OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) 鈥 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鈥檚 play publicly late last season.
Roy after said Duclair was 鈥済od-awful鈥 and 鈥渘ot playing up to what we expect from him.鈥 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.
鈥淚 told him I didn鈥檛 need an apology 鈥 I just needed him to know I was playing hurt, and he told me he didn鈥檛 really know the extent of the injury,鈥 Duclair said Monday at the Islanders’ annual charity golf tournament. 鈥淚 think it was just a miscommunication by everybody, myself included. He just obviously thought I was playing (at) 100%, which I wasn鈥檛.鈥
Roy thought the conversation with Duclair went 鈥渞eally, really well鈥 and regretted his postgame comments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an emotional game, and sometimes you鈥檙e saying things, but the outcome didn鈥檛 do anything good for us,鈥 Roy said. 鈥淚 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.鈥
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.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a performance sport, and we have expectations and I鈥檓 sure Anthony has his, but it鈥檚 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,鈥 Roy said. “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.鈥
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.
鈥淢y focus is Game 1 of the regular season and being ready for that,鈥 Duclair said. 鈥淕oing to take all the time that鈥檚 needed during training camp, preseason, whatever it is.鈥
Roy figures Duclair will start camp on the third line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Simon Holmstrom.聽
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