Patrick Roy’s three-season tenure as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche came to an abrupt end on Thursday when he announced he was resigning with one year left on his contract. It was a three-year run that saw the Avalanche go from a 112-point Central Division-winning team to one with back-to-back playoff-less campaigns. Roy, a colorful character and 2014 Jack Adams Award winner, wore his heart on his sleeve and said what was on his mind.
Uh oh gang, we may no longer be able to refer to the Chicago Blackhawks as the ‘Hawks. (Everyone does that, right?) Sports Logos.net and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp report that Bill Foley, owner of Las Vegas’ NHL expansion team, has the option of using three hawks-oriented names: Nighthawks, Desert Hawks and Red Hawks. Carp also reports that two other names “are being processed” but haven’t been disclosed. He believes that Nighthawks might be the winner. (Yes, in case you’re wondering, Nighthawk was the name of a not-particularly-beloved superhero. Marvel pumped out a series, according to a cursory Google search.) Carp also notes that the NHL prohibits the use of gambling terms
There is no specific favorite team to land college free agent Jimmy Vesey, according to his representation. Currently the Buffalo Sabres hold the rights to Vesey and have put a hard pitch on the 23-year-old American winger. Reports of late have listed the Chicago Blackhawks as the main team lining up to pounce on Vesey, the 2016 Hobey Baker winner, when he hits the open market. Vesey can’t talk organizations other than the Sabres until Aug. 15.