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Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watrose!absary
From: absary@watrose.UUCP (Al Sary)
Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: Let's give some respect to the Vancouver Canucks
Message-ID: <7587@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-Oct-85 11:40:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: watrose.7587
Posted: Thu Oct  3 11:40:10 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 4-Oct-85 03:30:27 EDT
References: <7564@watrose.UUCP> <664@alberta.UUCP> <177@helens.UUCP>
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Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 40

From article 216:

> Look, not every city has the Edmonton Oilers!!!!!  The Canucks did have a
> TERRIBLE start last year, which did cost the coach his job (I can't
> remember his name -- he coached Kamloops of the WHL the previous year).

Finally someone understands me.  (Well, someone from Washington may know
more about a West Coast team.)

The coach's name was Bill LaFroge.  He was about 32 years old, which made him
the youngest coach in the NHL.  It is probably not easy to coach people who are
the same age or older than you are.  I also heard he had strange coaching
which may be successful in junior, but not as much for grownup players who get
paid for playing.

He was quite successful in junior, and almost as soon as he was fired, he
got a job to coach the Hamilton Steelhawks (the name might be wrong, but it
isn't Tigercats I am sure), who also had a dismal start; I think he did
pretty well after taking over.

> As I recall, the Canucks dug themselves a 4-21-2 hole by mid-December
> and played .500 hockey (or better) the remainder of the year.  Also

Good memory.  They were indeed 4-21-2 (I checked).  I don't think they made
.500 hockey after that, but they were close -- what can you expect after a
start like that; any team would fall apart.  (I think they were 5 games below
.500 the rest of the season.)

> remember -- the Oilers were 0 for 4 (2 losses, 2 ties) at the Pacific
> Coliseum last year.  I guess the Canucks just have to learn to play
> 6 months of hockey instead of 4.
> 
> I'm *not* flaming the Oilers.  I hope they make it 3 in a row this year.
> 
> Paul Brownlow
> -- 
> ...."You're never alone with a schizophrenic."

The Oilers were really winless in Canuck land.  (Just to set the record
straight, they were 1-3-0 in Edmonton.  I'd rather not mention the scores.)