Nick Polano Died

[MBH]

This guy's front office work is a main reason why this franchise enjoyed so much success.
Nick Polano — who coached Steve Yzerman, helped build Russian Five — dies at age 78

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[Richard Gibson]

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Apparently getting Klima out of Czecholslovakia in 1983 was much harder than getting the Russians in 1989....a good read:

31 Thoughts: NHL opening night promises intrigue, fireworks - Sportsnet.ca

28. It wasn’t the biggest story, but hockey lost a quietly significant person last week when long-time coach, executive and scout Nick Polano died at age 78.
“I got to Detroit after he was hired as head coach (in 1983),” Ken Holland said, “but you could see why the Ilitch family asked him to change the culture of the Red Wings. He was tough on his players, but in a way that made them better…. As for me, he showed confidence in someone who was very green as a scout.”
There’s a pretty funny story about Polano being in his 70s and someone making fun of his typing style, only to see him get up and threaten to fight over it. But where Polano really made history was in bringing Petr Klima to Detroit.
29. The world’s changed so much that it’s hard to explain to someone who wasn’t around then what a big deal Klima’s defection was. With knowledge that the winger wanted to leave the former Czechoslovakia, the Red Wings drafted him 86th overall in 1983. Two summers later, Polano flew with Detroit executive vice-president Jim Lites to Nussdorf, Germany, where Klima was supposed to leave the team hotel and meet them near a forest. Polano did once admit he didn’t think they were going to pull it off.
“I always felt good when he was next to me,” Lites said with a laugh on Monday. “He looked like a bodyguard. That whole process, he was so good with the details. What we had to know, he knew. I remember waiting in our car at 1:00 a.m., myself our interpreter from Detroit and Nick. We were supposed to make a quick exit. Petr climbs out of the window during a team dinner after an exhibition game. He knocks on the door of our car, and says, ‘I’ve got to go back and get my stuff.’ We’re telling him, ‘Forget the stuff, you don’t need it, we will buy what you need.’ But it was his personal stuff and he wanted to go. That was the longest 15 minutes in history. We were just winging it. But when we got away safely, he told us he wouldn’t leave unless we got his girlfriend out, too. He wanted to make sure she was safe.”
30. The same people who helped the Red Wings get Klima were re-hired to bring his girlfriend.
“We paid them cash to get her from Prague,” Lites said. “We left Petr and the interpreter in Germany while Nick and I drove to Austria, near the Czech border. We showed them the cash, something like $35,000. They showed us a picture of her. When they saw the money, they drove back. Then they came back to the same checkpoint. There was a fake trunk in their car. They opened it up, and she pops out. We had to look for the birthmark on her cheek, and that’s when we knew it was her. She gets in the car with two strange men for the drive to Frankfurt. No talking.”
Lites chuckled at the memory.
“Nick would have enjoyed the Russian Five book and movie. But getting the Russians in the ’90s was much easier than Klima in the ’80s.”
He paused.
“Hockey’s a little less good with Nick gone.”
All the best to his family.

 

[MBH]

Apparently getting Klima out of Czecholslovakia in 1983 was much harder than getting the Russians in 1989....a good read:

31 Thoughts: NHL opening night promises intrigue, fireworks - Sportsnet.ca

28. It wasn’t the biggest story, but hockey lost a quietly significant person last week when long-time coach, executive and scout Nick Polano died at age 78.
“I got to Detroit after he was hired as head coach (in 1983),” Ken Holland said, “but you could see why the Ilitch family asked him to change the culture of the Red Wings. He was tough on his players, but in a way that made them better…. As for me, he showed confidence in someone who was very green as a scout.”
There’s a pretty funny story about Polano being in his 70s and someone making fun of his typing style, only to see him get up and threaten to fight over it. But where Polano really made history was in bringing Petr Klima to Detroit.
29. The world’s changed so much that it’s hard to explain to someone who wasn’t around then what a big deal Klima’s defection was. With knowledge that the winger wanted to leave the former Czechoslovakia, the Red Wings drafted him 86th overall in 1983. Two summers later, Polano flew with Detroit executive vice-president Jim Lites to Nussdorf, Germany, where Klima was supposed to leave the team hotel and meet them near a forest. Polano did once admit he didn’t think they were going to pull it off.
“I always felt good when he was next to me,” Lites said with a laugh on Monday. “He looked like a bodyguard. That whole process, he was so good with the details. What we had to know, he knew. I remember waiting in our car at 1:00 a.m., myself our interpreter from Detroit and Nick. We were supposed to make a quick exit. Petr climbs out of the window during a team dinner after an exhibition game. He knocks on the door of our car, and says, ‘I’ve got to go back and get my stuff.’ We’re telling him, ‘Forget the stuff, you don’t need it, we will buy what you need.’ But it was his personal stuff and he wanted to go. That was the longest 15 minutes in history. We were just winging it. But when we got away safely, he told us he wouldn’t leave unless we got his girlfriend out, too. He wanted to make sure she was safe.”
30. The same people who helped the Red Wings get Klima were re-hired to bring his girlfriend.
“We paid them cash to get her from Prague,” Lites said. “We left Petr and the interpreter in Germany while Nick and I drove to Austria, near the Czech border. We showed them the cash, something like $35,000. They showed us a picture of her. When they saw the money, they drove back. Then they came back to the same checkpoint. There was a fake trunk in their car. They opened it up, and she pops out. We had to look for the birthmark on her cheek, and that’s when we knew it was her. She gets in the car with two strange men for the drive to Frankfurt. No talking.”
Lites chuckled at the memory.
“Nick would have enjoyed the Russian Five book and movie. But getting the Russians in the ’90s was much easier than Klima in the ’80s.”
He paused.
“Hockey’s a little less good with Nick gone.”
All the best to his family.

Great stories.
Ilitch had is men make bold moves in the 80s. Some paid off. Some didn't. But they were risk takers.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Great stories.
Ilitch had is men make bold moves in the 80s. Some paid off. Some didn't. But they were risk takers.

I'm not too familiar with the 80's Wings as I grew up an Isles fan watching them from '77-'86, then moved to the south & adopted the Wings in '90...what bold moves did Ilitch have his men make? Which ones didn't pay off? Thanks.

 

[MBH]

I'm not too familiar with the 80's Wings as I grew up an Isles fan watching them from '77-'86, then moved to the south & adopted the Wings in '90...what bold moves did Ilitch have his men make? Which ones didn't pay off? Thanks.

Besides the defector ploys, Ilitch raised a lot of eyebrows with college signings.
Adam Oates was the one who worked out. But he also signed Ray Staszak and Chris Cichocki and a bunch of undrafted college guys to deals that were considered pricey at the time.
They ended up being the worst team in hockey that year. But Oates eventually paid off.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

RIP

 

[Richard Gibson]

 

[Richard Gibson]

 

[Richard Gibson]