Patrick Roy and Anthony Duclair had a little heart-to-heart this past summer after some drama went down at the end of last season. Roy, who used to be a big shot goalie and is now coaching the New York Islanders, had some not-so-nice things to say about Duclair’s performance after a game in April. He basically called him “god-awful” and said he wasn’t living up to expectations. Ouch. Duclair ended up taking a break from playing because of it.
But, hey, all’s well that ends well, right? Duclair said Roy actually drove all the way to Montreal to say sorry, and they both agreed to just let bygones be bygones. Duclair explained that he was nursing a gnarly groin injury during that time, which affected his game more than anyone realized. He said, “I told him I didn’t need an apology — I just needed him to know I was playing hurt, and he told me he didn’t really know the extent of the injury.” Looks like it was just a big ol’ mix-up, folks.
Now, Duclair is gearing up for the new season with a fresh perspective. He’s focused on being in tip-top shape for the first game, putting all his energy into training camp and preseason. Roy is rooting for him to get back to his former glory, hoping he can kick things off strong like he did before. Duclair had a killer season a couple of years back, scoring 24 goals with San Jose and Tampa Bay. Now, he’s locked in with the Islanders on a four-year, $14 million deal, ready to show everyone what he’s made of. Let’s see if he can bounce back and make Roy eat his words.
