Mario Lemieux, the Hall of Fame center who owns and plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, tried to set the record straight today.

"He's only a Hall of Fame center who played for the Celtics," the coach said.

Other players had made similar charges over the years, including Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center.

"We can bring him in and develop him," said Reed, a Hall of Fame center.

They're missing a Hall of Fame center, a guy who requires your undivided attention when he's in the game and catches it on the post.

A hero in Philadelphia as a Hall of Fame center, he seemed on track in the first stage of his executive career, which began in 1984.

"The difference has been Phil Jackson," said Bill Walton, the NBC analyst and Hall of Fame center.

Some form of ownership might entice the Hall of Fame center back to hockey, the friends said, but anything short of that might not be enough.

Among his teammates was Nate Thurmond, a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame center.

But there were no mixed emotions Friday, as the franchise retired the No. 16 worn by LaFontaine, a Hall of Fame center.