A positive test for COVID-19 will deprive Patrick Roy of his place behind the bench of the Quebec Remparts, Wednesday evening, for the game once morest the Baie-Comeau Drakkar at the Videotron Center. It is his assistant, Benoit Desrosiers, who will take the reins of the team.
Roy is not the only member of the Red Devils to have tested positive in the past few days. Defender Charle Truchon and sports therapist Steve Bélanger are also on the sidelines.
The head coach should be at his post Friday in Shawinigan, if he obtains a negative test by then. As for Truchon, he might return to play on Sunday once morest the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
In Roy’s absence, Desrosiers led a long practice Tuesday. The 33-year-old assistant believes that the players will see nothing but fire on Wednesday evening.
“I will convey the same message as usual, he pointed to journalists. I will not change the recipe. I will say the same thing, address the same points.”
This is not the first time that Desrosiers has taken over from his head coach this season: he had already done so when he was suspended in early November.
Usually, Roy and Desrosiers share the workload. The first deals with attackers and the second with defenders.
On Wednesday evening, video coordinator David Rodrigue will leave his usual chair to support the head coach for a day in his duties.
As if there were
Compared to other teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (LHJMQ), the Remparts have been spared by COVID-19 this season.
Forwards Xavier Filion and Nathan Gaucher had to miss games earlier in the campaign following positive results. Other members of the organization contracted the virus, but during the break of matches in January.
Even if he cannot be physically with the team, Patrick Roy has worked closely with Desrosiers to prepare for the match once morest the Drakkar.
“Patrick is at home, but we talk to each other several times a day, explained the deputy. We planned the training [de mardi] ensemble.»
A big week
The Remparts will face some good challenges this week. Admittedly, Baie-Comeau, 16th, points far behind Quebec (second) in the general classification, but Desrosiers noted that the last games between these two teams were closer than the score indicated.
Then come the Cataracts (fourth), Friday, then the Phoenix (third), Sunday.
“It will be good weeks until the end of the regular schedule,” said Desrosiers. It’s good preparation for the playoffs and we have to be ready. This is how we will approach the game of [mercredi soir].»
