Canucks great Stan Smyl was nearly a Red Wing instead

As the head coach of the New Westminster Bruins, McLean brought four straight WCHL titles to the city in the seventies and two Memorial Cups. He continued to coach the Bruins through 1987. But his life off the ice was arguably more fascinating than what he did on the ice.

Now 91, McLean can still be found in the Canucks’ press box almost every single game and will readily regale you with stories from the past, such as how he did his best to prevent the Canucks from drafting Stan Smyl. That wasn’t enough to convince NHL scouts that he deserved to be a high pick in the draft, however. Smyl was generously listed at 5’8” and there were concerns that he couldn’t play the same highly physical game against the bigger players in the NHL. He also wasn’t the best skater, which isn’t a great combination with a lack of size.

@passittobulis #Canucks draft history: How Stan Smyl nearly became a Red Wing. #vancouvercanucks #canuckshistory #hockeyhistory #nhldraft #nhlhistory #stansmyl ♬ original sound - passittobulis In the media in Vancouver, McLean said Smyl would be a great draft pick for the Canucks. In scouting meetings with Detroit, however, he pushed hard for the Red Wings to pick Smyl instead`.

McLean had to admit that Hicks was a better skater than Smyl, so Hicks went 28th overall to the Red Wings. He scored 18 points in 108 NHL games.“Ted, I can’t tell you what the guy’s got in his heart, what he brings to a hockey club,” said McLean. “It’s a lot more than skating ability.” After drafting Bill Derlago in the first round and Curt Fraser in the second, the Canucks picked Stan Smyl with their third pick: 40th overall in the third round.

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