4@ — Wednesday, September 16, 1992 - North Shore News

Too much at stake

for today’

s players

to ‘goof around’

WHEN DAVE Babych became a member of the Van-
couver Canucks’ family during an off-season acquisition in

the summer of.’91, he brought with him the experience of

788 NHL games.

The Edmonton-born
defenceman with the arms of a
’ gorilla had spent 6% seasons with
the Jets in Winnipeg and another
5% in Hartford, which he now
calls home during the summer
months.

“The game -— and the people in
it — have changed quite a bit
since } turned pro,’’ Babych was
saying prior to his’ departure for
training camp in Victoria this past
weekend.

“It used to be the boys would
gather for a few beers after a win,
particularly when you’re on the
toad.

“*¥ really realized how I’ve fall-.

en into the ‘veteran’ category
when I ordered a tall, cool one
and young guys like (Trevor)
Linden and (Peter) Nedved started
- looking at me as if I was an alco-
holic.”. -

Babych, 31 years old and with a

comfortable two years remaining
on his current, contract, appreci-
ates his new environment.

‘“‘We've got some great young
players on this team, and over and
above their talent, they’re terrific
to be ‘with at charity functions,
golf-tournaments and all the other
responsibilities that come with the
territory,” Babych says. .

“Quite frankly, 1 love being a
Vancouver Canuck. It has to be
one of the finest organizations. in
the league.””

Babych, like the other 65
players on the 1992 training camp
roster, won’t be falling prey to
Victoria’s: rejuvenated nightlife
during his short stay in Harcourt’s
hamlet.

With salaries so high and Ion-
gevity so low these days in the
NHL, there aren’t many players

' willing to take unnecessary
chances anymore when it comes to
defying management’s disciplinary
codes. :

How times have changed...

Back in the bad ol’ days when

_ the expansion Canucks were des-
perately trying to establish an
identity for themselves, training
camp was a chance to renew ac-
quaintenances, whip yourself into
shape after a.summer of
misbehaving and definitely defy
management’s disciplinary codes. .

Mind you, oftentimes manage-
ment was its own worst enemy.

One year, when the Canucks
were training in Calgary long be-
-fore that: city ever dreamed: of
having: its own NHL franchise,
‘two ‘defencemen. with two . dif-

‘ , ferent outlosks on. life were made
"- “yoommates.

One _was‘a' member. of Alcohol:
ics Anonymous... .. @ former big-
leaguer who’d had bit parts in
Hollywood’ movies while playing

with the Detroit Red Wings and’

Chicago Black Hawks.

Greg
| lcuglas

GOAL LINES

The other defenceman was a
hard-nosed kid from southern
Ontario who lacked direction ...
except when it meant finding the
nearest liquor store.

Managment’s thinking was:
“We'll put the veteran dry guy in
with the troublemaker and
straighten him out once and for

all!”

Within a week, of course, the
Canucks had two defencemen on
the sauce. and neither of them
lasted much beyond that 1970
training camp.

When Vic Siasiuk was the head
coach of the Canucks during the
1972-73 season, he had a Win-
nipeg-born blueliner on his roster
who would sneak out of the train-
ing camp hotel after curfew
almost on a nightly basis.

Stasiuk knew the youngster was
up to something but could never
catch him scurrying back to his
room.

One night Stasiuk parked
himself in the hotel lobby, armed

with enough newspapers and -

hockey magazines to keep him
company until his missing hockey
player returned.

Shortly before dawn, .a dozing
Stasiuk awoke with a start as his
suspect came stumbling through
the hotel’s main entrance.

“Good mornin’ Coach!’ the
player said, boldly taking the ini-
tiative. ‘I see you couldn’t sleep,
either, hah?’’

These scenes just don’t play
anymore in the 1990's.

**There’s too much at stake to
goof around,’’ Babych, a 12-year
veteran, says.
are businessmen. Everybody has
an -agent. We're ail concerned
about our lives after hockey.

“| think if one of our guys tried
breaking curfew at training camp,
he’d risk breaking his nose, as
well. Not by accident ... by a

‘teammate.”

Terry Fox run set for Sunday

FOR THE past 12 years,
the second Sunday after
Labour Day has been the
largest single day fund-
raising event for cancer
research in the world.

The: North Shore’s 5k course
begins. at Ambleside Park, with
Terry’s brother Darrell Fox
scheduled to be on hand to start
the event. Registration of partici-
pants begins at 8 a.m. on Sunday

morning, with the run commenc-
ing at 8:30.

Pledge sheets are available at
the Bank of Montreal, Canada
Trust, Scotiabank, CIBC, IGA,
Peoples Drug Mart, Shoppers
Durg Mart, Pharmasave, and
Overwaitea/Save on Foods
outlets.

For more information on the
North Shore Run, call event or-
ganizer Linda at 922-3968.

“The players today:

Photo submiiied ©

The North Shore Selects, coached by Darren Embley and sponsored by Suseex Reaity, made it
to the semi-finals of a tournament in Colorado this summer. Twenty-eight teams — Inctuding ©
wads from Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan, and the United States — participated in the

sq
Friendship Cup in Denver in July. |

New book series teaches basics.
to amateur coaching candidates |

THE PROVINCIAL §gov-
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the bench with amateur
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Getting Started in Coaching —
a series of five booklets designed
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The series is part of a long-term
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The sport-specific publications

covering hockey, ringette,
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B.C. is one of ‘three provinces:
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3 yrs. in a row