Roy Resigns as Coach of Avalanche

BY ESPN

Saying that he doesn't have enough of a "say in the decisions that impact the team's performance," Patrick Roy resigned as coach of the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

He issued a statement that also said he was not on the same page with the organization.

"For the past three years, I have carried out my duties as head coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche with energy, passion and determination," Roy said in the statement.

"I have thought long and hard over the course of the summer about how I might improve this team to give it the depth it needs and bring it to a higher level. To achieve this, the vision of the coach and VP-hockey operations needs to be perfectly aligned with that of the organization. He must also have a say in the decisions that impact the team's performance. These conditions are not currently met.

Roy, who played 478 games and won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche, has coached the team for three seasons. He was named coach of the year his first season, 2013-14, after leading Colorado to 112 points and a first-place finish. But the Avs lost that year in the first round of the playoffs to the Wild and have not returned to the postseason since.

Roy was critical of some of his players last year, blasting forward Matt Duchene for his exuberant celebration of his 30th goal in a 5-1 loss.

But Roy told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun on Thursday that he still has a ton of respect for former teammate and current Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic, as well as Avs players and the organization. He said that philosophical differences made him want to walk away now before the situation deteriorated.