""Well, it was a tough first period, let's be honest," Roy said. "But I thought he bounced pretty good. He did a nice job. Keep his game simple and that's how you have to do it. And I don't think he let that affect himself. So that's where I'm proud of him.""
""It is huge. And the reason why I'm saying this is I lived it when I was playing," Roy said. "I was 20 years old when I started playing NHL and there was nights where you could lose your confidence very easily. So I don't want it to happen to him. I want to make sure that he stayed the course and focused on what he needs to do. And there's nights where [you] just keep it simple.""
Patrick Roy evaluates youngest players by their response to mistakes and emphasizes resilience and simplicity. Eighteen-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer struggled in the opening period of the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers as pace and physicality forced uncomfortable plays. Schaefer regrouped, simplified his game, settled in as the contest progressed, and helped the Islanders secure a 4-3 win. Roy drew on his own early NHL experience, warning that young players can lose confidence and stressing the need to stay the course. Roy's endorsement underscores the importance of mental toughness for a teenager trying to crack an NHL roster.
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