Even after coaching his team to a Memorial Cup championship, Patrick Roy knows NHL teams might have some reservations about bringing him back into the league.
"It's hard for me to get a job because of the way I left Colorado," Roy told NHL.com's Dave Stubbs on Thursday.
"I know I made some bad choices," Roy said. "I know the way I left, everything I did, could have an effect on today's perspective on myself. I have to live with that. I know that I've learned from my mistakes. The past is the past but sometimes, you have to live with your past. I understand the situation."
Roy abruptly resigned from his dual role as Avalanche head coach and vice president of hockey operations in the summer of 2016.
"I understand now, better than ever, that you can't be in management and coach a team at the same time," the legendary former goaltender said Thursday. "If you're the coach, you coach. If you're GM, that's what you do."
Roy coached the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts for eight seasons before rejoining the Avalanche in a non-player capacity. Joe Sakic, who was the club's general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations, named Roy - his former teammate - head coach and VP of hockey ops in May 2013.
After Roy left the Avalanche, he took some time off before resurfacing as Remparts head coach in 2018-19. They blanked the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 in the Memorial Cup final last Sunday to claim the ultimate CHL prize.
Roy's unexpected departure from Colorado was the second time he abruptly created a rift with an NHL team following his unceremonious exit from the Montreal Canadiens in 1995.
He infamously told then-Habs president Ronald Corey he'd played his final game for the team while coming off the ice after head coach Mario Tremblay removed him from a game in which he allowed nine goals. Four days later, Montreal traded him to Colorado.
The 57-year-old said Sunday's championship victory was his final act with the Remparts.
"There's no better ending than that, that's for sure," he said Thursday.
Carter Verhaeghe buried the winner in overtime as the Florida Panthers prevailed 3-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) June 9, 2023
The Panthers cut the Golden Knights' series lead to 2-1 and won their first-ever Cup Final game. Matthew Tkachuk scored with just over two minutes left in regulation to tie it.
Athanasiou was a pending unrestricted free agent. The Blackhawks inked him to a one-year, $3-million contract last July.
The forward, who'll turn 29 on August 6, collected 20 goals and 20 assists while playing all but one game for the Blackhawks this season.
Andreas Athanasiou, signed 2x$4.25M by CHI, is a middle six winger who creates chances with his speed, scores with his speed, draws penalties with his speed, and that's about it. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/FjqBXDKsKY
Athanasiou has played for four teams in his eight-year career. He spent his first four-plus campaigns with the Detroit Red Wings, who traded him to the Edmonton Oilers in February 2020. He then signed with the Los Angeles Kings about 10 months later before joining Chicago as a free agent last summer.
The Blackhawks have rarely retained veteran players since Kyle Davidson took over as general manager in March of last year. The GM slowly stripped the club of most of its talent, and the strategy paid off in May when Chicago won the draft lottery and right to select Connor Bedard after finishing with the league's third-worst record.
The Red Wings drafted Athanasiou 110th overall in 2012.
Mike Babcock will resurface in the NHL next season, as the Columbus Blue Jackets intend to hire him as their new head coach, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The Jackets won't finalize the move until after June 30, when Babcock's contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs expires, adds LeBrun. The Leafs still owe him what's left of that deal.
Toronto fired the now-60-year-old in November 2019 amid a losing streak and allegations of a toxic work environment. The Leafs replaced him by promoting Sheldon Keefe, who remains in the role.
Babcock guided the Leafs to four playoff berths but no series wins during his tenure. The club went 173-133-45 in four-plus campaigns with him at the helm. Before that, Babcock led the Detroit Red Wings for 10 seasons, helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2008. He spent his first two years as a head coach with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who advanced to the Cup Final in his first season with the team.
The Ontario-born bench boss who grew up in Saskatchewan is the only head coach in the "Triple Gold Club," having won the Cup, the World Championship, and first place in an Olympic tournament. He claimed gold medals at the Olympic Games in 2010 and 2014.
However, he's also been accused of mistreating players. Not long after Babcock's firing in 2019, Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner confirmed reports that the bench boss forced him to rank his teammates by their work ethic during his rookie season and then shared the list with the team.
Shortly after that revelation, former Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios said Babcock verbally assaulted teammate Johan Franzen during the 2011-12 playoffs, causing the forward to have a nervous breakdown. Franzen called Babcock "the worst person I have ever met."
The University of Saskatchewan hired Babcock in February 2021 to coach its men's hockey program for two seasons. However, he resigned in August 2022 and said he was retiring from coaching.
The Florida Panthers have stunned the historically dominant Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the hockey world as a whole amid an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final this spring. Given the Cats' unexpected arrival on the doorstep of a championship, it's worth breaking down how they were assembled.
Bill Zito took over as the Panthers' general manager in September 2020, and Florida won the Presidents' Trophy last season before bowing out in the second round. While he's certainly put his stamp on the club in his relatively short tenure, the groundwork for the Panthers' foundation began long before he arrived.
On the whole, free-agent signings and trades account for the vast majority of the moves that shaped this now formidable squad.
Here's how Zito and his predecessors constructed the club that went from sneaking into the playoffs last month all the way to competing in the Cup Final beginning Saturday.
Method
Players
Homegrown
4
Trade
7
Free agency
10
Waivers
3
Homegrown
Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / Getty
Aleksander Barkov (June 30, 2013): The franchise cornerstone is in his 10th NHL season, all of which he's played with Florida. Former Panthers GM Dale Tallon drafted the dynamic Finnish center second overall, right after the Colorado Avalanche chose Nathan MacKinnon. Barkov, who's blossomed into a superstar and one of the game's best two-way players, is in his fifth campaign as the Cats' captain.
Aaron Ekblad (June 27, 2014): Ekblad has been a fixture of the Panthers' defensive corps since Tallon picked him first overall. Much like Barkov, Ekblad has played his entire career for Florida, and next season will be his 10th. The Canadian blue-liner has dealt with injuries in recent seasons, but he's been a workhorse with a knack for contributing on offense when healthy.
Spencer Knight (June 21, 2019): Tallon picked Knight 13th overall, and the young goaltender impressed when he first arrived on the NHL scene for four regular-season games and a pair of playoff contests in 2021. However, he's been inconsistent since and has fallen to No. 3 on the team's netminding depth chart.
Anton Lundell (Oct. 6, 2020): Lundell is another prime example of the Panthers' success with lottery picks over the years. Just over a month after Zito took the reins, he selected the Finnish forward 12th overall. Lundell has developed nicely at the NHL level, providing favorable underlying numbers as Florida's third-line center - and he's still only 21 years old.
Trade
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Eetu Luostarinen (Feb. 23, 2020): Luostarinen was part of the haul Tallon got when he sent Vincent Trocheck to the Carolina Hurricanes before the trade deadline in 2020. Everybody else the Panthers received in the deal (Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, and Chase Priskie) is playing elsewhere now, but the 24-year-old Luostarinen is a key contributor on Florida's third line.
Patric Hornqvist (Sept. 24, 2020): Hornqvist hasn't played since sustaining a concussion in early December, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion did suit up for 22 games with Florida during the regular season. The Panthers sent defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour to the Pittsburgh Penguins in that swap. Hornqvist is in the final year of a contract he signed with the Pens in Feb. 2018.
Brandon Montour (April 10, 2021): This move looks like a steal now. Florida snagged Montour from the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick. He obliterated his previous career highs with 16 goals and 73 points during this past regular season, and he's kept it up in the playoffs with six goals in 16 games.
Sam Bennett (April 12, 2021): Bennett played his first five full NHL seasons with the Calgary Flames but then fell out of favor with the club that selected him three spots after Ekblad in 2014. The then-disgruntled forward demanded a trade, and the Flames eventually accommodated his request, shipping him to the Panthers along with a sixth-round pick for a second-rounder and prospect Emil Heineman.
Sam Reinhart (July 24, 2021): Zito also landed Reinhart from the Sabres in exchange for top goaltending prospect Devon Levi, perhaps feeling confident about Knight at the time. Zito could come to regret the move long term in goal, but skilled forward Reinhart has been an excellent addition in the present.
Matthew Tkachuk (July 22, 2022): The blockbuster swap that sent Tkachuk from Calgary to Florida has been well-documented, but its immense impact can't be overstated. The versatile Hart Trophy finalist has led and transformed his new squad with a rare blend of elite offensive production and intimidating physical play. Much like Bennett, Tkachuk asked the Flames to trade him, and the Panthers capitalized in both situations.
Givani Smith (Dec. 19, 2022): Florida secured Smith in a trade for veteran defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Smith is purely a depth forward, as the 25-year-old winger played only 34 NHL games during the regular season and a single contest so far in these playoffs.
Free agency
Joel Auerbach / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Sergei Bobrovsky (July 1, 2019): The Panthers signed the ex-Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender to a mammoth seven-year, $70-million pact on the open market. The deal raised eyebrows around the league and was frequently panned in the seasons that followed. But it's harder to question it now, given how integral he's been to Florida's success in these playoffs.
Carter Verhaeghe (Oct. 9, 2020): Verhaeghe has been one of the best bargains in the NHL since the Panthers signed him to a two-year contract at $1 million annually. Even the three-year extension he inked in July 2021 still looks good at an average annual value of $4.167 million, considering he racked up a career-high 42 goals this season while equaling the personal-best 31 assists he collected in 2021-22.
Radko Gudas (Oct. 9, 2020): Gudas is in his third campaign with the Panthers, who inked him to a three-year deal in free agency a few autumns ago. The soon-to-be 33-year-old Czech defenseman - who has a reputation for initiating questionable hits - played for the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning before joining the Cats.
Ryan Lomberg (Oct. 9, 2020): The Panthers reeled in the player nicknamed "Lomberghini" on the same deal as Verhaeghe and Gudas. Florida signed Lomberg to a two-year contract that day and then extended him for two more in November 2021.
Anthony Duclair (Dec. 17, 2020): Duclair is playing for his sixth team in nine years. The Panthers signed the winger to a one-year pact as a free agent, then re-upped him on a three-year agreement in July 2021. The historically streaky Duclair had a career year last season but then tore his Achilles tendon in the summer. That limited him to 20 games in this past regular season, but he's notched three goals and six assists in 15 playoff contests this spring.
Nick Cousins (July 13, 2022): Cousins is a journeyman in his own right, having also suited up for six NHL teams in his nine-year career. But the veteran forward is now playing a key role for the Panthers, who signed him to a two-year deal last summer. Cousins has been lining up alongside Bennett and Tkachuk on Florida's second line.
Alex Lyon (July 13, 2022): Lyon outplayed Knight to grab the backup job. The 30-year-old didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but he's having a career year at an age when most players start to decline. Lyon joined the Panthers on a two-way contract last summer, so he's significantly exceeding expectations.
Colin White (July 13, 2022): The Ottawa Senators drafted White 21st overall in 2015, and he hasn't lived up to that draft slot. The American forward signed with Florida after parts of six seasons with the Sens, and he now skates on the Panthers' fourth line.
Marc Staal (July 13, 2022): There are certainly better and faster defensemen in the NHL than Staal these days, but Florida signed him for his experience. The veteran of over 1,000 games agreed to a one-year pact at $750,000.
Eric Staal (Oct. 22, 2022): A second Staal brother joined the Panthers about three months later when they signed the elder Eric to a matching one-year, $750,000 contract. The veteran forward hasn't made a major impact statistically, but at 38 years old, it was clearly a matter of adding even more experience for a playoff run.
Waivers
Josh Lavallee / National Hockey League / Getty
Gustav Forsling (Jan. 9, 2021): Landing an eventual top-pairing defenseman off the wire was some tidy work by Zito. Forsling never played a game for the Canes before he was placed on waivers, spending his entire 2019-20 campaign with their AHL affiliate.
Josh Mahura (Oct. 10, 2022): The Panthers nabbed Mahura away from the Anaheim Ducks at the start of this season. He's more of a stay-at-home defenseman who primarily occupies a spot in the third pairing.
Casey Fitzgerald (Jan. 11, 2023): Florida claimed Fitzgerald off the wire from the Sabres, who made him a third-round draft pick in 2016. The American rearguard isn't in the Panthers' top six on the back end, but he has played one game in these playoffs, namely Florida's Game 4 loss to the Boston Bruins in Round 1.
Carbery spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 41-year-old guided the Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to the league's best regular-season record in 2021.
The Arizona Coyotes were just minding their own business, likely lamenting another lengthy offseason and wondering about the future of their franchise. Then, Bruce Cassidy caught them with a stray.
"To me, the (biggest indicator of our lack of) desperation was we had 24 giveaways tonight," the Golden Knights head coach said after the Dallas Stars defeated his club 4-2 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final to cut Vegas' series lead to 3-2.
"I'm not sure you're beating the Arizona Coyotes in January with 24 giveaways," Cassidy continued. "No disrespect to Arizona, but it's not the right way to play. ... We're trying to go to the Stanley Cup Final against a desperate team, so to me, that's the whole game right there."
Vegas committed 15 more giveaways than Dallas on Saturday night, with defenseman Zach Whitecloud coughing up a game-high four. Forward Chandler Stephenson, who scored in the second period, made three.
Jason Robertson - who answered Stephenson's goal with one of his own - committed two giveaways for the victors. No other Stars skater committed more than one.
The Golden Knights took a pair of leads in the loss, but the Stars tied it quickly both times - first on Luke Glendening's first-period tally less than two minutes after Ivan Barbashev opened the scoring, and then on Robertson's marker two minutes and nine seconds after Stephenson gave Vegas a 2-1 advantage.
Ty Dellandrea then potted a pair of goals in under 90 seconds midway through the third period to propel the Stars to victory.
Vegas did have more takeaways than Dallas in the game, winning that category 14-7.
Ty Dellandrea scored two goals in under 90 seconds to break a third-period tie as his Dallas Stars prevailed 4-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday night.
The Stars cut the Golden Knights' series lead to 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Monday.
Dellandrea gave Dallas a one-goal advantage just over halfway through the final frame before burying a loose puck to pad the lead.
Even though the Western Conference champion is yet to be determined, the NHL released its two scheduling scenarios for the Stanley Cup Final.
The Dallas Stars staved off elimination in Game 4 of the West final with an overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. On Wednesday, the Florida Panthers swept the Carolina Hurricanes to prevail in the Eastern Conference Final.
If the Golden Knights win Game 5 on Saturday, the Cup Final would play out as follows, with all puck drops taking place at 8 p.m. ET:
*If necessary
Game
Date
Home
1
May 31
Golden Knights
2
June 3
Golden Knights
3
June 5
Panthers
4
June 8
Panthers
5*
June 10
Golden Knights
6*
June 13
Panthers
7*
June 16
Golden Knights
If the Stars take Game 5 to prolong the series, the Cup Final would look like this, pending the eventual winner (and, again, with all games beginning at 8 p.m. ET):
Game
Date
Home
1
June 3
Golden Knights/Stars
2
June 5
Golden Knights/Stars
3
June 8
Panthers
4
June 10
Panthers
5*
June 13
Golden Knights/Stars
6*
June 16
Panthers
7*
June 19
Golden Knights/Stars
All of the games in both scenarios would be broadcast on Sportsnet, CBC, and TVA Sports in Canada. In the United States, every game will be on TNT and truTV, with TBS also airing all but Game 1 and 6 in the first scenario and all but Game 5 in the second.
