Day 6 - The Lindsay Wazooz
Established: 2003-04 as the Gaping Wazooz
Years Active: 8 (2003-04 to 2010-11)
Lifetime Record: 457-399-89 (.531) 1003pts
2nd overall in points, 5th overall in winning pct.
Best Finish: 1st (2003-04 as the Gaping Wazooz)
Worst Finish: 10th (2006-07)
Cups: 1 (2003-04 as the Gaping Wazooz)
2009-2010 Results: 9th - 60-72-22 (.461) 142pts
League Records: Most Goals - 19 (2008-09)
Alternate Logos:
Alternate
(2005-06 to 2006-07)
The Gaping Wazooz (2003-04)
The Lindsay Wazooz are a member of the "Original 7" and joined the league as the Gaping Wazooz, They would be the very first recipients of the RHL Cup that very same season. The Wazooz finished the regular season in 2nd place and received a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They easily defeated the Rossland Park Racers in the semi finals 4-2 which would now match them against the top seeded Kwik-E-Mart Gougers in the final. The two finalists were evenly matched and they fiercely battled to a 3-3 tie. ultimately the Wazooz would win the Cup on goals alone, which is officially the tie breaker. During their second season which was in 2005-06, the Lindsay Wazooz again finished 2nd place in the regular season and again received a first round bye. Unfortunately they would be upset in the semi-finals by the 6th seeded Nordiques, the eventual Cup winners.
The next season, 2006-07, would go down as the worst in Wazooz history. after two great seasons, the team finished 10th. Nothing could be worse however than what was to come as their 2007-08 campaign would be tainted with controversy. The Wazooz were struggling and were already in dead last in goaltending stats when their starter Marc-Andre Fluery went down. desperate for a starting goaltender, they attempted to send their best forward Vincent Lecavalier, their top d-man, Dion Phaneuf, and goalie Peter Budaj to the Gougers in exchange for Goalie Ryan Miller and defenseman Scott Niedermayer. Ryan miller had a record of 12-12-1 with a .905 save percentage while Niedermayer had yet to play a single game. How could the former cup champion with one of the most successful franchises in this league make such a terrible deal, there was no doubt that the two GM's were in collusion. The trade would be the first and only time the league would have to step in and veto the trade. You can read the full article HERE - Despite the controversy, Clysdales Wazooz had a very successful year and finished in 3rd place with his partner in crime hot on his tail. they entered the playoffs seeded 4th and were knocked out again in the semi finals, this time it was the Perogies who would win the Cup.
In 2008-09 the Lindsay Wazooz, for the fourth time in five years, were able to finish in the top three. they entered the playoffs with the number one seed, giving them a first round bye. The Zooz were knocked out in the semi-finals by, you guessed it, the eventual Cup winning 93 Leafs. 2009-10 marked only the second time they would miss the playoffs as they finished 9th.
The Lindsay Wazooz have only missed the playoffs twice in their existence and have been able to finish 3rd or better everytime they do make the playoffs. The Wazooz sit in second place on the all time points race with 1003 points.
After an off season such as the last, we can expect GM Dan Clysdale to get back to drafting a winning team as he has in the past. Hopefully we don't see any any controversy such as the league witnessed back on Friday December 14th, 2007. "Black Friday" is an embarrasing blemish on an otherwise spectacular RHL Career. Look for the Zooz to finish in the top 3 this year.
INTERESTING FACTS: The Wazooz have made the playoffs 4 times and were able to capture the Cup only once. Their other 3 other playoff appearances would see them defeated in the semi final every time by the eventual Cup winner.
2005-06 semi final loss to the Cup Champion Barrie Nordiques
2007-08 semi final loss to the Cup Champion Streetsville Perogies
2008-09 semi final loss to the Cup Champion Alliston 93 Leafs
This is an eerie statistic that brings hope to all league GM's that they match up against the Wazooz in the semi finals.
Since the RHL Cup has never been won by the same team twice, the Wazooz actually have held the Cup longer than any RHL team. Because there was a lockout in 2004-05, Clysdale was not forced to surrender his trophy until the beginning of the 2005-06 season, meaning he had possession of the coveted prize for two seasons.
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