Bernhardt home waiting for trade
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Monday, December 04, 2006
The Regina Pats are done waiting for their stormy co-existence with Justin Bernhardt to blow over.
Bernhardt's tenure with the WHL club reached a long-expected conclusion on the weekend when he was sent home by GM Brent Parker to await a trade. The 18-year-old Yorkton native had been listed as a healthy scratch for three straight games.
"It wasn't one incident or anything else," Parker explained following Saturday's 3-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels. "(It was the continual) head butting between him and the coaches and myself in terms of trying to get him where we needed him to be and where we thought he could be in order to help us. It just came to the point where we felt a change of scenery would probably be good for him, so we decided to pursue that."
The Pats often defended their patience with Bernhardt, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound right winger who has the talent to become one of the WHL's elite scorers. However, it was a lackadaisical attitude towards defence that consistently got him in hot water with head coach Curtis Hunt.
He had been benched, scratched and demoted to the fourth line on numerous occasions. By the time the Pats returned home last week from their West Coast road trip, the damage was finally deemed irreparable.
"There's no question Justin is a good hockey player, loads of talent," said Parker. "But (his departure) is not disappointing in the aspect that we are really preaching a team concept and we need everybody to be on side with what we're trying to do. We're working hard to get to that point."
Bernhardt will be remembered as one of the most enigmatic players to wear a Pats' uniform in recent years -- but also one of the more likable characters.
"I don't know if it can ever be a pleasant parting, but I would say it was," Parker said. "We had a good meeting. He wished us luck and I wish him luck too. I don't dislike Bernie. I told him if I disliked him he would have been gone three years ago. Hopefully a change of scenery is going to be good for him and it will improve our hockey club too."
The price tag is subject to debate.
Anyone who kicks the tires on a deal for Bernhardt will have to weigh the pros of his obvious upside against the cons of his excess baggage.
"There are a lot of teams interested, it's just a matter of finding something that fits," said Parker. "I'm confident we'll get something done here in the next two or three days."
Bernhardt, a second-round pick in the 2003 WHL bantam draft, cracked the Pats' lineup as a 16-year-old in 2004-05. He had a breakout campaign in 2005-06 -- 22 goals and 45 points in 61 games -- but was also a healthy scratch on several occasions for a variety of discipline-related issues, including curfew and falling behind on school work.
Bernhardt's reputation caught up to him last summer when, despite being a highly rated prospect, he was passed over during the 2006 NHL entry draft. He eventually landed a free-agent tryout with the San Jose Sharks and appeared to be turning a corner.
Although his on-ice contribution dipped this season with seven goals and 10 assists in 25 games, there were no reports of off-ice problems.
"We haven't had any issues that way this year; he has been good," added the GM. "There's a little bit of irony (in his departure) in that we haven't had that. I'm glad. I think Justin has matured. I hope it's going to work out for both sides."
Bernhardt at home waiting for trade
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