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Sput
11-02-2006, 01:20 PM
From:http://www.993thedrive.com/Web/Page.aspx?Component=163


November 2, 2006 •
Cougar Coaches Fired
Hot on the heels of a 9-2 beating on home ice by the Brandon Wheat Kings, the Prince George Cougars have fired their head coach and assistant coach. This morning the Cougars announced they have relieved head coach Mike Vandekamp and assistant Stew Malgunas of their duties. General manager Dallas Thompson will take over as coach on an interm basis. There is no indication when a new coach will be named.The Cougars are currently tied for third place in the five-team B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League with the expansion Chilliwack Bruins. The Cougars have a 5-8-0 and 2 record. They play in Kamloops tomorrow night and Kelowna Saturday.

Sput
11-02-2006, 01:22 PM
From: http://www.pgcougars.com/cats/1/Home

Nov 2 2006

Cougar Coaches Relieved of Duties


PRINCE GEORGE, BC- The Prince George Cougars have relieved Head Coach Mike Vandekamp and Assistant Coach Stew Malgunas of their duties as of this morning. General Manager Dallas Thompson will be taking over the head coaching position on an interim basis. The hiring of an assistant coach has not been determined at this time.

“We are committed to getting the team turned around and giving the fans a product that they can be proud of. The one thing we can control is our work ethic and if we commit to never getting outworked good things will happen. We all deserve no less,” states Rick Brodsky, president of the Cougars.

Rick Brodsky, Dallas Thompson and the Cougars Team will be available today for the media starting at 2:15pm outside the Cougars dressing room.

Sput
11-02-2006, 01:24 PM
Maybe this is step one of shaking up this team. If there isn't a turnaround shortly in the players attitudes and play on the ice, maybe some of them will be next to move on.

One thing about it, now the Spruce Kings can fire Ed and Hawesy and put Stew in place where he should have been three years ago.

IamBatman
11-02-2006, 01:46 PM
Wow, the crap has really hit the fan in PG. The City staff getting axed, now this. Hopefully this ends soon, and you guys can have something the fans will want to watch...

I think PG has paid their dues and deserve some respect around the hockey community.

SectionNDeserter
11-02-2006, 03:09 PM
This news was out at least 20 minutes before you posted it Sput. We have come to expect faster service from you, you are fired!!! :laugh:

Seriously though, do you think that this is going to turn things around, or do you think that the issue may lie with the players?

Sput
11-02-2006, 03:20 PM
This news was out at least 20 minutes before you posted it Sput. We have come to expect faster service from you, you are fired!!! :laugh:

I'm at work today....give me a break! I heard it on the radio first, then had to go find the press releases and post. Jeez! :p

Personally I think a lot of it has to do with the players themselves. They have to look in the mirror now and look at the ones who got two men fired today. There are a lot of huge egos in that room right now, and none of them are playing together and doing what it takes to make this group a team. Many people around here praised Mike as being a refreshing change, and praised what he did with last years team. What changed with the team? Basically the loss of our 20's from last season (Zimmer, Featherstone and Paterson) and the two dispalced 20's from this season (Cooper and Bowles). Other than that, the core group is still the same. Setoguchi was brought in to bolster the offense, we finally get our defensemen back healthy, and the whole thing falls apart. What did it I don't know. Maybe it was Mike's fanatical view on conditioning, which seriously lacked here for many years. I honestly don't know what was going on in the dressing room, but it couldn't have been good. I hope the senior members on this team take a good hard look at themselves when the media sarts asking THEM questions later today.

Beaner
11-02-2006, 07:32 PM
Does this really come as a surprise to anyone? With so much hype around the Cougars and their dismal start the writing was on the wall for the entire coaching staff.

Somehow I doubt very much that Thompson is the solution. In fact he should have been given his walking papers as well.

Tinner
11-02-2006, 10:37 PM
From what I've heard and read, it seems that the fans/sponsors have had enough of the Brodsky/Thompson act and now the players have too. Vandekamp may have been the scapegoat for that whole show up there. Leads one to beleive the coaching may have not been the problem. Still, getting beat badly can only be blamed on the ones that put the skates on.

Cougar Guy
11-02-2006, 10:53 PM
What little shred of hope I had left for this organization officially went down the toilet today.

Giving a guy roughly one year to turn around a mess that has been brewing for over 6 years is bad enough. Not holding Thompson accountable for his role in the decision (he wanted to hire him at the time that Brodsky chose Lane Lambert and only got to do so after they canned him) is worse.

This franchise is a complete and utter joke.