Did the company in Canada halt their job search while other well-qualified applicants that they could have offered the position to found positions elsewhere during the 6+ month timeframe before I was to sign the contract?
A company would either have you sign the contract, even if it's 6 months before you start work, OR they would keep looking.
That's the point. Verbals aren't 100% binding contracts. Also, this is a sport where the HC can up and leave the players high and dry at the drop of a hat.
Like I said earlier, if this was a case of an Iowa kid, who committed to say Washington State because he was led to believe that ISU wasn't going to offer. Then Paul calls him 2 weeks before signing day and says "Son, we've been looking at your senior tape and you're just too good to pass up". When he reneges and commits to ISU, NO ONE on this board would be questioning his integrity.