Devils goalie didn't like Lack of playing time in Calgary

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Steve Bozek

And the reason Doug Dadswell was the backup was that Fletcher let Rejean Lemelin go for essentially nothing in return. This was after Vernon took away the number one position from him.

Trouble was, after Vernon took the starter's job, Lemelin went into a bad case of the sulks and wanted out. I believe his contract was up at the end of the '86-87 season, and rumour had it that even without free agency, he wasn't going to sign another deal in Calgary. There was no trade market for a goalie his age at that time, so Fletcher let him go.

You get the damnedest problems sometimes on account of hockey players being people instead of robots. Have a word with the Hockey Gods about that next time you see them!

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Pointman

You are right. Flames were never going to go with 1A/1B model. They wanted a true #1 and a rarely-playing back-up. Lack, realizing he come could never be true #1, would much rather play for an organization, that employs 1a/1b model. That's fair comment to me.

Of course he would rather play for a team that has a 1a/1b system. I don't think you'll find one backup in the league who wouldn't love that. But he said he thought that's how it would be in Calgary which is expecting way too much on his part. Everybody except him I guess knew going in that Smith would see the bulk of the starts and that he would hopefully be able to come in every once and a while and give Smith a rest.

[dino7c]

Meanwhile he is the backup in NJ with their starter injured and their usual backup coming off a terrible game.

[joejoe3]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Meanwhile he is the backup in NJ with their starter injured and their usual backup coming off a terrible game.

Right where he belongs. A backup's backup.

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by joejoe3

Right where he belongs. A backup's backup.

Assistant to the regional manager.

[Shazam]

The book is out on beating Lack - shoot the puck at the net.

[4X4]

Remember the time we went through 7 goalies in the first half of the year, before Freddie Brathwaite, that beautiful man, finally came along?

He should be Forever A Flame.