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Episode Notes
Thirty years ago, the Stanley Cup playoffs sparked rumors that have been tumultuous for Jane McDougal's life ever since.
In 1994, the Vancouver Canucks made it to Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers. The team narrowly lost, and fans expected the team to come back with a bang the following year. However, 1995 was a disappointment. The team's chemistry was gone, and fans began demanding explanations. Rumors soon spread: a defenseman was having an affair with the goaltender's wife, team morale was down, and the franchise was in trouble.
In this episode of Decoder Ring, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Acey Rowe follows Canucks rumors from the locker room to the chat rooms, and speaks with NHL players Kirk MacLean and Jeff Brown to find out how such rumors snowballed for 30 years.
This episode was reported and produced by Acey Rowe. Story editors were Willa Paskin and Evan Chung. Decoder Ring was produced by Willa Paskin, Evan Chung, Katie Shepherd and Max Freedman. The executive producer is Derek John. The senior technical director is Merritt Jacob.
A longer version of this story appeared on CBC's Storylines, part of the CBC Audio Documentary Unit. Julia Pagel is CBC's senior producer of audio documentaries and Anna Lazowski is CBC's senior producer of special programming.
If there's a cultural mystery you'd like us to decipher, send us an email at decoding@slate.com, subscribe to our feed on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, rate it, and, even better, tell your friends.
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