Dan Waschuk

[Bran]

Anyone happen to see his comments in the paper on Friday? He talked about how with the Pats it was as if no one cared whether or not they won and these guys weren't working hard. He said you knew before the game even started that you were going to lose. Anyone who has been watching the Pats the last little while can say that. Honestly though does he have the right to? I could see if he was out there working his ass off every night why he might be frustrated. But he wasn't. He wasn't playing anywhere near his capabilities this season. He took stupid penalties, how many misconducts does he have this season? It's a stupid cliche but, 'those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'. It's easy to say those things when you're a safe distance away. If he had any guts he would have said something to those guys when he was here. Or better yet, led by example. Can we say hypocrite?? I've questioned many times why he had an 'A' this season. There are guys other who deserve it so much more...Jon Bubnick, Brent Hill, Kyle Ross. What does everyone else think?

[Fight Guy]

I've hated him all season...and that article is another reason to do so. Rypien wasn't impressed with his comments at qall either. Waschuk was nothing but a whiner. Whenever he didnt like what someone did to him, he would look at the ref wondering where the call was, while the play went past him. Very frustrating. Maybe the team felt they were going to go into the game and probably lose, but atleast they al came out and played every game. Waschuk hardly did anything on the ice except take dumb penalties or shoot the puck at the net...well...the netting above the glass. I think he was given the 'A' asuming he would take a leadership role because he is one of the vets...but I guess he didnt care for that. I think Bubnick will have the 3rd 'A' when he comes back. He is a player that wants to be here and is a leader.

[Fight Guy]

Looks like Appleby has the 3rd 'A' at the moment.

[Bran]

Looks like Appleby has the 3rd 'A' at the moment.

I can live with that. I still think one of the other guys I mentioned would have been better suited, at least from what I've seen on the ice. Still, not a bad choice. Definately better than Waschuk...When do our boys play Saskatoon again? Hope they give him what he deserves...

[Fight Guy]

That would be next Saturday. I would love to see him and Rypien go...well, actually, him and anybody, because Waschuk can't fight and would get pumbled anyway.

[saskman]

In waschuk's defence he did say there we're about seven players on the team that actualy tried including his friend rypien..notice how he made no comment about it nor did any other member of the team. As for the misconducts how could you not be frustrated playing on a team that just doesn't care he put up with that crap for 2 years before and just sucked it up no player wants to be on a team that seems to be having a rebuilding year every year. Give the "a" to hill thats a good one seeing as he is the most anti-tean player playing for the name not the logo when is the last time you saw him backcheck?

[witness]

Sometimes the truth hurts. I don't have a problem with what Dan said. The management is NOT committed to winning, they are committed to their so-called rebuilding plan. Where does that leave the 19 and 20 year olds? Frustrated!
Then again if Waschuk had scored like he was projected to do, the Pats would be in a better position. So in a way, he was a contributing factor.
Playing for the Pats for the last three years had ripped the heart out of Waschuk (never the most talented, but always had an effort). Even Rypien had to go home over Christmas to regroup and accept his fate.

[Bran]

I don't agree with much that management has done over the past few years. They're "commiting" to the future. It's certainly not fair to the older guys who are here now and, yeah, I can understand why he would be frustrated. The thing is, I can deal with the team losing, as long as they put in the effort. They weren't giving the effort they should have been and he made a point of saying that. What he said was absolutely correct and I would have no problem with him saying it, except that I didn't see the effort coming from him either. I watched him play last year and no matter how things were going, he always seemed to work hard. I didn't really see much of that from him this year. Maybe he didn't see the point in trying when everyone else gave up, but he was supposed to be a leader on this team. They gave him that A for a reason. It's a little hypocritical of him to place blame on everyone else for doing the same thing he was doing.

[Fight Guy]

I for the most part agree with what Bran said. I for one can also deal with the Pats losing...as long as the hockey is entertaining, and the players are trying. It seems it is the older players who arent putting out the effort. Waschuk did in fact put effort in to his play last season, and his stats show it. But this season has been different for him. He pretty much explained himself in the article...about not caring and not putting in an effort. For all I know, he may have cared that the Pats were losing, but he didn't do a whole lot to change that. And the comment about him taking misconducts because of being frustrated...thats no excuse. He should have been working hard every night and not worrying about what the ref wasn't calling. If anything, HE didn't care.

But I don't totally agree with what was said about the management's re-building plan. The Pats were obviously going to have to rebiuld after the Mem Cup, but the year after, they had a much better team than anticapated. So you can pretty much bump the length of the re-building season back a year. Though it does seem to be taking longer than expected(I think), many players weren't happy playing for the Pats the past couple seasons, so they were sent away possibly extending the re-building period. For now, as long as these new, young players are kept here, the Pats will be one of the top teams in the Division or possibly more within the next couple years...which is what the Pats projected time was.

Other than the past few years, since the Parkers came, the Pats have mostly been one of the top teams in the standings in their Division and a couple times, the league. Things were once bright, it's just gonna take some time for it to be bright again...and it will be soon.

[saskman]

I don't agree with fight guy in saying that waschuk didn't care. He poured his heart into this team spoke up in the dressing all the time according to his teamates he was a leader. He showed up every night even this year and worked hard and played through injuries you can say that he didn't but think to yourself are you just saying that because of the numbers from last year compared to this year. Ross a good friend of waschuk told my friend who is his billet that near the end of waschuk's run with the pats he had a chat with curtis and said that the guys just weren't listning to him and the other captains and offered up his a. Management is a big problem on the pats mainly because there are to many egos on the pats both in the dressing room and in the front office.