I don't think that we ought to jump to conclusions about this. In addition to the fact that Jack Parker has been quted that LaCouture won't be back playing hockey this year, there is another way to look at this. I absolutely agree that someone who picks up a full slate of incompletes because they didn't get the work done shouldn't be playing until they are made up. This doesn't sound as if that is the case. By all reports, LaCouture has a legitimate family crisis that caused him to drop out of school temporarily. In a situation like this, most schools that I know of have a different set of policies for handling the student involved. Assuming that this is the correct story and the earlier rumors of poor scholastic performance are false, then I could easily see it being handled differently and letting LaCouture play once the new semester begins and he is re-enrolled. J. Michael Neal HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.