Tag: Barry Fraser

WCPHSF to honour veteran scouts with Ace Award

Two veteran scouts — Mike Penny and the late Barry Fraser — will be saluted at the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29.

The Foundation announced today that the two will be presented with its most-prestigious honour, the Ace Award. In honour of the late Garnet (Ace) Bailey, the award is given annually to a member of the scouting fraternity or someone involved with the scouting community for contributions above and beyond what might have been expected.

Bailey, an incredibly popular member of the scouting family, was the Los Angeles Kings’ director of pro scouting when he died aboard the plane that crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. He was 53.

After ending his playing career, Bailey split a 20-year scouting career between the Edmonton Oilers and the Kings. He was on the Oilers’ scouting staff for 12 seasons under Fraser.

Fraser, a native of Kirkland Lake, Ont., passed away on Dec. 4, 2022. He was 82. Fraser spent two seasons scouting for the WHA’s Houston Aeros before joining the Oilers as director of scouting in 1978. He retired in 2000.

“Barry Fraser was a legend and an icon in the world of the NHL scouting community,” Archie Henderson, a member of the selection committee, said. “He set the gold standard for ALL scouts at ALL levels of the game of hockey with his unrivalled scouting contributions to the Edmonton Oilers leading to five Stanley Cups.

“His resume of identifying talent is among the best in the history of the game.”

Penny, who was born in Montreal, has been scouting at one level or another since 1969. He went to work for the Vancouver Canucks in 1980 and spent time with them as a scout, director of amateur scouting and assistant general manager. He moved on to the Toronto Maple Leafs as director of player personnel in 2002 and now is a member of their pro scouting department.

“Mike Penny has worn many hats in the game of hockey over his long career,” said Henderson, a long-time scout who retired in 2022. “He has been a mentor to many of the present-day NHL scouts. His experience and gentle hand in so many roles at different levels of hockey has provided a template for the modern-day scouts to follow.

“He is a true gentleman and a professional at his craft, and is someone other scouts have always looked to for advice and guidance.”

Fraser and Penny both were included in the 2024 Wall of Honour induction class. Penny, 77, is to be inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton on July 12.

The first recipients of the Ace Award were Dennis Beyak and Gregg Drinnan. Beyak, best known as a long-time play-by-play voice with TSN, is an associate director with the Foundation and also emcee of its dinners. Drinnan is the Foundation’s editor and historian.

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

—30—

For more information, contact:

Garth Malarchuk, Chairman of the Board

gmalarchuk@torontomapleleafs.com

Tim Lenardon, Foundation Co-ordinator

timlenardon78@gmail.com

Gregg Drinnan, Editor/Historian

greggdrinnan@gmail.com

Three more Wall of Honour inductees . . .

Meet three more scouts who will be part of the class of 45 inductees into the Wall of Honour when the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation holds its inaugural dinner in Okotoks, Alta., on July 30 . . .

BARRY FRASER

(Feb. 10, 1940 — Dec. 4, 2022)

BARRY FRASER

From Kirkland Lake, Ont., he spent 21 seasons scouring for the Edmonton Oilers. . . . When knee injuries brought a premature end to his playing career, he turned to scouting in order to stay involved in the game. . . . The Oilers signed him as their director of scouting in 1979. . . . Was part of five Stanley Cup championships with the Oilers — 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990. . . . Under Fraser’s guidance, the Oilers’ scouting staff had perhaps the greatest three-year run (1979-81) in NHL draft history, selecting the likes of Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Andy Moog, Grant Fuhr and Steve Smith.

LOU JANKOWSKI

(June 27, 1931 — March 21, 2010)

LOU JANKOWSKI

Born in Regina, he moved with his family to Hamilton as a youngster. . . . Playing career got him to the NHL for 127 regular-season games split between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks. A head injury with Chicago in 1954-55 cut short his NHL career. . . . Spent most of the rest of his playing career in the WHL. . . . As a junior, he won the OHL’s 1950-51 scoring title with the Oshawa Generals. . . . Turned to scouting in 1972 and worked with the St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, NHL Central Scouting and New York Rangers. After 15 seasons with the Rangers, he retired in 1993. . . . His son, Ryan, has worked as an NHL scout, while grandson Mark played in the NHL.

GERRY MELNYK

(Sept. 16, 1934 — June 14, 2001)

GERRY MELNYK

He retired as a player in 1968 and immediately signed on as a scout with the Philadelphia Flyers. He scouted for the Flyers until retiring in 1997. . . . The Flyers won two Stanley Cup titles (1974 and 1975) with Melnyk on their scouting staff. . . . A native of Edmonton, he played nine seasons in his hometown — four with the junior Oil Kings and five with the Flyers of the old WHL. . . . Split 269 regular-season NHL games between the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks and St. Louis Blues. Played in the Stanley Cup final with Detroit in 1956 and St. Louis in 1968. . . . The Blues traded him to the Flyers, but a heart condition forced him into retirement, so he turned to scouting.

Scouts’ Wall of Honour to open with 45 inductees

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation will induct 45 members of the scouting fraternity into its Wall of Honour this summer.

The banquet is scheduled to be held in Okotoks, Alta., on Monday, July 29.

Comprising three Matrix screens, the WCPHSF Wall of Honour video presentation will be on permanent display at the Centennial Arena in Okotoks.

The first inductees feature five pioneers of the scouting fraternity, including Danny Summers, who returned from the Second World War to play for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers before getting into scouting, and Murray (Torchy) Schell, who spent summers as an assistant equipment manager with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders while he was scouting.

Also being inducted will be 17 scouts from the Early Era (1968-80), including Elmer Benning, who put more than 1 million miles on one car while on the scouting trail; Pat (Paddy) Ginnell, who was a legendary junior coach before turning to scouting; and Del Wilson, a long-time scout who also was a founding father of the major junior WHL.

There also will be 20 scouts from the Modern Era (1981-present) inducted, including Vaughn Karpan, who has been a key figure with the Vegas Golden Knights; Al Murray, one of the architects of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s success; and Barry Trapp, who retired in August 2023 after more than 60 years in the game.

Rounding out the inaugural class will be Lorne Frey and the late Graham Tuer, both of whom had lengthy scouting careers in junior hockey.

Garnet (Ace) Bailey also will be honoured. Bailey scouted for the Edmonton Oilers and then the Los Angeles Kings. He was en route to the Kings’ training camp aboard United Airlines flight 175 when it crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Our selection committee did an excellent job of recognizing these candidates for the Wall of Honour,” Foundation president Erin Ginnell said. “These scouts are not only builders of the game that put thousands of players into the NHL and pro ranks, but also represented their teams and the game with class, professionalism and determination to succeed.  “A lot of these honorees were real mentors to people like myself when I first started; they were always there with help travelling, directions, and generally just made you feel a part of the fraternity.”

The complete list of inductees (* – denotes deceased):

SPECIAL RECOGNITION: *-Garnet (Ace) Bailey.

PIONEERS: *-George Agar, *-Frank Currie, *-Murray (Torchy) Schell, *-Danny Summers, *-Cecil (Tiny) Thompson.

EARLY ERA (1968-1980): *-Elmer Benning, *-Bart Bradley, *-Lorne Davis, *-Gerry Ehman, *-Barry Fraser, *-Pat Ginnell, Ted Hampson, *-Charlie Hodge, Earl Ingarfield Sr, *-Lou Jankowski, Marshall Johnston, Bill Lesuk, *-Ian McKenzie, *-Gerry Melnyk, Bob Owen, *-Clare Rothermel, *-Del Wilson.

MODERN ERA (1981-present): Scott Bradley, Craig Button, John Chapman, George Fargher, Tony Feltrin, Bruce Franklin, Bruce Haralson, Archie Henderson, Les Jackson, Vaughn Karpan, Ross Mahoney, Bert Marshall, Wayne Meier, Al Murray, Gerry O’Flaherty, Kevin Prendergast, Blair Reid, Glen Sanders, Peter Sullivan, Barry Trapp.

JUNIOR: Lorne Frey, *-Graham Tuer.

As well, five scouts from Western Canada were honoured at the Sept. 30 startup banquet in Okotoks with the WCPHSF’s Recognition and Dedication Service Award. Those five are Ron Delorme, Glen Dirk, Garth Malarchuk, Don Paarup and Mike Penny.

——

“Our committee’s selections were primarily based on years of combined service as a scout and/or an association to the scouting process,” Garth Malarchuk, the Chairman of the Foundation’s board of directors, said. “I think everyone who has been associated with the scouting fraternity will agree that this is a pretty impressive group of individuals that we will be honouring. “Trust me, our committee could easily have added another 15-20 deserving individuals to this list, but we had to cut it off somewhere.” Moving forward, we certainly don’t want to miss anyone and the plan is to keep adding individuals to our Foundation’s Wall of Honour on an annual basis.”

——

The startup banquet on Sept. 30 was a rip-roaring success, highlighted by a roast of Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean, along with silent and live sweater auctions. If you weren’t fortunate enough to attend, you are able to find a highly entertaining video of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman roasting MacLean at hockeyscoutsfoundation.com.

——

Planning is well underway for the inaugural induction banquet on July 29 in Okotoks. Banquet details, including information on tickets, will be announced in the near future.