Santa Claus is Coming to Town

(In honor of Bob Plager, who passed away exactly a month ago on March 24, 2021, here is a comical article I wrote about him and had published in the November 1992 issue of The Sports Journal of Calgary, Alberta.  By the time it hit the papers, Plager had likely already resigned as St. Louis Blues’ head coach…a stint that lasted just 11 games before returning to his position as vice-president of player development.)

  Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus, and he is coaching the St. Louis Blues this season. 

There was a myriad of wide-open mouths in National Hockey League circles last May when Bob Plager was named Brian Sutter’s coaching replacement.

     This is the same Bob Plager of the Jolly Old St. Nick demeanor, who for more than a decade reigned as one of the top NHL jokesters and pranksters.

     One of Plager’s classic deeds was to cut the stitching out of teammate Noel Picard’s trousers.  Naturally, the pants would give out just at the right moment.  One of Plager’s most memorable actions for fans was dumping a whole bucket of pucks onto the ice to protest a call in a 1970’s televised game.

     “There was always something being pulled,” Plager said.  “It’s great!  It brought the team together.  You did a few stupid things, something that was funny, and people laughed and relaxed.  If something wasn’t going right, I’d tell a funny story or something.  It helps relax me.  I’m very nervous, but people don’t know it.”

     Plager is indeed intense, but not to the extreme of uptightness that seemed to constitute Sutter’s personality.

     He’s still a jokester, but there’s also a serious side to Plager.  Maybe it’s because he will turn 50 next March.  Maybe Plager has mellowed a bit because of all the recent hardships in his life. 

     Beloved brother Barclay died of brain cancer in February 1988.  Their father, Gus Plager, had passed away several months earlier.  Plager’s mother has had a variety of health-related problems, and Plager and his wife Melissa have suffered through several miscarriages.

     But Plager still dishes out his share of anecdotes.  Maybe it’s as much comedic relief to cover up his own anguish.  In either case, Plager is serious about hockey.

     “Below the exterior of the Bobby you’re used to seeing—and he’s got the latest quip, quote or joke—is a very intelligent hockey man with a great knowledge of how the game should be played,” Blues’ president Jack Quinn said.  “There’s a serious side to Bobby that I’ve been able to see on a daily basis over the last several years that led me to believe he has the qualities to coach.”

     As they say, ‘The proof is in the pudding.’

     Just two seasons ago, Plager displayed his coaching acumen with the Peoria Rivermen of the International Hockey League.  Plager’s club won a professional hockey record 18 games in succession en route to a 58-19-5 mark and the Turner Cup, the playoff championship trophy.

      That helped earn Plager status as the 16^th coach in the Blues’ 27-year history.  Plager announced that he is ready, willing and able to do the job.

     “I believe in the organization; I believe in the team; I believe in myself,” Plager said.  “I also believe I know a lot about hockey.  I expect great things out of our team this year.

     “A lot of times, coaches come in and say they’re going to build for the future.  Well, the future is right now in St. Louis.  It’s not two or three years from now.  We want to have a winning team here next year.  I will work with and for the players to bring a Stanley Cup to St. Louis.”

     That would be one of the most precious gifts Santa could bring to St. Louis’ winter sports enthusiasts!                                 

    

Youngsters Dive into Summer Camp

 (This was one I had published WAY back in the late 1980s...Kiwanis Camp Wyman is still there! I wonder what and how the people in this article are doing today.)

     It was only fitting that youngsters from Kiwanis Camp Wyman were instructed to show off their best dives prior to the swimming finals of Saturday’s Corporate Sports Battle at Webster Groves Memorial Park.

     The dozen or so kids on hand were among some 800 who have been making a big splash throughout the summer.

     Kiwanis Camp Wyman, located in Eureka, offers year-round programs for about 7,500 people ranging from the very young to senior citizens who can’t afford vacations.  But it’s best known for its five 11-day summer sessions for 8- to 16-year-olds.

     “The kids are referred to us for different reasons,” said Camp Director Mary Dwyer.  “Some have been abused while others are from low-income, single-parent families or even two parent ones who are struggling just to put meat on the table.  It’s a positive break from their home activities.  For me, working with the kids is tremendous because I see so much in them.”

     And the children, in turn, see a great deal of value in the programs.

     “I was afraid it was going to be boring, but I was wrong,” 12-year-old Keith said. “I mostly like hiking in the woods and archery.  We also went canoeing and swam in a lake.  On nature hikes, I saw all kinds of animals, cave salamanders and frogs.”

     Keith enjoyed his first summer at Camp Wyman so much that he has vowed to return next year.  He will be placed in a special program for teens known as Morning Star, which deals with outdoor skills in primitive settings.

     Another believer has been made of 14-year-old Desiree, who is currently completing her fourth summer at Camp Wyman.  She was introduced to the program through Cardinal Glennon Hospital and the Hemophiliac Foundation where her father is treated for that blood disease.

     “I was really nervous when I got there, wondering what people would be like,” she said. “But it’s been as great experience this year. I’ve been in a regular, 11-day program and one called RESP (Residential Employment Skills Program) where I handle applications for people who apply for jobs at the camp.  I can’t wait for next summer!”

     That’s the consensus among the youngsters.  While the majority of them most readily point to the recreational pursuits, Dwyer believes the benefits extend well beyond the enjoyment aspect.

     “The kids develop an understanding of other people and how they fit together in the community,” Dwyer said.  “When we develop our programs, we let the kids decide as much as possible because we want them to see themselves as part of society.  We have a job readiness program for 15- to 16-year-olds.  It’s rewarding to me when they come back and want to be counselors.”

     Desiree is a prime example of that.  This summer, she served as an assistant in naturalist programs and worked on a project called Nature Lodge, where she took children on hikes, helping them with sensory awareness.

     But none of those programs would have been worthwhile were it not for the Kiwanis Camp Wyman staff, which includes Executive Director David Hilliard, Development Director Battle Smith, Development Associate Don Davison and other staffers such as Claire Wyneken, William Berger and Cindy Hirsch, just to name a few. Their guidance and devotion to visitors is what makes Wyman work.

     “The staff is really caring,” said 14-year-old Beth, in her third summer there.  “If you have problems of any kind, you can always find someone who will talk to you.”

     “It’s fun when everybody gets along,” Keith said.  “They’re like one big family.”