NEW YORK, NY---Former NHL goalie John Vanbiesbrouck is stepping down as coach and general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds after admitting he used a racial slur to describe a black player.

Greyhounds captain Trevor Daley quit the Ontario Hockey League team and returned home to Toronto on Saturday after being told that Vanbiesbrouck used the slur while talking to other players.

"I used the 'N' word instead of calling him Trevor," Vanbiesbrouck, who owns 25 percent of the team, told the Sault Ste. Marie Star on Sunday. "I used it just not thinking.

"It's a mistake and consequences have to be paid by me. Trevor's not wrong in this thing. ... I've embarrassed everybody and my family by this one comment. It's not what they represent and it's not what the Sault Greyhounds organization represents."

Vanbiesbrouck said he'll resign as early as Monday, while the 19-year-old Daley - a second-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars - is scheduled to meet with OHL commissioner Dave Branch on Monday.

Vanbiesbrouck, who finished his 20-year NHL career last season with the New Jersey Devils, made the racial slurs Friday night while visiting the home of players Mike Amodeo and Jeff Doyle after a 6-1 loss to Guelph.

Vanbiesbrouck admitted he used the slur "more than once."

"I told Trev this is an old wound with me," Vanbiesbrouck said. "I grew up with it. I'm as sorry as anybody that it's stuck with me. I don't think I've used the word or even thought about it ..."

Bobby Orr, the Hall of Famer player who represents Daley, said he was disgusted by the incident. Orr said as soon as Daley told him of the slur, he instructed Daley to "go home."

"I think like most people, when you hear racial slurs like that, it made me sick," Orr said. "I know Trevor Daley and Trevor's one of our kids and he's a wonderful young man and there's no place for racial slurs like that anywhere, any time."

Orr said he was not sure if Daley will return to the team.

SO NOW John Vanbiesbrouck is out of hockey after using the ultimate racial slur to defame Trevor Daley, the 19-year-old captain of the OHL Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He is no longer that junior team's coach, director of hockey operations or part-owner; no longer a credible candidate for employment by an NHL team. This is as it should be. But this was more than a difficult week for Vanbiesbrouck, now shamed for life, or until Mark Fuhrman's publicist is able to parlay the incident into a major book deal and tour of the cable shows. This was a terrible week for Daley, a young person of grace and humanity. And one not much better for hockey. Where did the rage and ignorance originate, and how was it nourished through a gilded career of riches and fame that made Vanbiesbrouck a sports hero in New York and Miami? It's not what was or wasn't in Vanbiesbrouck's head; it's what was (and apparently is) in his heart that's so frightening to contemplate. A racist among us? Safe to say, yes; that word cannot be a slip of the tongue; it cannot be used by accident. The question that cannot be answered is: How many others lurk among us? How many others have dressed in the same room with Daley, a defenseman who was selected in the second round of last year's entry draft by Dallas? How many more still dress in rooms with Anson Carter, Manny Malhotra, Jason Doig and Jarome Iginla? This isn't about Vanbiesbrouck. This is about the damage done to Daley. This is about light being shined in places we'd rather not believe exist, but obviously do. The NHL conducts an educational diversity seminar program for all its personnel and it reaches out to minorities across the continent with aggressive and creative campaigns of inclusion. The great and gracious Willie O'Ree and his staff never stop. And now we see why: There is always more work to be done. Because you never know what's inside someone's heart.

3-17-03