Chuck Shick said:
Hey maybe Goodenow can come back down here to Pittsburgh and bust another 9 man union like he did back in the 80's......he's lucky he didn't leave town in a bodybag
Goodenow won that battle, then joined the hockey agent business. By 1990, he had assembled a stable of about 20 clients, including Bob Mason, now the Wild goalie coach. Goodenow, then as now, was always about getting the best deal, a lesson Mason learned in the 1987 offseason.
Goodenow had Mason fly in to Detroit on the eve of the 1987 draft. Mason was a free agent, and Goodenow wanted to mediate any contact between teams and Mason. The goalie arrived, and Goodenow led him to a hotel room.
"He just said, 'Stay here, buy some beer,' " Mason said.
Goodenow came back intermittently holding a napkin with an offer scrawled on it. Four teams made bids, including Mason's most recent team, the Washington Capitals, Mason said. Mason instead signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The following day, to Mason's dismay, the Blackhawks signed college goalie Ed Belfour and picked goaltender Jimmy Waite eighth overall. Belfour's agent was none other than Goodenow.
"Goodenow kept that from me," Mason said. "He should have let me know. ... Knowing that, I might have stayed [with Washington]."