Author: greggdrinnan

Meet Larry Popein, Wall of Honour inductee in 2025

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner is three months away. It is scheduled to be held in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. . . . Tickets are available at the Foundation’s website (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 you to the Class of ’25. So let’s get to know the late Larry Popein, a man who was much beloved throughout the scouting community. . . .

LARRY POPEIN

(Aug. 11, 1930 — Feb. 7, 2020)

From Yorkton, Sask., the highly popular Popein was known throughout the hockey world as The Pope. . . . Joined the Vancouver Canucks as director of player development in 1974 after a short-lived coaching career. . . . The Canucks cleaned house in 1986 and Popein ended up as a pro scout with the Calgary Flames, a spot he filled until retiring in 1992. . . . Also did pre-scouting with the Flames during playoff runs and is credited with helping in Calgary’s 1989 Stanley Cup title. . . . An under-sized centre (5-9, 170 lb.), he played between Andy Bathgate and Dean Prentice on one of NHL’s top lines in the late-1950s. . . . After seven seasons with the Rangers, he played nine seasons in the Western League, mostly with the Canucks. He finished up with a season (1967-68) with the NHL expansion Oakland Seals.

The 2025 Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for June 1, and Dorothy Drinnan is fund-raising for a 12th straight year. Yes, she has taken part every year since undergoing a kidney transplant in September 2013. . . . If you would like to support her and her favourite cause, you are able to do so right here: https://kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/BCYWALKS25/p/8d2bd58302e2431090e0248fa108dad7

Stein and rings headed to WCPHSF’s Wall of Honour

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 the Foundation’s website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com). . . . Now we would like to introduce you to one of our 2025 inductees, Marty Stein, who has not one, not two, not three, but four Stanley Cup rings. . . . 

MARTY STEIN

(Sept. 12, 1956 —)

From Vernon, B.C., he is one of the rare NHL scouts who never worked for a junior team. . . . Began his NHL career as an amateur scout with the Detroit Red Wings in 1996 and was with them for 25 seasons and four Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008). . . . Also was in on two Calder Cup titles with Detroit’s AHL affiliate. . . . Had been minor and junior hockey teammates with then Detroit GM Ken Holland. . . . Hired as an amateur scout by the Buffalo Sabres in 2021. . . . A prolific lacrosse player, he won three straight (1976-78) Canadian senior B titles with the Vernon Tigers. . . . Is a UBC Thunderbird hockey and soccer alum, and is on the BCHL-Vernon Vipers Alumni Committee. . . . Was a physical education teacher at Vernon’s Clarence Fulton Secondary from 1981-2013 when he retired.

Mondays With Murray: Political Barkley Is Too Incorrect

On April 13, 1996, the final two spots on Dream Team III, the team that competed at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, were filled by Phoenix’s Charles Barkley and Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond.

Today, we bring you Jim Murray’s April 3, 1994 column on Barkley.

ENJOY!

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SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 1994, SPORTS

Copyright 1994/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

Political Barkley Is Too Incorrect


  I hate to say this — he’s going to hate me for saying it — but I have to tell you Charles Barkley is a fake, a fraud.

  How do I know this? Well, I’ve made a kind of study of the man. I read his biography, watched him play, sat in on his interviews, even urgently recommended him to Clippers owner Donald Sterling once when he came on the open market.  

  Look, Charles Barkley would have you believe he’s the baddest dude in basketball, gives no quarter, takes no prisoners, defies convention. He’s at pains to portray this image. He slugs barflies, spits at members of the audience, feuds with coaches, bad-mouths owners, snarls at media, takes pride in being his own man. A don’t-mess-with-me attitude. 

  Fine. He’s done all of those things. He’s an intimidator. On and off the court. He’s outspoken. Controversial, even. It’s not advisable to come up and slap him on the back. 

  But, having said that, let’s take a look at the man. He’s not really Big Bad Barkley. He’s not a pussycat, but neither is he a mountain lion. He’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing. 

  Watch him on the floor. He smiles a lot. He has a nice smile. He laughs easily. He shakes hands with the courtside customers he knows. Says hello to opponents before tipoffs. 

  He’s a politician, for crying out loud! He’s going to — get this! — run for governor of Alabama. Next stop, who knows? The White House? 

  Does that sound like the antisocial dude you’ve been reading about? The Charles Barkley who mugs the opposition, his own team or the paying customers with the same degree of skill and enthusiasm? The man you love to hate? 

  Barkley’s big problem is he has trouble with the diplomatic lie. He might be governor, but he could never be secretary of state. World War III would ensue. Barkley would tell Yeltsin to sober up, tell the queen mother she was fat. 

  Barkley has great difficulty with the truth. Which is to say, he tells it. Which creates difficulty. The truth always does. 

  The other night at the Sports Arena, his team beat up a docile, uninterested bunch of L.A. Clippers so easily Barkley didn’t have to play but 27 minutes. 

  The Phoenix Suns played him so little because they didn’t need him to beat so inconsequential a bunch as the Clippers, Barkley told the reporters. 

  “You don’t use your Mercedes-Benz to go to the grocery store. You save it for long important trips,” he said, dismissing the Clippers. “Their team doesn’t try hard enough. Someone should tell them winning takes effort.” 

  Vintage Barkley. In your face. Don’t sugarcoat it. If the Clippers don’t like it — well, it’s a matter of complete indifference to Barkley. 

  Is Derrick Coleman a great player? 

  “Not as great as he should be,” Barkley has evaluated. 

  Aren’t the Knicks great on defence? 

  “They have to be,” says Barkley. “They have no offence.” 

  Barkley could spot the warts on the Mona Lisa. He never temporizes, says “No comment,” or even claims he was misquoted. He was named to the all-interview team five years in a row by the beat writers. A dull game? Go find Barkley, he will liven it up for you. An open microphone and Barkley were like the iceberg and the Titanic. Once when he was criticized by an adversary, Byron Scott, Barkley said Scott was “last seen on the side of a milk carton.” He once led an on-court brawl that set a league record for finea — $162,500, of which Barkley’s share was $57,000 in fines and lost salary for suspension. 

  Reputation meant little to Barkley. He took over for Julius Erving in Philadelphia, where Dr. J was second only to Ben Franklin in community esteem, but it wasn’t long before Erving was turning over the team leadership to the brash young Barkley — at Barkley’s insistence. And Barkley once held Larry Bird with his arms pinned to his side while Dr. J belabored him with blows. Bird wore the wrong color uniform. 

  Sometimes, even the uniform didn’t matter. When Barkley got traded to Phoenix, he chose the first practice to bounce teammate Cedric Ceballos on the floor as the team screamed at him. 

  In the Olympics, it was the Dream Team teammates who screamed at him when he elbowed a player from Angola in the ribs and stomped on his foot. 

  But for a guy who can dish it out, Barkley can also take it. When Bobby Knight cut him from the Olympic team in 1984, many thought it was because Barkley twitted the coach. The Barkley of those days was widely perceived to be a talented kid who was going to eat his way out of the game despite his undeniable genius for it. The “Round Mound of Rebound” was his nom-de-court in the better press releases. Knight wanted him to lose weight, but all Barkley did was lose interest. 

  But when Knight cut him, Barkley, astonishingly, defended him. 

  “I wasn’t even close to the player I had been at the (Olympic) trials,” he was to write. “I was just hanging out, having fun.” 

  He actually thought Knight agonized over the decision to cut him. 

  “It’s when I finally gained respect for Knight — realized we were very much alike — he couldn’t take less than the best from anyone.” 

  Barkley is also delighted when anyone stands up to him, which is not part of the image, either. 

  Now that I’ve blown his cover, shouldn’t he rob a train, drown a canary or bad-mouth Mother Teresa to get his film-villain image back? First thing you know, he will be getting the basketball equivalent of hockey’s Lady Byng Trophy, annually awarded to the player who passes out the fewest subdural hemorrhages, who uses his stick on a puck, not an ear. 

  But Barkley is the nearest thing to a megastar in the game, now that Michael Jordan has left. He put 16,005 fans in the seats at the Sports Arena the other night, and there was no doubt they were there to see him. Sir Charles. They booed him, of course. That’s part of the pact. 

  If his team prevails and wins the championship this year, will he try out for the Chicago White Sox next year? 

  Barkley laughs. “No. I’m going to be trying for governor.” 

  Will he make it? 

  “No doubt! By acclamation,” he predicts. 

  “There’s a sickness in our society today. Our idiots have given a message to our children that your life has no meaning unless you have a big house, a big car, expensive clothes and a lot of money. We’ve taught them that being a cop, an honest workman, a trash man or a carpenter, any of the useful things in life, are not meaningful. That needs to be addressed. The system isn’t working. We need to root it out, remake it.” 

  But can he kiss babies, eat the rubber chicken, make the promises and evade the pressing questions it will take to get to the state house? Can he get there by being Charles Barkley? Won’t a couple of Charles Barkley answers torpedo the whole campaign? 

  Maybe so. But the fact of the matter is that despite his mouth, Barkley is — come closer, I wouldn’t want him to know I’m spreading this around — a nice guy!

Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, 25 Main St., Cooperstown NY, 13326

WCPHSF’s Wall of Honour calls for Benning

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 on the Foundation’s website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com). . . . In the meantime, we are introducing folks to members of the Wall of Honour’s Class of ’25. This time we would like you to meet Jim Benning. . . . 

JIM BENNING

(April 29, 1963 — )

From Edmonton, he followed in the footsteps of his late father, Elmer, who scouted for the Montreal Canadiens for 47 years. Elmer was inducted into the Wall of Honour in 2024. . . . Jim was named WHL’s top defenceman (1980-81) while with the Portland Winterhawks. The Toronto Maple Leafs selected him sixth overall in the NHL’s 1981 draft. . . . Retired after spending 1991-92 in Italy. . . . Got into scouting with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993. . . . Began a 12-year run with the Buffalo Sabres in 1994. Was director of amateur scouting for the last eight of those years. . . . Moved to the Boston Bruins in 2006 as director of player personnel. Was assistant general manager from 2007-14 when the Vancouver Canucks hired him as general manager. Stayed there through Dec. 6, 2022. . . . Was inducted into Winterhawks’ Hall of Fame (2025).

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Cochrane will be remembered by Wall of Honour

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 on the Foundation’s website (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 Glen Cochrane. . . .

GLEN COCHRANE

(Jan. 29, 1958 — Jan. 13, 2024)

Born in Kamloops and raised in Cranbrook, he was living in Kelowna at the time of his passing, which came after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2023. . . . Was an assistant coach with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets (1995-98) before getting into scouting. . . . Started as an amateur scout in Western Canada with the Colorado Avalanche (2001-07). . . . Moved on to the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and spent 17 years with them. Was still scouting for them at the time of his death. . . . As a rough-and-tumble player, he split 411 regular-season NHL games over 10 seasons between the Philadelphia Flyers, who selected him 50th overall in the NHL’s 1978 draft, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. . . . Won an AHL championship with the Maine Mariners in 1979. . . . Became successful Little Caesars Pizza franchisee after playing career ended.

April 6 . . . we will always remember!

The boys played a hockey game last night. Yes, they shook off the rust and away they went.

They did pretty well, too, getting 37 saves from goaltender Parker Tobin in posting an 8-0 victory before a world-wide audience.

Tobin was making his first appearance with his new team, having been acquired from the junior A Humboldt Broncos in exchange for defenceman Xavier Labelle earlier in the day.

“We were fortunate we got a great performance from Tobin and our top scorers scored,” said general manager/head coach Darcy Haugan.

The boys were led by the line of Jaxon Joseph, Logan Schatz and Evan Thomas, who combined for 12 points, including six goals.

There was a scary moment early in the second period when Schatz appeared to catch an edge as he cut behind Tobin’s net. Schatz crumpled to the ice and for a moment it looked as though he had suffered a knee injury. Athletic therapist Dayna Brons, the only girl on the boys team, was quick to the scene. She helped Schatz to the dressing room and was able to get him back to the bench before too much time had elapsed.

“She’s got magic fingers and she’s great with tape,” said Schatz, who also is the team captain. “If there’s an MVP on this team, she’s it. I don’t know where we’d be without her.”

Haugan was thrilled when Schatz returned to the bench and Brons signalled that the captain was OK to go.

“That allowed us to keep our lines intact and to execute our game plan to a T,” Haugan said. “We wanted our power play to obviously be big. We didn’t expect it to be that big so we’re very fortunate. You need your top guys to be your best guys and they were.”

The boys counted five times on eight power-play opportunities and that really was huge.

Joseph finished with three goals and an assist, with Schatz chipping in two of each, and Thomas putting up a goal and three helpers.

Defenceman Adam Herold, the youngest player on the team, and forward Conner Lukan also scored. Lukan was skating alongside Jacob Leicht and Logan Hunter, and that threesome easily could have had four or five more goals. Hunter recorded two assists, with Leicht getting one. Defenceman Stephen Wack also had one assist.

As for the opposition, Haugan said, they “stepped up all night, they were relentless. Obviously our guys did a good job of keeping everything to the outside and didn’t allow them to penetrate to the middle of the ice. We did get a couple of breaks so we did get lucky but all-in-all to escape with a 1-0 lead after one, we’ll gladly take it.”

Defenceman Logan Boulet showed a lot of heart and leadership in earning six assists for the boys.

“I felt great out there,” Boulet said. “I was using a Brad McCrimmon model stick and, man, I really was able to throw some great saucer passes out there. And I don’t know that the stick had anything to do with it, but I never wanted to leave the ice.”

Haugan added: “(Boulet) was a beast out there.”

Ahh, yes, the sticks.

Haugan said one of the toughest tasks he and assistant coach Mark Cross faced was getting the players to pick out the sticks they wanted to use.

“I have never seen or heard of a team having such a wide selection to choose from,” Haugan said. “There were sticks everywhere. We may have to build some kind of stick warehouse to house them all.”

After the game, the boys admitted to being quite excited about having been able to replace one of their travelling staples.

“One of the boys picked up a copy of Slap Shot,” Haugan said. “He got it from somewhere in Portland, I think. You can’t be on the road without Reggie Dunlop and Slap Shot, but our original DVD got broken somehow and, let me tell you, there were some broken hearts when that happened.

“But all’s well that ends well.”

It’s worth pointing out that the boys led 1-0 after the first period, which was played in Chicago Stadium. They were up 4-0 after the second, which was played in Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams played the final period in the Montreal Forum. The travel arrangements were all under the control of Glen Doerksen, the team’s travelling secretary.

So . . . what’s next for the boys?

Well, Haugan said, the coaches are well aware that focusing on one sport isn’t the way to go.

“The guys are talking about wanting to play some baseball,” Haugan said. “Apparently, some guy in Iowa built a ball diamond in a cornfield. So I think we’re wanting to give that a try.

“But we’ll have to scrounge some bats, balls and gloves first.”

JUST NOTES: There was a third man behind the bench with Haugan and Cross, and Haugan later revealed that he has added Brock Hirsche to his coaching staff. Hirsche played in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars, then returned to his hometown to play with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . .

Also joining the boys is Jonathan Pitre, who is incredibly popular with the media and will handle public and media relations. . . .

📻

Tyler Bieber, an up-and-coming play-by-play voice, called last night’s game on 107.5 FM (aka The Prayer), with sports fanatic Brody Hinz handling the analysis and statistics, including zone entries and Corsi. . . .

(Christopher Lee of the Humboldt Journal may recognize some of the quotes here. Thanks for loaning them to me.)

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Are you able to help?

Dorothy and her two favourite girls, Averi and Kara, kicking back for a bit.

There are only a couple of flips of the calendar left before it’s time for the 2025 Kamloops Kidney Walk. . . . It is scheduled for McDonald Park on Sunday, June 1. . . . Dorothy, my wife of more than a few years (OK, going on 53), is fund-raising for the Kidney Walk for a 12th straight year — or every year since she underwent a transplant in September 2013. . . . If you would like to help her out by supporting her favourite cause, you are able to do so right here — https://kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/BCYWALKS25/p/8d2bd58302e2431090e0248fa108dad7. . . . Thanks so much in advance for your support.

Overton to be inducted into Wall of Honour

The calendar tells us that the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is four months away from inducting the Class of 2025 into its Wall of Honour. . . . The second annual induction dinner is scheduled for July 29 at the Viking Rentals Centre, the home of the Wall of Honour, in Okotoks, Alta. . . . The evening is being billed as A Night With the Sutters and there will be a hot stove session or two involving members of hockey’s first family. . . . Tickets for the dinner are available on the Foundation’s website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com). . . . In the meantime, we are introducing folks to the next inductees, so here’s a look at Doug Overton Sr. . . . 

DOUG OVERTON SR.

(Dec. 8, 1944 — Sept. 13, 2023)

Born in London, Ont., but grew up in Winnipeg. . . . Was a solid junior player with the MJHL’s St. Boniface Canadians, and had a brief stint in the EHL with the Charlotte Checkers before playing senior with the St. Boniface Mohawks and Warroad Lakers. . . . Later took a turn coaching the junior St. Boniface Saints (1972-74). . . . Started his scouting career with the Philadelphia Flyers in the late ’80s before joining Bob Clarke in moving to the Minnesota North Stars in 1990. . . . Spent 20-plus seasons with the Stars organization in scouting roles spanning from amateur scout to director of pro scouting. Was with the Stars for 1999 Stanley Cup championship.

Malkoc, Wallin, Vrooman to be saluted by Scouts Foundation

OKOTOKS, Alta. (March 25, 2025) — Veteran scouts Dean Malkoc and Jesse Wallin, along with retired broadcaster Dean (Scooter) Vrooman, will be honoured by the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation at its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29.

Malkoc and Wallin will be presented with the Two Glens’ Honourarium, while Vrooman is to be given the Bob Ridley Golden Microphone Honourarium. Each of the recipients also will receive a financial award that is to be given to a charity of their choosing.

The Two Glens’ Honourarium was cast in the memories of Glen Cochrane (left, above) and Glen Dirk, two long-time scouts who passed away from cancer in 2024.  It is to be presented annually to a deserving scout, or scouts, who display camaraderie, competitiveness, dedication and humour, all traits that were in ample supply with the much beloved Cochrane and Dirk.

Wallin has been in the scouting game since 2013, first with the St. Louis Blues and now with the Detroit Red Wings. After six seasons as an amateur scout with the Blues, he now is in his sixth season as Detroit’s head amateur scout.

“I was really honoured when I was told I would be receiving this award,” Wallin said. “I had no idea . . . I wasn’t expecting it.”

Wallin had known Dirk and Cochrane for a long time, so this award really carries some meaning with it.

“I met Glen during the draft process in my draft year,” Wallin said, “and when I spent a bit of time with New Jersey. I met Glen Cochrane through Peter Anholt quite a while ago.

“To be associated with them was a real privilege.”

Malkoc was especially close to Dirk, often looking at him as a father figure. 

From Vancouver, Malkoc has been scouting with the Boston Bruins since 2007. After 15 seasons as an amateur scout, he now is in his third season as Boston’s director of amateur scouting.

Meanwhile, Ridley called Medicine Hat Tigers’ games on radio, handling more than 4,000 games over 52 seasons — he also drove the team’s bus for 45 of those seasons — before retiring in August 2022.

The Golden Microphone is to recognize a member of the media or broadcasting profession for their dedicated years of service at the major junior level.

Vrooman, who grew up in Beaverton, Ore., was the play-by-play voice of the Portland Winterhawks for more than 30 seasons. He called games from 1982-2007 and was part of the broadcast team, with his son Todd handling play-by-play, from 2012-19. Dean retired after the 2018-19 season.

“I am honoured to have been selected for the Golden Microphone award,” Vrooman said after Ridley informed him of the honour. “I am just very gratified and appreciative that I am being recognized for my career accomplishments.”

“Dean is a terrific choice as the first recipient of this honour,” said Gregg Drinnan, a member of the selection committee who also is the Foundation’s editor and historian. “He had a whole lot to do with establishing the Winterhawks in Portland and for the success the franchise has had. There was a time when he was as much the face of the franchise as anyone.”

Tickets for the second annual induction dinner now are available on the Foundation’s website — hockeyscoutsfoundation.com.

For more information, contact:

Garth Malarchuk, WCPHSF Chairman of the Board

gmalarchuk@torontomapleleafs.com

Tim Lenardon, WCPHSF Co-ordinator

timlenardon78@gmail.com

Gregg Drinnan, WCPHSF Editor/Historian

greggdrinnan@gmail.com

Gare headed to WCPHS Foundation’s Wall of Honour

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation will usher 29 past and present-day scouts into its Wall of Honour during the second annual induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29. . . . The Wall of Honour is housed in the Viking Rentals Centre, the home arena of the BCHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . The evening is being billed as A Night With the Sutters and there will be a hot stove session or two involving members of hockey’s first family. . . . Tickets for the dinner are available on the Foundation’s website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com). . . . Between now and then, we are introducing the members of the Class of ’25, so let’s meet Ernie Gare Jr.

ERNIE GARE JR.

(Feb. 14, 1952 —)

Born in Nelson, B.C., he is of a legendary hockey family. . . . Ernie Sr. is a member of the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame. Brothers Danny and Morey had professional playing careers, and brother-in-law Tom Renney was a coach of note. . . . Ernie Jr. got NHL scouting career started with Toronto Maple Leafs (1993-97), then joined Boston Bruins (1997-2000). . . . Finished up with New York Rangers (2000-15). . . . Earlier, he became the first person to win BCHL championship as a player and as a coach. He won BCHL scoring title in 1971-72 as he helped Vernon Essos to the title. . . . As a coach, he guided Vernon Lakers to BCHL championships in 1987-88 and 1988-89. . . . As a player, he won Allan Cup (1976) with Spokane Flyers and Savage Cup with Trail Smoke Eaters (1979).

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