By Joshua Kolke (The Athletic)
Dale Weise was just five days into his time with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos when he got what he calls “the Dean Chynoweth experience.”
Weise was 17 when he was traded to the Broncos and believed he was playing well through two games before Chynoweth made him a healthy scratch for the next game. Normally, assistant coaches put scratches through the paces on the ice but it was Chynoweth, the head coach, introducing Weise to his brand of hockey.
“He absolutely bagged me,” said Weise. “That set the tone.”
Weise believed his skill alone would take him through junior hockey. But as he skated the length of the ice again and again, he believed Chynoweth, hired on July 12 as assistant coach of the Maple Leafs, wanted more from him.
His suspicions were confirmed after the bag skate as they sat together on the bench in the Centennial Civic Centre, and Chynoweth told Weise he was the player he had coveted in the trade.
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