Patrick Roy breaks one of Lou Lamoriello's important rules in front of reporters
Uh oh... Patty's gonna get an earful from the boss now.
Patrick Roy made a pretty big 'whoopsie' yesterday when meeting with the media.
The New York Islanders' coach accidentally let slip that the team's starting goaltender Ilya Sorokin had undergone back surgery this past offseason, after GM Lou Lamoriello had previously denied the fact. Lamoriello, who famously never lets any information leak to reporters, had stated earlier in the day that Sorokin merely had a minor hand injury and would miss only a few days of training camp. Roy, just hours later, contradicted that report and then was immediately shut down by the team's PR department.
Here's how it all played out courtesy of Ethan Sears of The New York Post:
And on Monday — after Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello had shut down speculation about Sorokin’s health by saying he suffered a minor injury during summer training and wouldn’t miss more than a few days of training camp — coach Patrick Roy inadvertently revealed that Sorokin had, in fact, undergone back surgery.
“So the surgery he had for his back, it’s not the perfect thing, but I do think he’ll be fine. I do believe we have such a good medical staff. They’ll take care of him. They’ll make sure when he’s ready, he’ll help us.”
After a follow-up question was cut off, Roy sheepishly said, “Oh, sorry.”
An Islanders spokesman quickly shut down follow-up questions relating to the operation and Sorokin’s agent, Dan Milstein, declined comment.
- Ethan Sears
I can only imagine what was going through Lamoriello's mind when he heard Roy speaking so freely. He was likely doing some sort of 'Terminator-esque' crunching of data in his mind to determine Roy's ultimate fate.
Frankly though, I'm tired of Lamoriello and his stupid rules. The Islanders operate in the darkness and, as a result, I don't see much engagement from their fanbase. The team's fans experience a certain level of disconnection with the team because they literally cannot believe what is told to them. Call it what you will, but the Islanders actively lie to their fanbase all in an effort to gain a slight advantage on their opponents. It's nonsense and I'm tired of acting like Lamoriello is some sort of evil genius. He's not... he's a dinosaur who refuses to adapt his strategy.
Give Roy the mic and let him speak directly to the people, as he has done his entire career. A career, by the way, that was unaffected by his penchant for blabbing. He knows what it takes to win and it doesn't involve shaving your beard and wearing a three piece suit to breakfast.