Avs legend Patrick Roy makes feelings known about Colorado crowd's standing ovation: "Means a lot to me"

New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy received a standing ovation from the Ball Arena crowd in Denver on his return to Colorado during their 4-1 loss on Sunday. Roy had won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche as a player.

With nearly seven minutes played in the first half, the Avalanche ran a special anniversary highlights package of Roy's plays during the TV break. The crowd responded with a standing ovation for Roy at the conclusion of the break.

"It means a lot to me because I mean, I had a great time here," Roy said during his postgame presser. "I played eight years, and we had a great run. I mean, six Conference Finals, two Stanley Cups. I mean, it's nice to see the people react that way."

Roy, one of the well-known goaltenders of the 1990s and 2000s, helped the Avalanche to Cup wins in 1996 and 2001, while also winning the Conn Smythe in the 2000-01 season. He returned to Colorado in a coaching role in the last decade, from 2013 to 2016, but that stint proved to be less successful.

Upon being named as head coach of the Islanders in the 2023-24 season, this was his second visit to Denver. Last season, he had paid a visit with the Isles on October 14, which New York won 6-2.

Roy is also not unfamiliar with standing ovations at visiting clubs. Back in January of last year, he received a warm welcome back at the Bell Centre from the Montreal Canadiens fans. Before his stint with the Avs, Roy won two Cups with the club in 1986 and 1993, also being named the NHL MVP in both seasons.

Patrick Roy calls loss to Avalanche "best game" in unbeaten road trip

The Islanders started their seven-game road stretch with four back-to-back wins. They beat crosstown rivals the New York Rangers last Sunday, before grabbing overtime wins against the New Jersey Devils, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Utah Mammoth. The Avs stopped that run, but Patrick Roy felt his team gave their best effort on Sunday.

“It was a hard-fought game. I thought we played really well, and their goaltender was the story of the game,” Roy said. “He made some really good saves, especially on our power play.

"I mean, we had a lot of good looks, and he made those saves. I thought it was a great team effort. I mean, it was probably our best game of the road trip, to be honest. I thought we played really well.”

The Islanders have a 10-7-2 record and are fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 22 points.