In a stunning mid-August shake-up, 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 Thursday through a public relations agency, two months before the start of the NHL regular 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 teams performance. These conditions are not currently met.Roy has split control with executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic, a former teammate. He said he has done his job with energy, passion and determination.Sakic said he was definitely caught off-guard by Roys 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 didnt get along.Patty was always involved, Sakic said on a conference call Thursday evening. Especially early he was a big help to me. He was always involved. He was aware of all the decisions we were making. To be honest with you I think thats a question that youll have to ask Patrick, but I know we talked about everything.The team didnt acknowledge Roys announcement until 90 minutes after it was released by Quebec-based PR firm Nationals Luc Ouellet. Sakic said Roy called him before the statement went out.Asked about the inconsistencies between his own comments and Roys statement about conditions not being met, Sakic said: I know we were on the same page. ... We were all on that same page.Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender, spent the past three seasons as coach and VP of hockey operations for the team that he led to two Stanley Cups as a player. Colorado made the playoffs in Roys first year behind the bench and missed the past two.Though it saddens me, I have put much thought about this decision in recent weeks and have come to be fully comfortable with it, Roy said in the statement, which added that Roy does not intend to comment further on his decision.Sakic said he was glad Roy stepped down now rather than waiting until training camp and that he and his staff would get together Friday to begin coming up with a list of potential coaching candidates.Colorado went 130-92-24 under Roy, who won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2013-14. Before that he coached the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.According to Sakic, the Avalanches lack of success recently played into Roys decision to leave.The big thing when he talked to me today was last year was a tough year, he didnt have a lot of fun and we always said as long as were enjoying what were doing and having fun well keep doing it, Sakic said. He said in the last three, four weeks he just really contemplated not coming back and not coaching and thought he made the right decision for himself. I totally respect him for that.In his playing days, Roy won four Cups, two with the Montreal Canadiens and then two with the Avalanche, three Vezina Trophies as the leagues top goaltender and three Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP.His abrupt departure from the Avalanche is reminiscent of his exit from Montreal in 1995. After coach Mario Tremblay kept him in a game in which he allowed nine goals on 26 shots, Roy stormed off and told team President Ronald Corey, Its my last game in Montreal.Roy said he believed he was kept in the game to be humiliated, was suspended and then traded to the Avalanche.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . Wholesale Shoes Australia . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Clearance Shoes Australia . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. https://www.shoesaustraliaonline.com/ . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Shoes Australia From China . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Veteran Queensland sprinter Steel Zip will trial this week as he prepares for what will probably be his last campaign.The nine-year-old has many fans in Queensland because of his almost white coat and tough attitude to racing.Steel Zip has had 74 starts for 11 wins, 20 minor placings and $915,000 prize money.More than half his races have been in stakes company (44) and he has won five times at that level.The gelding had his first start six years ago on November 11, 2010, when he was second in an Ipswich maiden.This will almost certainly be his last hurrah, although he doesnt seem to know it. He really likes life in the stable and his trips to the beach, trainer Pat Duff said.He raced well again during the winter being stakes-placed in the Eye Liner Stakes and Ramornie Handicap and finishing a close-up fourth in the Glasshouse Mountains Sprint.But the time is looming when he will be retired.dddddddddddd I have said all along that I would never risk him if there is any doubt about his ability to continue racing.Duff took Steel Zip to Toowoomba last week to work between races and was going to trial him last Thursday at Doomben.But he didnt need to trial on Thursday and I will trial him instead this week at Deagon, Duff said.He said Steel Zips main mission would be the $1 million QTIS Magic Millions race on January 13.Steel Zip ran third to Buffering in it last year and it looks the type of race he can win this time, he said.I havent decided on his comeback run just yet because there area few Group races which wouldnt suit him. But there is a 1350m race in a couple of weeks at Doomben which is his likely comeback. ' ' '