Whether you think he did a good job, or not, one certainly has to respect and admire recently fired Cougars Head Coach, Drew Schoneck, as he will certainly leave Prince George with integrity.

 

Like most coaches, Schoneck knew he was hired to be fired, but he just didn't know when management would pull the trigger. This decision was made by GM Dallas Thompson immediately following the 7-3 loss to Saskatoon in front of a record low announced crowd of 2054.

 

Schoneck took a bullet and definitely didn't place blame elsewhere. He could have complained about a lack of player talent, but chose the high road and accepted full responsibility. The numbers don't lie, with four wins in the last 22 games, five consecutive losses by a total margin of 31-11, last place in the B.C. Division and on and on it goes. “Whatever we were fighting it wasn't going to change overnight. We just had to go to work and unfortunately when you get into a situation like that, a couple of different things have to happen: a bunch of player moves have to happen which I don't think is realistic or the coach has to go and that is the decision they came to”, stated Schoneck. Yes, Schoneck fully realizes he chose a profession that rewards victories and results in unemployment when the losses build.

 

“You know I was hired to do a job and that was to coach a group of young men and unfortunately for us, and myself I guess, we had a stumbling block and for whatever reason we couldn't get everybody going at the same time. Ultimately that is the coach’s job and they felt they had to make this move to try and further the development of the team.”

Now, how often does anybody hear such a candid assessment from somebody just turfed? In hindsight, would Drew have done things differently in his two years behind the team's bench? “Well, I don't know. You can always look at different things and how you do different things, but I felt we were working with our guys and it just didn't work and that is hockey and a change needed to be made.”

 

Schoneck may not be the Scotty Bowman of hockey coaches, but he is a classy, upstanding individual. Integrity like this can’t be substituted.

 

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The Wade Klippenstein era begins this weekend in a double header, at home, against Everett. Klippenstein, the club's assistant GM, has been promoted from assistant coach to interim head coach. I'm not sure if anyone knows whether he is the answer to the Cougar woes, but he is not new to the team. In fact, he is good friends with Schoneck and shares similar philosophies.

 

Or does he?

 

“That’s a very fair question but we also come from different backgrounds and our paths have crossed a couple of times but we are different in some ways. You know for me I have to get these guys going and try some different things and put my personality and my stamp on this team in a different way”, stated Klippenstein.

Wade, here are some words of advice! Time is paramount, so put your stamp on the team right away. The interim tag doesn't mean this is your job to the end of the season; on the contrary, it simply means it’s your job until the end of the next game.

 

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Will the coaching change help? Yes, on a short-term basis. Usually, a move of this magnitude instills fear into the players and translates into short term, better performance. However, the long term vision hasn't been resolved. The Cougars are often outclassed by the top Western Conference teams. They are somewhat competitive with the middle group and certainly aren't any better than a 7^th or 8^th place team, no matter who is behind the bench. What is achieved by beating out Chilliwack for the last playoff spot? An extra four or five games? It certainly doesn't address the state of the franchise, or the team’s long term future. Prince George hockey fans need hope and right now there isn’t even a glimmer of that.

 

 

“They're making a documentary about Sean Avery's visit to Calgary--it's called 'Slap Slop'.”
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

“Plaxico Burress accidently shot himself in a NY nightclub. But apparently, the Road Runner escaped into the subway.” Bill Littlejohn

“The NFL's three games on American Thanksgiving gave many fans something to be thankful for... Eagles fans were thankful Donovan McNabb is back, Cowboys fans were thankful to see their team’s hot streak continue, and Lions fans were thankful there are only four weeks left in the season.” Janice Hough

“A former West Virginia University football player who was released from the team for stealing a credit card will serve two years probation. He was not present at the court hearing. He was on vacation; he needed to use the card’s frequent flier miles before the end of the year or he’d lose them.” Comedy writer Jerry Perishohttp://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

 

“A couple was busted for having sex in a public bathroom at the Iowa/Minnesota college football game. The woman involved was married to another man and says the publicity from the incident has ruined her life. Imagine everyone knowing you are an Iowa fan.” Comedy writer Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va (http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.com/)

“GM has announced that they are ending their endorsement deal with Tiger Woods. When asked why, a GM spokesman said, 'Tiger Woods is successful, competitive, popular ... and that's just not us.'” NBC's Conan O'Brien

“With GM discontinuing its sponsorship with Tiger Woods they now have no Tiger but are still in the tank.”
Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

 

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