Welcome to a site where we sometimes provide food for thought, and often provide information about the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation.
It is less than two months until the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation holds its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner. It is scheduled for July 29 in Okotoks, Alta., with 29 past and present-day scouts to be inducted. . . . It also is going to be a chance to spend A Night With the Sutters, with members of the hockey-playing family from Viking, Alta., on hand. . . . Tickets for the dinner are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . In the meantime, we are introducing folks to some of the inductees, like George Wood. . . .
GEORGE WOOD
(April 2, 1937 — July 31, 2003)
Born in Winnipeg, he was hired as western scout by the Vancouver Canucks prior to 1974-75 and was there for 11 seasons. . . . Later split three seasons between the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. . . . A goaltender in his playing days, he saw action in the EHL, EPHL, AHL, WHL and IHL. . . . Won Memorial Cup with the Flin Flon Bombers (1956-57). Is immortalized as part of mural on north wall of Flin Flon’s Whitney Forum. . . . Won AHL championship with the 1960-61 Springfield Indians. . . . While scouting for the Canucks, he sometimes went on the ice during practices and worked with the goaltenders. Glen Hanlon, for one, credited Wood with helping him improve his game. . . . Also was an excellent baseball player (first base) and was scouted by the New York Yankees. But size — he was 5-8 — was an issue.
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation will hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. We will salute 29 past and present-day scouts as they take their spots on our Wall of Honour. We also will spend A Night With the Sutters, with members of the hockey-playing family from Viking, Alta., joining us. . . . Tickets for the dinner are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . Before we get there, we want to introduce everyone to some of those who will be honoured, so let’s meet Stu MacGregor. . . .
STU MacGREGOR
(March 15, 1957 — )
A native of Edmonton, MacGregor has been scouting for more than 40 years. . . . A minor hockey coach (1978-86), he started scouting as a part-timer with the Kamloops Jr. Oilers (1982-84) and then the Blazers (1984-90). . . . Hired full-time by Blazers as assistant GM and director of player personnel In March 1990. . . . Scouted with Dallas Stars for two seasons (1998-2000). . . . Was with Edmonton for seven seasons (2000-07) before the Oilers named him director of amateur scouting (2007-15). . . . Returned to Kamloops as GM (2015-18). . . . Back with Dallas as part-timer for 2018-19. . . . Was back in WHL as part-time scout with Victoria Royals (2019-23). . . . Joined Moose Jaw Warriors’ scouting staff in October 2023. . . . Was part of four WHL championship teams and three Memorial Cup champs while with Kamloops.
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is to hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29. . . . If you aren’t aware, the Wall of Honour makes its home in the Viking Rentals Centre in Okotoks. . . . And the dinner will be held right there, too. . . . It’ll be a night of fun, fun, fun, what with various auctions and a Hot Stove session or two involving members of the hockey-playing Sutter family. . . . Tickets for the dinner are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . With all that in mind, we are introducing members of the Wall of Honour’s Class of ’25, so we would like you to meet the late Jim Pedersen.
JIM PEDERSEN
(June 11, 1937 — July 21, 2018)
From Milestone, Sask., where he was raised on a farm and played goal in minor hockey. . . . Spent 26 years as a scout with the Dallas Stars. Was part of their 1999 Stanley Cup championship team. . . . Prior to the NHL, he scouted for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . From the Regina Leader-Post: “As well, Pedersen assisted people who were dealing with substance-abuse issues and offered counselling to young people. A lifelong 4-H member, he raised purebred Angus cattle.” . . . Ross Mahoney, the Washington Capitals’ assistant GM, knew Pedersen for more than 30 years. “I know he was an extremely hard worker,” Mahoney said, “because every time I went to a game, there was Jim Pedersen. I thought that maybe there were four or five Jim Pedersens, but there was only one.”
OKOTOKS (June 27, 2025) — The non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation continues to add to its organization . . . and always with an eye to the future.
The Foundation has added Jada Yee of Regina as its cultural advisor, while also entering into an agreement with Elevate Auctions to provide a presence at future fund-raisers.
Yee will have input into one of the Foundation’s biggest projects to date, the Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet that is to be held in Regina on Sept. 30.
“This is a huge addition for the Foundation,” said Garth Malarchuk, the organization’s chairman of the board. “Yee is more than a little familiar with the traditions, the politics and all the rest of the Indigenous world, and he absolutely knows everyone. So he will be a huge help to us going forward.”
Yee was named CTV Regina’s Citizen of the year for 2023. Of Chinese-Canadian heritage, he is a member of the Wood Mountain Lakota Sioux Nation. A graduate of the University of Regina’s First Nations University of Canada, where he is a sessional instructor, he has a master’s degree of administration in leadership from the University of Regina.
Yee is the first citizen to be elected to the post of Chair of the Regina Police Commission. He also has served on such boards as the Regina Food Bank and the Regina Aboriginal Professionals Association. And he is a partner in OneHoop, an Indigenous consulting firm.
Meanwhile, the WCPHSF has forged a partnership with Elevate Auctions in a move that can only enhance the experience for those attending the second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29 or the Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet in Regina.
Elevate Auctions isn’t your typical auction house; rather, it deals only with non-profit and charitable organizations who are fund-raising via auctions. It has worked with such organizations as the Hospitals of Regina Foundation, the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, the Keyano College Foundation, the Calgary Flames alumni, the Flames Foundation and the Calgary Stampeders alumni.
Bill Brown, Elevate Auctions’ co-founder, said his firm will have an auctioneer and at least one spotter on hand at the dinners in Okotoks and Regina as the Foundation has plans to entertain bids on sports-related travel packages.
The agreement with Elevate Auctions also will allow the WCPHSF to provide a link on its website from which the public will be able to view and bid on silent auction items that will be made available.
“We feel confident that bringing in Bill Brown and Elevate Auctions will help us raise even more money for the WCPHSF and the many charities we support,” said Mark Stiles, the Foundation’s director of donor and stakeholder relations. “Bill is an expert in the field and works with some of the largest foundations and not-for-profit groups in Southern Alberta and beyond.”
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner is scheduled for Okotoks on July 29. . . . Okotoks, the home of the BCHL’s Oilers, also is the home of the Wall of Honour. Yes, it’s right here in the Viking Rentals Centre. . . . That also will be the site of induction dinner, tickets for which are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . As dining time approaches, we are introducing folks to members of the Wall of Honour’s Class of ’25. This time we would like you to meet Brian Gross.
BRIAN GROSS
(Oct. 11, 1942 — )
From Lethbridge, he was raised on a farm, learning to skate on a frozen dugout. . . . Began scouting by working southern Alberta for the Regina Pats (1980-83). Regina hired him full-time (1983-85), and he answered to Glen Dirk and Bob Strumm. . . . When they moved to the Spokane Chiefs, Gross went along (1986-90) as an Alberta and tournament scout. . . . Then it was on to the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets (1991-95), before a return to Regina (1995-97), this time as director of scouting. . . . San Jose hired him in 1997 and he spent 25 seasons with the Sharks, covering Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, before retiring. . . . Worked 32 years with Alberta Government Telephones until 1993. . . . A highlight was getting undrafted Kelowna D Josh Gorges into San Jose’s camp and watching him go on to 13-season NHL career.
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner is scheduled to be held in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. . . . Tickets are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . All told, we will induct 29 scouts — three Pioneers of Scouting, seven from the Early Era (1968-80), 17 from the Modern Era (1981-Present) and two from the world of major junior hockey. . . . In the lead up to the dinner, we are introducing the Class of ’25. So let’s get to know the late Larry Hornung, who will be honoured alongside his late son, Brad.
LARRY HORNUNG
(Nov. 10, 1945 — May 8, 2001)
Born in Gravelbourg, Sask., he grew up in Glenbain, Sask. . . . Went on to play junior hockey with the Weyburn Red Wings and Flin Flon Bombers, before embarking on a professional career that would take him to the NHL and WHA. . . . Played 48 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues over two seasons (1970-72) and split 371 WHA games over six seasons (1972-78) between the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and San Diego Mariners. . . . Began his scouting career with the Jets in 1995. Relocated with them to Phoenix and scouted for the Coyotes through 1997-98. . . . Spent three seasons (1998-2001) with the Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . Worked for 13 years at Pine Lodge, a drug and alcohol counselling and rehabilitation centre in Indian Head, Sask. Was facility director before joining Leafs.
Brent Dodginghorse was named the Canadian winner of the 2024-25 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award on June 9.
On Sept. 30, which is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Dodginghorse, a member of the Tsuut’ina Nation near Calgary, will be honoured by the non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation at its Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends dinner in Regina.
(NHL.com graphic)
Dodginghorse will join other Indigenous hockey legends like Kalley Armstrong, Ron Delorme, the King brothers, D.J. and Dwight, Jon (Nasty) Mirasty, Rich Pilon, Jordin Tootoo, Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier and Dave (Tiger) Williams at the dinner that is to be held at the Conexus Arts Centre. The evening’s entertainment will include a couple of hot stove sessions, with Dodginghorse expected to take part in one of them.
The prestigious Willie O’Ree Community Award — O’Ree broke the colour barrier in the NHL in 1958 — has been around since 2018. It was split into two awards in 2023 with two people now being honoured each year, one in Canada and the other from the U.S. According to the award’s mission statement, it honours those who, through the game of hockey, have positively impacted his or her community, culture or society.
From NHL.com: “Dodginghorse is the co-founder of the DH Ranch, which has an educational program to promote greater respect, understanding, and appreciation for fellow hockey players regardless of race, ethnicity, or ability. The program has been taken by nearly 4,000 people since 2019. Tsuut’ina, which has two traditional meanings: ‘the beaver people’ and also ‘many people,’ uses the spirit of the horse to teach students about Indigenous culture and history, encouraging greater harmony among teammates, classmates, friends and neighbours.”
He and his wife, Sonya, operate the DH Ranch on Tsuut’ina. They use horses in their camps for children and also in team-building programs.
As Dodginghorse explained to Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson: “The horses are the big teachers for us, because they teach us communication. They teach us so many aspects of that area. Horses are the big teachers on diversity, because they don’t speak. Everything is body language or body communication. So if you come at them too aggressive, they’re either going to fight you, flight, freeze or fawn, which means they’ll hide behind people. So those horses taught me a lot about communication, and that’s what we teach people when they come to the ranch. They also learn to overcome obstacles, because a lot of people are frightened of horses. So these horses are teaching confidence, communication and teamwork. Our program is built around those aspects.
“We give these people, whether it’s kids or adults, an opportunity to bond and to work together and to learn the important aspects of life. Because how many people ultimately make the NHL? Is it .001? So that opportunity to teach valuable life skills is very important, and especially for the youth, so they can use those skills to be good human beings when they move eventually into school, university or the work world.”
O’Ree, who has input into the selection of winners of the award that bears his name, offered: “Dodginghorse draws from his own experiences to teach others about compassion and understanding. It takes a strong spirit to share personal stories with strangers, but he does it to help make his community stronger. The domino effect of his work is commendable. Congratulations Brent Dodginghorse.”
As a hockey player, Dodginghorse, now 47, spent two seasons (1995-97) with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, helping them to a national title in 1996, and two with the Calgary Hitmen, who won the 1998-99 WHL championship with him in the lineup and playing a prominent role.
These days, he also is a consultant with the NHL’s Calgary Flames, and he is a former world champion steer wrestler.
The WCPHSF has partnered with the Regina Hotel Association to present the Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends dinner, with some of the proceeds going to the Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Outdoor Hockey League, Sask Sport, for KidSport Saskatchewan, and the Circle Project.
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is to hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. On that evening, we will honour 29 scouts — three Pioneers of Scouting, seven from the Early Era (1968-80), 17 from the Modern Era (1981-Present) and two from the world of major junior hockey. . . . Tickets are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . Now we would like to introduce you to one of our 2025 inductees, the late Brad Hornung, who got into scouting after a devastating injury ended his playing career.
BRAD HORNUNG
(Feb. 13, 1969 — Feb. 8, 2022)
Born in Fort Erie, Ont., he was left a quadriplegic at 18 after being checked from behind while playing for the Regina Pats on March 1, 1987. Suffered a burst fracture of the third cervical vertebrae and crushed spinal cord. . . . Cancer claimed him five days from his 53rd birthday. . . . Was hired as an intern by GM Mike Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2001 and spent three seasons scouting for them. He later worked with NHL Central Scouting. . . . Completed Grade 12 after being injured, then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the U of Regina’s Campion College in 1996. The school presented him with an honourary Doctor of Laws degree in 2018. . . . The Pats have retired his number (8). . . . Inducted posthumously into Regina Sports Hall of Fame (builder) in 2022 and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (hockey, builder) in 2025.
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is to hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. On that evening, we will honour 29 scouts, from past and present — three Pioneers of Scouting, seven from the Early Era (1968-80), 17 from the Modern Era (1981-Present) and two from the world of junior hockey. . . . Tickets for the dinner — the evening is being billed as A Night With the Sutters and will include a hot stove session or two with members of hockey’s first family — are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . In the leadup to the dinner, we are introducing folks to each of the honourees. So let’s meet Dennis Holland. . . .
DENNIS HOLLAND
(Jan. 30, 1969 —)
Born in Vernon, B.C., he is one of those rare scouts who has spent his entire career with one team. . . . Started with the Dallas Stars in 2003 and completed his 22nd season with them in 2024-25. . . . Was third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in NHL’s 1987 draft. Older brother Ken was scout with Red Wings at the time. . . . Scored three goals and added two assists in 1985-86 debut as 16-year-old with WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Went on to enjoy 36-, 58- and 82-goal seasons. Is franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer (179). Led WHL in goals (82) and points (167) in 1988-89. . . . Was head coach of ECHL’s Toledo Storm for two seasons (2000-02). . . . A member of the Winterhawks’ inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2010.
There are less than two months before the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner. . . . It’s all scheduled for July 29 in Okotoks, Alta., with tickets available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . On that evening, we will be honouring 29 past and present-day scouts, all in the presence of members of the Sutter family. In fact, the whole thing is being billed as A Night With the Sutters. . . . In the lead-up to July 29, we are introducing the Class of 2025, one at a time. So say hello to Jeep George, whose nickname came out of the Second World War. . . .
ALBERT E. (JEEP) GEORGE
(May 1, 1925 — June 1, 1985)
Born in North Battleford, Sask., he worked with the New York Rangers, NHL Central Scouting and Hartford Whalers. . . . Rangers hired him in September 1969 as Western Canadian director of scouting, filling spot created when Denis Ball was promoted to assistant GM. . . . Moved to Central Scouting in 1975, then was with Hartford from 1981-84. . . . With his brother William (Moe), George founded Battlefords’ first junior hockey program, the Beaver Bruins, in 1954. . . . Was a prolific scorer in intermediate and senior ranks with the North Battleford Beavers in the late-1940s and into the ’50s. . . . Inducted into the SJHL Hall of Fame in 2024, along with his son, David, and David’s son, Michael. . . . Was working in Thunder Bay during Second World War, picking up cockpit parts and installing them. When doing the pickups, he always drove a Jeep, thus the nickname.
TAKING NOTE 