nivek_wahs
05-05-2007, 07:19 AM
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=958c436b-1247-4daf-a288-32184f01ca9b
Blades punished for WHL's negligence
Doug Mcconachie, The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, May 05, 2007
When Lorne Molleken asked a 15-year-old if he would report to the Saskatoon Blades in the event he was drafted by the team, it didn't seem like an issue.
Molleken was apparently doing exactly what many WHL clubs do in the lead-up to the bantam draft. The young man in question -- who will remain anonymous so as not to embarrass him, because he did nothing wrong -- said yes, he'd play for the Blades. He even signed a standard player agreement to prove his commitment.
But then other teams came knocking.
The player told them he was already committed to the Blades.
It's obvious why Molleken did what he did. Call it due diligence.
Suppose the young man said no to playing in Saskatoon.
Suppose he wanted to play only in certain cities, say Seattle or Vancouver or Calgary or Edmonton. Or suppose he wanted no part of the WHL at all and planned to go the U.S. college route instead. Armed with that knowledge, Molleken could pick someone else rather than burn a draft pick on a player who had no intention of playing here.
A year ago the Spokane Chiefs had a similar problem.
Saskatoon's Jared Cowen, a strapping 6-foot-5 defenceman who was on every team's must-have list, was telling hockey people beforehand that he wasn't interested in going to Spokane, which had the No. 1 pick.
"As of now, we told them that if they pick me, I wouldn't be playing there," Cowen told The StarPhoenix before the draft.
Not that Cowan didn't want to play in the WHL, it's just that he wanted to play somewhere other than Spokane.
No rules for draft Spokane general manager Tim Speltz didn't give in. He wanted Cowen and he was willing to take his chances. As it turns out Cowen had second thoughts.
Now 16, he is penciled in for the Chiefs' lineup for this fall. Good for Speltz. Good for Cowen.
The problem Molleken created hinges on what would have happened if Moose Jaw, Kelowna or Edmonton, the teams with the first three picks in the draft, had selected the player only to find out he had already committed to Saskatoon. Obviously the signature on the Saskatoon form wouldn't have been worth a plug nickel and he'd be another team's player. But what if he said 'I'm going only to Saskatoon.'? The draft was created to prevent a team from hoarding talent by offering or promising more than other teams could match.
It works to the extent that every team in the WHL can draft from any place in Western Canada or even the western United States.
But here's the problem: There are no rules that say Molleken couldn't do what he did.
Blades owner Jack Brodsky says rather than rules, there has been an understanding among WHL teams about the draft procedure. Because Molleken went outside "that convention" he and the Blades have to pay a price.
Molleken says he made an honest mistake, but is willing to abide by the punishment.
In other words, he is willing to have his wrist slapped to protect both the integrity of the draft and the integrity of the WHL. He said he explained his actions to every team in the league.
"There was never an attempt to discredit any other team," he said.
When the WHL head honchos asked him what happened, he openly admitted what he'd done.
"I didn't think what I did was wrong." If Molleken and the Blades are to have their wrists slapped -- their penalty was losing a fifth-round draft pick -- the WHL as a group should have their bottoms kicked.
What Molleken did wasn't anything new. Commissioner Ron Robison even admitted it, although he said this was the first time the league had proof.
If the league knew it was happening before, why wasn't it addressed before? Robison told The StarPhoenix's Cory Wolfe the matter will be addressed. If that's the fallout from what Molleken did, so much the better. But to think that the league has only word-of-mouth guidelines for the draft and not a firm policy suggests something is seriously lacking.
Maybe that's why the WHL didn't want to be forthcoming about the incident until a bit of sleuthing and an interview with the young man involved forced the issue.
That's no way to run a professional league.
dmccconachie@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
Blades punished for WHL's negligence
Doug Mcconachie, The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, May 05, 2007
When Lorne Molleken asked a 15-year-old if he would report to the Saskatoon Blades in the event he was drafted by the team, it didn't seem like an issue.
Molleken was apparently doing exactly what many WHL clubs do in the lead-up to the bantam draft. The young man in question -- who will remain anonymous so as not to embarrass him, because he did nothing wrong -- said yes, he'd play for the Blades. He even signed a standard player agreement to prove his commitment.
But then other teams came knocking.
The player told them he was already committed to the Blades.
It's obvious why Molleken did what he did. Call it due diligence.
Suppose the young man said no to playing in Saskatoon.
Suppose he wanted to play only in certain cities, say Seattle or Vancouver or Calgary or Edmonton. Or suppose he wanted no part of the WHL at all and planned to go the U.S. college route instead. Armed with that knowledge, Molleken could pick someone else rather than burn a draft pick on a player who had no intention of playing here.
A year ago the Spokane Chiefs had a similar problem.
Saskatoon's Jared Cowen, a strapping 6-foot-5 defenceman who was on every team's must-have list, was telling hockey people beforehand that he wasn't interested in going to Spokane, which had the No. 1 pick.
"As of now, we told them that if they pick me, I wouldn't be playing there," Cowen told The StarPhoenix before the draft.
Not that Cowan didn't want to play in the WHL, it's just that he wanted to play somewhere other than Spokane.
No rules for draft Spokane general manager Tim Speltz didn't give in. He wanted Cowen and he was willing to take his chances. As it turns out Cowen had second thoughts.
Now 16, he is penciled in for the Chiefs' lineup for this fall. Good for Speltz. Good for Cowen.
The problem Molleken created hinges on what would have happened if Moose Jaw, Kelowna or Edmonton, the teams with the first three picks in the draft, had selected the player only to find out he had already committed to Saskatoon. Obviously the signature on the Saskatoon form wouldn't have been worth a plug nickel and he'd be another team's player. But what if he said 'I'm going only to Saskatoon.'? The draft was created to prevent a team from hoarding talent by offering or promising more than other teams could match.
It works to the extent that every team in the WHL can draft from any place in Western Canada or even the western United States.
But here's the problem: There are no rules that say Molleken couldn't do what he did.
Blades owner Jack Brodsky says rather than rules, there has been an understanding among WHL teams about the draft procedure. Because Molleken went outside "that convention" he and the Blades have to pay a price.
Molleken says he made an honest mistake, but is willing to abide by the punishment.
In other words, he is willing to have his wrist slapped to protect both the integrity of the draft and the integrity of the WHL. He said he explained his actions to every team in the league.
"There was never an attempt to discredit any other team," he said.
When the WHL head honchos asked him what happened, he openly admitted what he'd done.
"I didn't think what I did was wrong." If Molleken and the Blades are to have their wrists slapped -- their penalty was losing a fifth-round draft pick -- the WHL as a group should have their bottoms kicked.
What Molleken did wasn't anything new. Commissioner Ron Robison even admitted it, although he said this was the first time the league had proof.
If the league knew it was happening before, why wasn't it addressed before? Robison told The StarPhoenix's Cory Wolfe the matter will be addressed. If that's the fallout from what Molleken did, so much the better. But to think that the league has only word-of-mouth guidelines for the draft and not a firm policy suggests something is seriously lacking.
Maybe that's why the WHL didn't want to be forthcoming about the incident until a bit of sleuthing and an interview with the young man involved forced the issue.
That's no way to run a professional league.
dmccconachie@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007