Islanders’ Duclair – Roy apologized for ‘god-awful’ comment

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — Patrick Roy and Anthony Duclair cleared the air this summer after the Hall of Fame goaltender-turned-New York Islanders-coach sharply criticized the winger’s play publicly late last season.

Roy, after a loss in early April, said Duclair was “god-awful” and “not playing up to what we expect from him.” Duclair took a leave of absence and did not play another game.

Duclair said Roy drove to his offseason home in Montreal to apologize, and they each expressed a desire to move past the awkward situation. Duclair explained he was still dealing with the effects of a groin injury that sidelined him for two months.

“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,” said Duclair Monday at the Islanders’ annual charity golf tournament. “I think it was just a miscommunication by everybody, myself included. He just obviously thought I was playing [at] 100%, which I wasn’t.”

Roy thought the conversation with Duclair went “really, really well” and regretted his postgame comments.

“It’s an emotional game, and sometimes you’re saying things, but the outcome didn’t do anything good for us,” said Roy. “I feel like it almost was negative more than anything else, and I think Anthony had a lot of trust in me, and I felt like I let him down a little bit there.”

Duclair, who turned 30 on Aug. 26, said his groin muscle was torn completely off the bone last October and did not heal as quickly as expected. After two goals in five games before getting hurt, he had just five along with four assists in his next 39, culminating in Roy ripping him for not skating and not competing.

“We’re in a performance sport, and we have expectations. And I’m sure Anthony has his, but it’s behind me now, and I want to move forward to this year and really hope that Anthony will start like he did because he had a really good start,” said Roy. “When he came back from his injury, it was a little tougher for him for some reasons. But I want him to be who he was before he got hurt.”

Duclair scored 24 goals in the 2023-24 season for San Jose and Tampa Bay and signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Islanders as an unrestricted free agent. Going into the second season of that deal and after spending more time rehabbing, he is working toward finally being fully healthy for opening night.

“My focus is Game 1 of the regular season and being ready for that,” said Duclair. “Going to take all the time that’s needed during training camp, preseason, whatever it is.”

Roy figures Duclair will start camp on the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom.