the seams,” a fourth chimed in.
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