Titan Coaches Change Again, Patenaude Bumped To Scout

The Laval Titan have made 10 roster moves this season, but the biggest changes have come in the management ranks. A couple of weeks into January, Richard Lafreniere filled the Titan’s general manager position left vacant when personal problems prompted former NHL defenseman Jocelyn Guev-remont to step down in December. Shortly after he took over, Lafreniere relieved assistant coach Marcel Patenaude of his duties, although he said Patenaude may join the team’s scouting staff. “Marcel doesn’t get along well with our coach, Maurice Lemay,” said Lafreniere, 43, from neighboring Terrebonne. “I had to make a choice.” The situation came to a head while Laval was pounding St-Jean Castors 12-6 Jan. 18. Lemay and Patenaude reportedly had a disagreement at the end of the first period, over the Castors’ line changes. The Titan management shuffle began…

Islanders Possess Three Centers Of Attention

UNIONDALE, N.Y.—If Brent Sutter can outplay Mark Messier at both ends of the ice, as he did in a 3-2 victory over Edmonton on Jan. 23, or be asked to watch Mario Lemieux seven times a season, then he must be the Islanders’ best center. But if Bryan Trottier can—game after game, season after season—skate a regular shift, kill penalties, play the power play and take the important faceoffs that Sutter doesn’t, then he must be the team’s best center. But if those two are coach Terry Simpson’s best centers, then what was Pat LaFontaine doing with a teamleading 32 goals and 59 points? And why did Wales Conference coach Mike Keenan name him to the all-star team? “Trots deserves to go,” LaFontaine said the day before he was selected to play in…

ASK THE REFEREE

Q: Here’s a hypothetical game situation. Say Boston is shorthanded one player after taking a minor penalty at the six-minute mark of the first period. At the seven-minute mark, a delayed penalty is being called on Boston. The opposing team—we’ll use Pittsburgh as an example—pulls its goaltender and scores at the 7:25 mark of the period. 1. What is the status of the delayed penalty? 2. What becomes of the remaining 35 seconds of the first penalty? 3. Would Pittsburgh’s goal be recorded as a one-player or two-player power-play goal? 4. If Pittsburgh does not score during the delay and a penalty shot is called against Boston, what would happen? Jim Kennedy, Richmond, Va. A: If a goal is scored during the delayed call of a minor penalty, the penalized player returns to the ice and…

SCOREBOARD