Hartley Miller's Slap Shots - Nov. 10th Edition
Three strikes, in less than a month doesn’t mean that PG Cougars GM Dallas Thompson is "out".
The first strike, a foul tip, occurred when Thompson traded away too much of the team’s future (two first round bantam picks) for 19-year-old Devin Setoguchi.
Strike two, a fastball down the middle, happened when Thompson released the team’s best goalie, Scott Bowles.
Strike three, a HUGE swing and miss, took place when Thompson fired Head Coach, Mike Vandekamp, and his Assistant Coach, Stewart Malgunas.
Three blunders in this short period could result in a demotion, or even worse, in the crazy hockey world. But, Thompson knows he is safe, as long as father-in-law, Rick Brodsky, remains the Super Boss.
Brodsky has been successful in some business ventures, and is financially comfortable. I am sure Thompson would like to follow in his footsteps. However, in hockey, there is little evidence that the Brodsky family can run a successful WHL operation.
Having watched a vast majority of the home games since the team arrived, in 1994, I haven't seen a lot of progressive hockey oriented decisions. In fact, the Cougars have made many puzzling moves including the decision to deliver a quick and painful axe to Vandekamp and Malgunas. Both were applauded last season, yet a mere 15 games later, they were unceremoniously ousted. Panic set in and the Cougars "pulled the trigger" far too early. Impulsive decisions lose credibility while long term well thought-out choices gain admiration.
Thompson sees himself as a credible WHL General Manager. The perception in Prince George is he has the job because of who he married. Whether this is fair, or not, that’s the belief of most in this city.
His latest move, hiring long time friend and former teammate Drew Schoneck as an Associate Head Coach, (there's a new title for you) is curious. Schoneck has no head coaching experience at the WHL or Professional Level. He spent the last five months as Coach and GM of the Powell River Kings, who at the time of his resignation, happened to have the worst record (5-13-2-2) in the BCHL’s Coastal Conference. I hope for all concerned that Drew is the answer. However, the community will take a "show me" attitude at best.
Thompson assembled this team and believes the Cougars are better off without Vandekamp and Malgunas. If the Cougars improve significantly under the new regime and have a long playoff run, at least to the conference final, then Thompson should be saluted for doing the right thing. Perhaps, Thompson will get the due respect he is after, and he won't have to hide behind his name association.
On the other hand, if the Cats don't show a marked improvement, and make a quick playoff exit, then
its time the Cougars admit they need help, and hire a "hockey guy", with full rein of hockey operations. Thompson may remain with the team, in another capacity, and Brodsky as difficult as it might be, should "back off" on the hockey side.
The WHL is a business, and the Cougars have every right to run their organization, in any manner they choose. So, like it or not, the team has chosen this path, and it's up to each fan whether to buy a ticket. The dismal attendance figures (hitting an all-time low of 2,424 for the Red Deer game) suggest fans are very unhappy.
Sometimes swallowing one’s pride is difficult. But, after 12 long years, there is no disputing that the hockey fans of Prince George deserve better.
From the quote rack:
"Shaquille O'Neal says that with the introduction of a new ball the shooting percentage among NBA players will go down. So, far police records haven't shown a decrease. But it's early.
Bill Lankhof of the Toronto Sun
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"Cowboys assistant coach Todd Haley claims to have found a dead rat in his salad at a McDonald's. But, then, the next day he saw Terrell Owens back at practice and he realized it was only a dream.
Lankhof
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"Did you hear about the 300 letters addressed to God that were found recently in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey? Terrell Owens apparently wants to know why so much of his fan mail was lost."
Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix
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"I didn't know the Cincinnati Bengals had their own show.'' . . .
Steve Rosenbloom of ChicagoSports.com, on the many advertisements on Fox-TV for Prison Break during the World Series.
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"Forbes.com reports that Kurt Cobain has passed Elvis as the top earning dead celebrity. Did Edgerrin James make that list?"
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California.
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And in case you missed it:
FIFA has confirmed that 58 per cent of the soccer players who were treated on the field during the 2006 World Cup eventually turned out not to be injured. It's too bad they weren't given the "boot".
And how was your week?
Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the
PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com
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Sounds like Dallas was punched in the head once too often when he was playing at hockey... or did he just fall down and get a booboo...
Oh I imagine i have upset some hockey fans now...
but you are also entitled to your opinion...
No I don't want the job either.... I would only take on someting that has some hope.