SWL: Community mourns passing of Dave Roy, former ARHS Hockey coach

Southborough Wicked Local posted that a late, former Algonquin coach is being remembered on social media.

Dave Roy, the former ARHS Hockey coach for whom the annual “Roy Conference” is named, passed away on Saturday at the age of 94. According to Wicked Local:

Roy touched a lot of lives. His son’s Facebook posting of his death drew more than 170 comments of praise.

“He had a lot of respect from all the players, officials,” [former Marlborough High hockey coach John Butler] said. “He was a great ambassador for the game of hockey in Central Mass.”

Here are some of the article’s highlights:

Dave Roy was a popular hockey coach who could be creative.

As coach of the hockey team at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough in the late 1970s and early 1980s, his favorite faceoff play often resulted in breakaway goals.

After a faceoff, an Algonquin player would hop over the boards onto the bench next to the faceoff circle and a teammate would jump onto the ice from the other end of the bench behind the defense. He’d collect a pass off the boards, skate toward the goal on a breakaway and often score.

“Then going through the line shaking hands after the game,” former Marlborough High hockey coach John Butler said, “Dave would kind of wink at you and say, ‘I got you.’ He’d let you know.”. . . 

Roy was among those who asked the school committee to form a hockey team at Algonquin in 1976, and he was the head coach for the first seven years. [His son] Mike served as an assistant under head coach Craig Boutilier for four years before taking over as head coach for 17 years. . .

“Dave was a players’ coach,” [Hudson High Coach] Nanartorwich said. “He had great relationships with his kids. His kids respected him tremendously. He had great knowledge of the game. When you played Algonquin, you had to be prepared. You had to be ready to go because they were always ready to go.”

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