More NHL Playoffs: | | | | |The Colorado Avalanche have their coach, former star goaltender Patrick Roy.Reports had been surfacing in the past few days that the Avs were close to naming the former three-time Vezina Trophy winner their new bench bo s. On Thursday, has been reached with Roy, who will also be named the vice president of hockey operations."This is a very exciting day for our fans and a significant moment in our organization's history," said Avalanche president Josh Kroenke. "Patrick's pa sion for the game of hockey both as a player and as a coach defines who he is as a person. He is a winner and is coming back to Denver, where he created numerous special moments on and off the ice while helping lead us to two Stanley Cup championships.""This is an unbelievable day for me," said Roy, 47. "It's a new and exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to. I would like to thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity as well as Joe Sakic for the trust they are putting in me. Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am." Things are about to get fun in Colorado.Roy is a legendary figure in Denver for what he was able to do on the ice. Now he returns to take over a young team David Davidkov Jersey that has some promising parts and is about to get another with the first pick in the draft. In that regard, things will be very fun to watch as the Avs and Roy grow together.Even more fun will be watching Roy act as the coach. In his eight years coaching in the QMJHL -- winning Canada's Memorial Cup junior championship in 2006 -- he was a very fiery coach who was as pa sionate as they come. Seeing him in the NHL in the same capacity will certainly be interesting.So, get your popcorn ready.It's worth noting Roy will be more than just the head coach. VP of hockey ops was probably an extra carrot for Roy to accept the position. He has not only been coaching the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL, but he was also the general manager, so being involved in some fashion in the hockey operations department was probably important to him. Now he will a sist Sakic, the new president of hockey ops, in player personnel decision-making. Speaking of Sakic, this was his first big order of busine s as a more prominent member of the front office. He knew for a while that Roy was the man whom he wanted."All along, Patrick was our top candidate, and we are thrilled that he has decided to accept this offer," Sakic said. "Patrick has a great hockey mind, is a tremendous coach and there is no one more pa sionate about this game. He will bring that winning attitude to our dre sing room to help this young team grow."One question that many have had since Roy emerged as a serious candidate in Colorado was if this was being done to draw attention or really to win. Considering he has had a lot of succe s at the junior level, it's definitely a case of both. The guy is deserving of a chance behind an NHL bench; it just helps that he's an iconic figure in Denver. Iowa Hawkeyes Jersey