Hopefully the start of something good

[the flying moose]

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/20081201163894/local/news/cougars-fire-head-coach-drew-schoneck.html


Cougars fire head coach Drew Schoneck Print
Written by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
Monday, 01 December 2008
PUBLIC NOTICE
Cougars fire head coach Drew Schoneck - Wade Klippenstein, left, is now running the bench of the Prince George Cougars with GM Dallas Thompson after Drew Schoneck, right, was fired on Monday. (BB1_1931.jpg - 2050810)
Wade Klippenstein, left, is now running the bench of the Prince George Cougars with GM Dallas Thompson after Drew Schoneck, right, was fired on Monday.

BREAKING NEWS, CITIZEN EXCLUSIVE


The Prince George Citizen has learned that Drew Schoneck has been fired as head coach of the Prince George Cougars.
The WHL franchise is expected to make it official by 2:30 p.m. PT with a press release.
The news was given to him in the coach's office at CN Centre just before noon on Monday, coming on the heels of four-straight losses at home including a 7-3 setback to the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday evening, a game played in front of the smallest crowd in CN Centre history (2,054). The Cougars also lost 7-1 to Regina on Saturday.
Schoneck declined comment until after the press release was issued.
It is believed that assistant coach/assistant general manager Wade Klippenstein will remain on the bench, and that general manager Dallas Thompson will join him there for the rest of the season.
Thompson has served as interim head coach on two previous occasions, while Klippenstein has been a WHL head coach before, with the Prince Albert Raiders. Schoneck was an assistant on his staff.
The Cougars currently have a record of 10-18-0-1, sitting last in the B.C. Division and ninth in the Western Conference, with the highest goals-against total in the WHL. The Cougars started the season 6-1, including 5-0 at home, but have won just four of the 22 games played since then. The team is currently on a five-game losing streak.
Schoneck joined the Cougars as associate coach in November of 2006 when the team fired Mike Vandekamp and Stewart Malgunas. The team had a 5-8-0-2 record at that point, and a lop-sided home-ice loss combined with off-ice issues led to that decision.
Schoneck, the former coach-of-the-year in the Manitoba Junior League and a one-time head coach of the BCHL's Powell River Kings, is expected to return to Kennewick, Wash., where he and his wife Lindsay, who have a young son, own a home.
The Cougars play host to the Everett Silvertips on Friday and Saturday at CN Centre.

[TwoBits]

Wow! I don't believe it.

I was snooping around the PG site and saw that Terry Simpson is an advisor of some sort. Now there would be an awesome candidate for head coach!

It's a start, do you all think this is big enough of a change? Is Klippenstein really going to do anything radically differently than they were before?

I hope for the players' sakes that it will help.

[WestLEAFfan]

Wow! I don't believe it.

I was snooping around the PG site and saw that Terry Simpson is an advisor of some sort. Now there would be an awesome candidate for head coach!

It's a start, do you all think this is big enough of a change? Is Klippenstein really going to do anything radically differently than they were before?

I hope for the players' sakes that it will help.

Ditto with the Terry Simpson idea. Sadly, Klippenstein and Thompson will make NO difference. Too bad as there are kids hockey futures at stake.

[SectionNDeserter]

Just to point out, Terry Simpson would be 65-66 years old now, and may not be looking to step back into junior coaching again.

[TwoBits]

Just to point out, Terry Simpson would be 65-66 years old now, and may not be looking to step back into junior coaching again.

We know how old he is, it's not too old. :)

[TwoBits]

Drew Schoneck must still have supporters in Prince Albert.

There was an editorial on his firing on Prince Albert radio this morning. The jist of it was....another good guy was fired in PG, another to add to a long line of coaches to proceed him, one of which left by choice after one season, and that maybe the coaches aren't the problem.

[the flying moose]

Drew Schoneck must still have supporters in Prince Albert.

There was an editorial on his firing on Prince Albert radio this morning. The jist of it was....another good guy was fired in PG, another to add to a long line of coaches to proceed him, one of which left by choice after one season, and that maybe the coaches aren't the problem.

Both sides are to blame.

Thompson needs to be gone. I've got no problem when people hire family as long as they are the right person for the job. I think he has proven that he is not. Until management is dealt with then no decent coach is going to want to set foot in PG and players are going to follow suit.

Schoneck didn't treat the players like he should have. I have personally witnessed practices where he called players "f**king stupid" and other nice things like that. No wonder the team didn't respond to him. You talk to teenagers like that and how do you think they will respond. Having played organized sports (but not at the level of the WHL) there is no way that I could have put up with what I witnessed.