Patrick Roy draws on sauna pep talk to ease playoff pressure on Nathan MacKinnon
In his first year as an NHL bench boss Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy pushed all of the right buttons, leading the upstart Avalanche to just their second playoff berth in the past six years. It's fitting that the iconic former goaltender, who had one of the best rookie performances in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs back when he won the Conn Smythe in 1986, is a leading contender for the Jack Adams trophy in his first year as a head coach.
Over the next several weeks, however, we'll find out whether Roy's Stanley Cup playoff debut as a rookie head coach can match the legendary rookie run he managed as an NHL player over two decades ago.
Roy and the Avalanche will open their playoff run on Thursday, when they host the Minnesota Wild. Though Colorado compiled the second best record in the Western Conference this season, the Avalanche will be in tough against a stingy Wild side. It doesn't help that the Avalanche will open the series short-handed, with star center and Canadian Olympian Matt Duchene slated to miss at least the first two games of the series (and possibly more).
With Duchene sidelined, the Avalanche will rely heavily on talented rookie Nathan MacKinnon. The first overall pick in the 2013 entry draft, MacKinnon produced more than 60 points as a rookie and is the runaway favorite to win the Calder Trophy - awarded to the league's best first-year. MacKinnon will begin the postseason centering Colorado's second line, flanked by Ryan O'Reilly and PA Parentheau.
On Wednesday, Roy was asked a simple question during a press conference with reporters: "What are reasonable expectations for MacKinnon, an 18-year-old going into the playoffs?"
Roy's answer was fascinating, and included a story about a sauna pep talk he received from shutdown defender Larry Robinson during his rookie year in Montreal. Here it is in full, per Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post:
Zero. Let's go and have fun. (MacKinnon's) been playing hard all year, he's having an outstanding year, and whatever he does has been impressive. So, have fun. This is what it should be, and this is what it was for me when I was 20 years old. I didn't say, 'I was going to try to carry the team on my shoulders, I'm going to bring this team to the Cup.' This is only the result.
I remember my first year, I was 165 pounds with no weight to lose, but I went in the sauna. And (veteran teammate) Larry Robinson came in after his shower, and I realized — he's not coming for the sauna, he's coming to talk to me. And he said, 'Hey, kid. The only thing I'm asking is — no bad goals.' And from the first game, I was not thinking about winning the Stanley Cup, I was thinking — no bad goals. And having fun. And that's what Nate has to do. ... They just wanted me to play my game, not let in any bad goals — and that became my objective. I guess it's easier for Nate, because I'm telling him to have fun.
NHL rookies these days... so coddled.