Gamble on Schaefer Does Not Pay Off

by Monte StewartFiled under: CanucksThe Peter Schaefer experiment is over. The Vancouver Canucks suspended the 33-year-old left winger Wednesday after he cleared NHL waivers and refused to report to their Manitoba farm team. He is now slated to go through waivers again before the Canucks release him outright. Schaefer's agent Ross Gurney told the Vancouver Province that Schaefer's departure does not signify a failure. Still collecting $600,000 from the Boston Bruins after they bought out his contract two seasons ago, Schaefer opted to stay home in West Vancouver as his wife gets ready to deliver their second child in December. "Peter can do whatever he wants to," Gurney told the Province, denying that his personal situation factored into his decision not to go to the minors. "That's the great thing about these athletes with some level of financial security. There is ample opportunity in Europe for him, and we'll see if and when he chooses to do that...