UPDATED:
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said he was surprised by Patrick Roy's decision to resign as coach and vice president of hockey operations Thursday.
"Patrick called me today and informed me the last three or four weeks he was wrestling with this and said he was going to resign today," Sakic said in a conference call. "It definitely caught me off guard. I asked him if he wanted to give it more thought and he said he was very comfortable (with his decision). I totally respect that and I appreciate it that he let me know now. Coaching is a grind and he wasn't (convinced) that he wanted to coach another year, and I thanked him and told him I appreciate it and I'll see him on the golf course in a couple months.
"We both respect each other really well. We’ve always been friends and we’ll always continue to be friends. He was contemplating this for a few weeks. It was tough on him, stressful, and I know right now he’s very comfortable with his decision and probably relieved that it’s over for him. So I’m happy that he came to this decision for himself and he’s comfortable with it and ready to move on. I wish him the best.…
Sakic said they talked before Roy released a statement in which he said he didn't think he had enough input in player personnel decisions.
Sakic said he was always involved.
"I have thought long and hard over the course of the summer about how I might improve this team to give it the depth it needs to bring it to a higher level," Roy said in his statement. "To achieve this, the vision of the coach and VP-hockey operations needs to be perfectly aligned with that of the organization. He must also have a say in the decisions that impact the team's performance. These conditions are not currently met. Though it saddens me, I have put much thought about this decision in recent weeks and have come to be fully comfortable with it."
Sakic, who said he read the statement, said that he and Roy were in agreement with the direction of the team.
"He was consulted on everything," Sakic said. "Obviously early on when I was getting comfortable in my role, I relied on him more. Now as we built up our staff, especially in season, we allowed Patrick to focus more on coaching. In the offseason we started working on free agents together.
"We never had an issue. We were friends as players, we're friends now. He was always involved, especially early he was a big help to me. He was aware of all the decisions we were making. To be honest with you, I think that's a question that you have to ask Patrick.
"I know we were on the same page. I saw his statement and I don't think anything more than it was a statement. I know how we feel, I talked to him, and moving forward we're still on the same page."
Sakic said that he would get together with his staff starting Friday to put together a list of coaching candidates, and that they would look outside the organization.
"We obviously would like to have it done before training camp," he said. "We want to interview quite a few people and see who we all feel comfortable with."
Sakic said he's "happy" with assistant coaches Tim Army, Dave Farrish, Francois Allaire and new hire Nolan Pratt, who last season was an assistant with the Lake Erie Monsters' Calder Cup championship team.
Roy, a Hockey of Fame goalie who along with Sakic helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001, had a 130-92-24 record in three seasons as coach.
He won the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL Coach of the Year in 2013-14 after the Avalanche finished first in the Central Division with a 52-22-8 record and 112 points before losing a seven-game series to Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
The Avalanche missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, falling to 90 points in 2014-15 and 82 points last season.
"The big thing when he talked to me today was last year was a tough year, he didn't have a lot of fun, and we always said as long as we're enjoying what we were doing and having fun we'll keep doing it," Sakic said. "He said the last three or four weeks he was just really contemplating not coming back and not coaching and he made the right decision for himself. I totally respect him for that.
"He didn't have a lot of fun last year. He came to this decision on his own. There's nothing but the utmost respect for somebody who comes to that decision. We're all good."