ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Matt Slauson Jersey . -- Patrick Roys fiery personality was on full display in the opening game when the Colorado coach got into a heated exchange with Anaheim, banging his hands again and again on the glass partition until it tilted. That eruption set a tone for the season: The Avalanche werent going to be pushovers. Not with the combustible Hall of Fame goaltender taking over behind the bench. Roy guided this franchise -- the one he led to two Stanley Cup titles as a player -- back into the playoffs by tying a team record with 52 wins. They play Minnesota in a first-round series that begins Thursday. "Patrick is the ultimate winner. He doesnt accept anything less than winning," backup goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "He did that as a player and hes doing that as a coach. "He does that when he plays golf, he does that when he plays cards, he does everything to win. And that has really translated to our team. He changed the whole mentality in this room, and it shows every time we go out on the ice. We play to win, so its fun to see that." As for that volatile temper, the players insist they rarely see it inside the locker room -- not after a bad period or a tough loss. This is their team, Roy said from the day he was brought on board, and he was there more for support than to scold. He was partnering with them, not ruling them with an iron fist. The breathing room allowed the youthful Avalanche to make some mistakes and learn from them. "They need to have someone who they can come up to and talk," said Roy, whos the fifth coach in NHL history to win 50 or more games in his first season. "Its their system." Roys only previous experience on the bench was serving as coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. So he leaned on his assistants, as well as former teammate turned executive Joe Sakic. Roy has been a little unorthodox in running the team: From pulling his goalie with two, three, sometimes four minutes remaining if theyre down a goal to assembling them at centre ice after a practice and having them all yell "team" at the same time. "If we want to be different than weve been in past years, then we have to do things differently," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "Its been great to see his point of view on things. You see the team that we are. You see the team that weve become. "At first, you might wonder, Whats going on here? But its certainly working for us." No arguing that. They were 35-0-3 this season when taking a lead into the third period and had the best winning percentage in one-goal games simply because they played loose and with confidence. "Patrick empowers us," Matt Duchene said two weeks ago, before suffering a knee injury that will keep him out for the start of the playoffs. "Sure, he gives us a kick when we need it. But when he knows we need to be treated with a little bit softer (touch) and brought up instead of put down, thats what he does. "Hes very good at sensing the feeling in the room. Hes helped us all achieve what were capable of achieving." Perhaps no one more than Semyon Varlamov, who turned in a career season under the watchful eyes of Roy and goalie coach Francois Allaire, the man responsible for helping turn Roy into one of the best goalies in hockey history. Varlamov won a league-high 41 games this season, breaking the team record held by Roy. "Of course its a big deal to beat Patricks records," Varlamov said. "Hes one of the best goalies in the world." All this from a team that won just 16 games in a lockout-shortened season. "What a season theyve had," Wild forward Jason Pominville said. "Theyve completely turned it around." Really, the only big additions are rookie Nathan MacKinnon and the presence of Roy. "They must have done something right and Patrick must do something right to make that happen," said Pominville, the teams leading scorer. Indeed. The foundation for that transformation was built in Roys very first game in charge when he lost his cool and yelled at Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, pounding on the glass. That was after a 6-1 win, too. Roy was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the league. Wild coach Mike Yeo jokingly said he plans to "check the partition" between the benches before the playoff series. "This is a team that we have to have a lot of respect for," Yeo said. "Theyre an in-your-face team." Just like their coach. Braden Smith Jersey . In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6. Ryan Grant Colts Jersey . Toronto ended an 0-4-0 skid with Sundays shootout win over visiting New Jersey, but the club could have a difficult time making it two victories in a row tonight. The Maple Leafs have dropped three straight and 11 of the last 12 regular- season meetings against Boston overall and the Bruins have claimed six straight in Beantown. http://www.coltsofficialstore.us/ .J. -- Kevin Gilbride retired Thursday as offensive co-ordinator for the New York Giants.Before NCAA Selection Sunday, there are this weeks conference tournaments. For some schools, these tournaments act as final tune-ups before March Madness to get their teams into gear before the Big Dance actually starts. For others, the conference tournament is the last chance to prove to the selection committee that their team belongs among the field of 68. And yet for others, far on the outside looking in, winning their conference tourney is the only chance they have to enter this years tournament. Now, some of the smaller conference tournaments are either already underway or already over, but the bigger conferences tournaments dont get started until Wednesday. This will act as a primer for each of the bigger tournaments to give you an idea of whos involved, whos favoured and which Canadians to watch out for this week. Already qualifed for the NCAA tournament: Mercer (Atlantic Sun), Coastal Carolina (Big South), Delaware (Colonial), Harvard (Ivy), Manhattan (MAAC), #2 Wichita State (Missouri Valley), Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley), Mount St. Marys (Northeast), South Dakota State (Summit) and Gonzaga (West Coast) American Athletic Conference Top 25 teams in tournament: #5 Louisville, #13 Cincinnati, #19 Memphis, #21 Connecticut and #25 SMU Overview: Only three games separated these five times in the regular season (with the Cardinals and Bearcats sharing the regular season crown,) so there isnt a lot separating this group in a very competitive conference. All five of these teams will be headed to the tournament, but likely only this quintet. If any outliers in the conference want in, theyll likely have to win the AAC tournament to get there. Chances are, though, thats not happening. Projected winner: Cincinnati Atlantic Coast Conference Seeded teams: #5 Duke, #6 Virginia, #11 Syracuse and #15 North Carolina Overview: After the dissolution of the traditional Big East, Syracuse makes its tournament debut in the conference traditionally dominated by schools from the Carolinas. That said, Virginia is the tournaments top seed for the first time in 33 years. Teams should be on the lookout for upsets with both North Carolina State and Pittsburgh capable of grabbing a scalp, but smart money picks one of the top four seeds to take the title. Led by freshman phenom Jabari Parker, Duke is the odds-on favourite heading into this week, but, even after petering out a bit coming down the stretch, Brampton, Ontarios Tyler Ennis and the Orange are still the team to beat. Projected winner: Syracuse Atlantic 10 Conference Top 25 teams in tournament: #18 Saint Louis and #23 Virginia Commonwealth Overview: The story here isnt what happens with the top teams, but what goes on with those schools who still arent locks to make the tournament. With Saint Louis and VCU most certainly in, its up to the likes of St. Josephs, UMASS and George Washington to ensure participation in this years March Madness. Having five teams coming out of the Atlantic 10 certainly isnt outside the realm of possibility, but its not a likelihood just yet. Projected winner: VCU Big East Conference Top 25 teams in tournament: #3 Villanova and #14 Creighton Overview: Though still being held at Madison Square Garden, this years Big East tournament certainly doesnt carry the cache that it once did with traditional powers like Syracuuse, UConn and Pittsburgh having moved on. Tyquan Lewis Colts Jersey. Still, tournaments implications are huge here with the likes of Providence, Georgetown, Xavier and St. Johns fates for the Big Dance unknown with that quartet likely needing multiple wins for a selection. As for the final, Creighton has beaten Villanova handily in both meetings this season and should again if the top seeds end up meeting. Projected winner: Creighton Big 10 Conference Top 25 teams in tournament: #8 Michigan, #12 Wisconsin, #22 Michigan State and #24 Ohio State Overview: Like the regular season, this Big 10 tournament should be nothing short of a battle with a lot riding on the line. Nik Stauskas and the Wolverines were able to open a three-game gap on MSU when it was all said and done, but only four games separated Wisconsin in second from Indiana in ninth. Its the teams in that range that need a good tournament here. Up to seven teams could come out of the Big 10 and while the seeded teams are virtual locks, the likes of Nebraska and Minnesota need to impress to secure their positions come Sunday. Projected winner: Michigan Big 12 Conference Top 25 teams in tournament: #10 Kansas, #16 Iowa State and #17 Oklahoma Overview: This tournament has the potential to be the best of the bunch and a very deep conference means its ripe for upsets. Its conceivable that any team that finds itself in the quarterfinals has a shot to win the tournament. Oh, and theres a ton of Canadian content here with Kenny Chery and Brady Heslip of Baylor, Iowa States Melvin Ejim and some kid named Wiggins on Kansas. The Big 12 prides itself as the best conference in the nation in 2014 and having the most tournament bids would go a long way to prove that. Having eight teams in the tournament is not a stretch. This will be a dogfight and not having Joel Embiid will really hurt the Jayhawks. Projected winner: Oklahoma Top 25 teams in tournament: #4 Arizona Overview: Oregon came out of nowhere to win this tournament last year, so the Pac-12 tournament is far from a foregone conclusion as a Wildcats triumph. Still, theyre the overwhelming favourite. Arizona is among a handful of teams here secure in its place in the tournament and, barring a quarterfinal blowout loss, the Wildcats are on course for a #1 seed on Sunday night. With UCLA, Colorado and the Ducks seemingly set for a tournament spot, Arizona State is the team with the most to prove here. Without a strong tournament, dont look for the Sun Devils name to be called on Sunday night. Projected winner: UCLA Southeastern Conference Top 25 teams in tournament: #1 Florida Overview: Outside of the Gators, who will look at this tournament as an opportunity to solidify their claim for the top overall seed in the tournament, this hasnt exactly been a banner season for the SEC with the nations preseason #1 Kentucky falling well short of expectations. John Caliparis Wildcats are in no danger of missing the tournament, but will view the SEC tourney as a means to get some positive momentum going into it. Mizzou, Tennessee and Arkansas are all likely bubble teams right now and could certainly use a positive showing to prove their credentials. This is Floridas tournament, though. They were undefeated in the conference during regular season play and shouldnt look back now. 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