New York Islanders And Patrick Roy Break Huge NHL Rule Before Defeat To The Florida Panthers

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Tom Banks
October 27, 2024 (8:22)

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The NHL has plenty of strict rules around their coaches and media, and on Saturday for unexplained reasons, Patrick Roy decided to break that rule.

The New York Islanders have been off to a solid start in 2024/25, and even with their recent loss to the Florida Panthers, the team sit at 3-3-2 on the season through eight games, putting them right in the thick of the Stanley Cup Playoff fight in the Metropolitan Division. On Saturday, the team also secured a new deal for veteran forward Matt Martin after placing Anthony Duclair on waivers, but it was their move that came later in the day that was perhaps the most surprising.

Before the Isles took on the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the team decided to make a strange move, as they refused to make Head Coach Patrick Roy available to talk to the media pre-game, a well known breaking of the NHL's media guidelines by the team.

Not long after this, the team would go on to blow an early 3-1 lead at home against Florida, with the defending Champs storming back to take victory 6-3, leaving many questions about not only the play on the ice, but the decision to hold back Roy from the media. At this point in time, there appears to be no clear explanation as to why they did that, and while some fans don't mind the move from New York given the basic pre-game answers that most in the media get, others are calling out GM Lou Lamoriello and the front office for the move.

This wouldn't be the first time that Lamoriello has come under fire, as he has faced criticism for his old-school ways during the off-season, so for now we await an explanation for the intriguing move.

Given that New York failed to make many significant changes this summer, there's no doubt that there's frustration throughout the organization, and whether it's Roy, Lamoriello or the playing group, it may result in some big changes down the line.