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FILE – New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy speaks to members of the media before an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y.<\/p>\n
Heather Khalifa\/AP<\/p>\n
FILE – Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer looks on during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
LM Otero\/AP<\/p>\n
New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy looks on from the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Graham Hughes\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
Graham Hughes\/AP<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Patrick Roy was fired as coach of the New York Islanders on Sunday, another late-season change in the NHL that comes with the team in the middle of a spring tailspin that has put its playoff chances in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
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First-year general manager Mathieu Darche announced the abrupt decision to part ways with Roy and name Peter DeBoer his replacement with four games left in the season. The Islanders have lost four in a row and seven of their past 10 games, going from comfortably in a playoff spot to needing help down the stretch in a competitive Eastern Conference race.<\/p>\n
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Getting outshot 40-16 and losing 4-3 at division-leading Carolina on Saturday night in another must-win game was the final straw for Darche, who took over last summer and decided at the time to keep Roy behind the bench.<\/p>\n
Roy is the second head coach fired over the past eight days. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella on an interim basis a week ago.<\/p>\n
This is not an interim move. DeBoer is taking the job full time.<\/p>\n
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The 57-year-old is fresh off serving as an assistant on coach Jon Cooper’s Canada’s staff at the Milan Cortina Olympics, serving as an advanced scout and helping a talented group reach the final before losing to the U.S. in overtime.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore of preparation was just when everybody arrived here and you\u2019ve got basically three days to prepare, that a lot of the grunt work is done,\u201d DeBoer said in Milan. \u201cI was involved in the scouting selection process. That was totally different for me and an exciting kind of wrinkle in what we usually normally do as coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeBoer has taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Final and most recently coached the Dallas Stars to three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final before being fired last year following their latest exit.<\/p>\n
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Internationally, DeBoer was an assistant for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and has filled that role at multiple world championships. He called it a great opportunity for learning and perspective, even if being a head coach suits him better.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah, I\u2019m a head coach,\u201d DeBoer said. \u201cI\u2019m a short-term assistant coach. … You always come back a better head coach for, I think, doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n