Neil writes:
>Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the undergrads probably left
>because the NHL was about to start the supplemental draft.  Oates, Servinis
>and Puppa were probably not drafted when eligible, and thus were late-blooming
>free agents.
 
    Actually, the supplemental draft was started in '86, I believe (maybe '87),
    because of what happened in 1985 with Oates, Ray Staszak of UIC, etc.
    These players signed huge contracts with Mike Illitch's Red Wings when he
    decided to pull a George Steinbrenner and try to buy Detroit a championship.
    It failed miserably because college players are very unpredictable when
    turning pro.  Staszak played very few games before retiring and Oates
    struggled his first couple of years and appeared washed up before he began
    to get his game together.  Both players signed $1 million-plus deals.
 
    Oates, Puppa and Servinis left because that year, with Illitch leading the
    way, NHL teams suddenly offered the collegians huge sums of money to leave
    school early.  In fact, from a V-E-R-Y reliable source I learned that John
    Carter rejected a $1 million offer in 1985 to return to RPI for his senior
    year.  Of course, the next year he left school in March to sign with Boston
    for about $400,000 over three years.
 
    Adam Oates was a free agent when he signed with Detroit, but I believe Puppa
    had been drafted by Buffalo and Servinis by Minnesota.  When Illitch
    started the ball rolling, the other clubs began offering other undergrad
    stars big bucks to turn pro.  This threw the NHL into a panic because
    the rookies were commanding much greater salaries than veterans, and the
    result was the supplemental draft for North American (not just NCAA) players
    beyond the draft age of 20 to stop the bidding wars.
 
>I know that this is the reason Doug Dadswell left Cornell. I think I have
>the year right.
 
    I know Dadswell was playing for the Canadian Nationals recently, probably
    this year.  I recognized his name in The Hockey News.  I remember seeing
    him play in 85-86, so he must have left Cornell after that season.
 
 
    - mike