Roy quits as Colorado’s coach and VP of hockey operations
In a stunning mid-August shakeup, Patrick Roy stepped down as coach and vice president of hockey operations for the Colorado Avalanche, citing disagreements within the organization.
Roy made the announcement through a public relations agency, two months before the start of the NHL season.
“I have thought long and hard over the course of the summer about how I might improve this team to give it the depth it needs and bring it to a higher level,” Roy said in a statement. “To achieve this, the vision of the coach and VP-Hockey Operations needs to be perfectly aligned with that of the organization. He must also have a say in the decisions that impact the team’s performance. These conditions are not currently met.”
Roy split control with Joe Sakic, a former teammate who is executive vice president and general manager of the Avalanche.
Sakic said he was “definitely caught off-guard” by Roy’s decision, so much that it took him a few seconds to comprehend that he was resigning. Sakic said Roy had been contemplating the decision for weeks but repeatedly denied that the two disagreed over personnel decisions or didn’t get along.
Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender, spent the last three seasons as coach and vice president of hockey operations for the team that he led to the Stanley Cup twice as a player. Colorado made the playoffs in Roy’s first year behind the bench and missed the last two.
“Patty was always involved,” Sakic said. “Especially early he was a big help to me. He was always involved. He was aware of all the decisions we were making.”
Vijay Singh rebounded from a bad shot on the 17th to birdie the final hole and take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the U.S. Senior Open in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Still playing full-time on the PGA Tour at age 53, Singh shot a four-under-par 66 on a hot and humid afternoon at Scioto Country Club in suburban Columbus. Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jeff Gallagher, Michael Allen, Gene Sauers and Glen Day shot 68.
Andrew Loupe topped the John Deere Classic leaderboard at eight under when first-round play was suspended because of darkness at rain-soaked TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. The 27-year-old former Louisiana State player was facing a six-foot par putt on the par-four 15th hole when play was called for the day. The tournament was delayed for 31⁄2 hours by a storm that dropped just over an inch of rain. Zach Johnson, Patrick Rodgers and Ryan Moore were in at 65.
The lawyer for suspended Tennessee defensive lineman Alexis Johnson said a student disciplinary panel determined an allegation against his client was unfounded. Gregory Isaacs relayed that information in a tweet and statement.
Tennessee interim vice chancellor Jacob Rudolph said that “we are unable to discuss any student conduct situation.”
Johnson, who signed with Tennessee in December, has been suspended from the team since his February arrest on suspicision of false imprisonment and aggravated assault. The false imprisonment charge was dismissed and the aggravated assault was reduced to misdemeanor domestic assault April 21, and prosecutors agreed to drop all charges if he avoided trouble for the next six months.