Tag: Bruno Campese

McCrimmon, Golden Knights on top of hockey world . . . Gretzky’s last NHL sweater sells for big dough . . . Roy leaves Memorial Cup champions

KellyMcCrimmon
Kelly McCrimmon and his newest best friend, the Stanley Cup. (Photo: Mike Fraser/Facebook)

We can only imagine the emotions that dominated Kelly McCrimmon’s very being on Tuesday night as the general manager of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights watched his charges win the Stanley Cup.

If you spent the night under a rock, the Golden Knights, playing at home in front of the NHL’s most raucous fans, beat the Florida Panthers, 9-3, to win the best-of-seven final in five games.

And there was McCrimmon taking it all in from his seat alongside George McPhee, the president of hockey operations.

You can bet that McCrimmon’s late brother, Brad, was first and foremost in Kelly’s thoughts. The McCrimmon boys, from Plenty, Sask., were close, really close.

Brad’s name already is on the Stanley Cup; he was a leader on the 1988-89 Calgary Flames. And now Kelly’s name will be there, too.

The thought of having his name on hockey’s Holy Grail, right there where Brad’s name has been for all these years, will have been overwhelming. In fact, Kelly used that exact word — overwhelming — in an emotional post-game interview with Sportsnet’s David Amber and Elliotte Friedman.

“It’s an honour,” McCrimmon said. “It’s surreal. It’s overwhelming.”

It turns out that Liam, Maureen and Brad’s son, was among family members in Vegas last night.

As Kelly told Ambler and Friedman: “These things are only special if you have the right people to share them with.”

Brad, of course, was killed on Sept. 7, 2011. He had joined the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl as head coach and the team was en route to its first game of the season when it went down.

Kelly, whom I have known since the fall of 1978, may be the smartest, shrewdest and most patient person I have met in more than 50 years of being around the world of hockey.

Consider that after playing two seasons (1978-80) with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he went on to spend four seasons with the U of Michigan Wolverines, the last one as team captain. You’re right! How many WHL players move on to play four years with an NCAA team?

Patience?

He almost ended up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was interviewed for a front-office position with them in the summer of 2015. Toronto didn’t have a GM at the time and McCrimmon, the owner, GM and head coach of the Wheat Kings at the time, was the WHL’s reigning executive of the year.

In the end, he chose to stay in Brandon, citing loyalty to a Wheat Kings team that he and his staff had worked hard to put together with an eye on contending in 2015-16. That edition of the Wheat Kings would win the WHL championship, and a couple of months later, the time and the place now being right, he joined the Golden Knights as assistant GM. He was promoted to GM on May 2, 2019, with McPhee moving into the president’s office.

And, last night, there was Kelly McCrimmon, a Stanley Cup champion.

And please don’t be buying any of that bunk about the NHL handing the Golden Knights a championship on a platter. Yes, they were able to take advantage of the rules granted them as an expansion franchise, but, hey, you shouldn’t get chopped liver when you’re paying US$500 million. Was it their fault that they were able to get Jonathan Marchessault, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, from Florida in the expansion draft?

They reached the Stanley Cup final that season, 2017-18, too, only to lose to the Washington Capitals. One year later, McCrimmon moved up to GM and he hasn’t stopped dealing.

If you weren’t aware, the Golden Knights’ roster includes one of their own draft picks — F Nic Hague, who scored their second goal last night.

This is a team that was put together by McCrimmon, with input from McPhee, and a staff that includes Vaughn Karpan, the director of player personnel; Bob Lowes, the assistant director of player personnel; pro scouts Kelly Kisio, Jim McKenzie and Craig Cunningham, and amateur scouts Bruno Campese, Erin Ginnell and Brad McEwen. The coaching staff includes Ryan Craig.

What do they all have in common? Each of them has ties to the WHL, and that’s a thread that runs through the Golden Knights, from captain Mark Stone, who played for McCrimmon in Brandon and was his captain there, too, to four of the five goaltenders on the roster. All Stone did last night was score three times — the game’s most-important goal, the first one (shorthanded), his club’s fifth one and the game’s final goal. The last time someone scored three goals in Stanley Cup-clinching game? Babe Dye did it with the Toronto St. Pats in on March 28, 1922, scoring four times in a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Millionaires.

(Steve Simmons of Postmedia has a column right here that details how this Vegas team was built.)

Knowing McCrimmon, I can imagine that spent last night celebrating and enjoying the moment. In the morning, he will have started planning for next season.

F Riley Sutter’s second playoff goal gave the host Hershey Bears a 5-4 victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 3 of the AHL’s Calder Cup final on Tuesday night in front of 10,580 fans. . . . The Firebirds, in their first season of existence, hold a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven final with Game 4 in Hershey on Thursday and Game 5 there on Saturday. . . . Sutter played four seasons (2015-19) with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. . . . The Firebirds trailed 4-2 before F Cameron Hughes scored twice, the first one on a PP, at 15:26 and 19:09 of the third period. . . . F Garrett Pilon, a former WHLer, had a goal and an assist for Hershey.

Unsinkable

There was an interesting development in the world of NCAA hockey on Tuesday as the U of Maine Black Bears announced that D Artyom Duda has committed to join them for the 2023-24 season. Duda, 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds, is from Moscow, Russia. The 19-year-old was a second-round selection by the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL’s 2022 draft. . . . The interesting part of this signing is that Duda played 14 games with CSKA Moskva of the KHL in 2022-23. The KHL is a professional league, so it will be interesting to see what how the NCAA deals with his eligibility. . . . Hey, if WHL players are ineligible to go the NCAA route because that organization sees them as professionals . . .

The sweater that Wayne Gretzky wore for the final game of his NHL career with the New York Rangers on April 18, 1999 sold for US$715,120 at Grey Flannel Auctions on Sunday night. From a news release: “It’s the third most valuable hockey jersey to sell at auction behind Gretzky’s final Stanley Cup jersey during the 1987-1988 season with the Oilers, which sold for $1.452 million and Paul Henderson’s 1972 jersey from the Summit Series which sold for $1.3 million. It’s the highest price realized for a US-based hockey jersey. Mike Eruzione’s 1980 Miracle on Ice jersey vs. the USSR is the second highest total selling for $657,250.”

THE COACHING GAME:

Jacques Tanguay, the Quebec Remparts’ president, and Patrick Roy, the general manager and head coach, both announced on Tuesday that they are leaving the QMJHL franchise. The announcements came nine days after the Remparts, the QMJHL champions, won the Memorial Cup with a 5-0 victory over the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds in Kamloops. . . . “In life,” Roy said during a news conference in Quebec City, “you must be able to leave at the right time. Today, I can leave my positions and say ‘Mission accomplished.’ ” . . . Roy’s decision wasn’t unexpected as there had been speculation about his future all season. His announcement came on the same day that the sale of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators to a group headed by Michael Andlauer was announced. As he assumes ownership of the Senators, Andlauer has to unload his 20 per cent share in the Montreal Canadiens. All of this has led to speculation that Roy could end up on the Senators’ coaching staff. . . . Roy, however, says there hasn’t been any interest shown by any NHL team or teams. . . . Luc Lang of The Canadian Press has more on the Roy story right here. . . .

It’s official! The QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles announced on Tuesday that Jon Goyens is out as head coach after one season. According to the Eagles’ news release, this was one of those deals where the two parties “mutually agreed to part ways.” . . . In his only season as head coach, Goyens guided the Eagles into the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. . . .

The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen have signed Tyler Kuntz as associate general manager and associate head coach. Kuntz is a former assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants (2015-17). . . . Langley’s ownership change was approved at the league’s recent annual general meeting. . . . Kuntz spent two seasons (2018-20) as GM/head coach of the BCHL’s Powell River Kings, then moved to St. George’s School as head coach of the U18 prep team.

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Longtime scout Ray Dudra has decided to retire after almost 40 years with WHL teams. Dudra started in 1983-84 as a regional scout with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He also spent 18 seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, as a scout, director of player personnel and director of player development. He also scouted for the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades. Most recently, he has been with the Tri-City Americans. . . . Dudra rides off into retirement with the sunset reflecting off his four Memorial Cup rings — Medicine Hat in 1987 and 1988, Spokane in 1991 and 2008). . . . Congrats, Ray, and here’s to a long and healthy retirement. . . .

The SJHL held its annual general meeting last weekend in North Battleford. If you’re wondering what all went on, there’s a news release right here. . . . The one item involving change that I found particularly interesting is that “any Saskatchewan-born player a team is attempting to trade out of province must be placed on an internal waiver before the player can be moved outside of the league.”

PriusTruck

THINKING OUT LOUD:

Does the end of the NHL playoffs mean the end of Hyundai making WAH! . . . Having Nick Taylor, two days from winning golf’s Canadian Open, do the voice-over to open Tuesday’s NHL show was a stroke of genius from Sportsnet. It was brilliant! . . . And to end the broadcast with the late Gordon Lightfoot’s If You Could Read My Mind, well, things got a bit misty here. . . . I saw this comment on Facebook on Tuesday, and it pretty much says it all: “They have to put warnings on Subway wrappers telling people not to eat the wrapper. This is where we are now.” . . . Sheesh, Kelowna, what has happened to you? . . . Is Gene Hackman one of the most under-rated actors of our time, or what?

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As you make your way through this week, please keep the Backmeyer family of Kamloops in your thoughts. The five of them — Lindsey and Pat, Ferris and her older sisters, Tavia and Ksenia — flew out of Vancouver on Sunday, en route to Toronto where Ferris, 6, is scheduled to undergo a second kidney transplant at some point in the near future. . . . You want strength and courage? Well, Ferris has been battling kidney disease all of her young life and has been on dialysis, either peritoneal or hemo, all that time. . . . She underwent a transplant in Vancouver on March 6, 2021, but there were complications and the kidney was removed that night. So, if all goes according to plan, another attempt will be made in the next few weeks.

Late Sunday, Lindsey posted on Facebook: “According to the itinerary it’s just hemo (Monday), sooooo shouldn’t be too bad. Her final crossmatch is drawn on Tuesday. Results should be back by the following Monday. It’s another point in which things could get called off. Heck there’s so many variables it’s really a one-day-at-a-time situation!”

And congratulations to Pat who, through all of this, graduated from Thompson Rivers University’s nursing program a week ago. What an accomplishment!

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If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

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Or, for more information, visit right here.

Ricky

Vegas franchise has WHL off-ice flavour . . . WHLers brought golden touch to Golden Knights . . . Next up: Stanley Cup final

If you’ve stopped off at this site, it means you are a hockey fan. That being the case, I hope you are enjoying the story being written by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

On May 28, the Golden Knights, who are finishing up their first season, will begin play in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final.

We all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and that the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have been with us since 2000-01, have yet to win a VegasGKplayoff series. We could go on and on, but you get the point.

Yes, this is quite a story. In fact, it just may be the greatest story in team sports in my lifetime.

I often wonder how many professional athletes haven’t been able to enjoy much in the way of success because they never were able to get themselves into the right place at the time. Now I wonder how much of the Golden Knights’ success is due to so many players being able to be in the right place at the right time.

And who is responsible for putting those players into this situation?

When the final chapter is written on the Golden Knights’ first season, there definitely will be a WHL slant to it. Yes, there are a number of men with WHL ties working off the ice with Vegas, mostly in areas of player personnel and scouting.

What follows is a look at some of those with WHL ties, and you know they’re enjoying this run:

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Kelly McCrimmon, executive vice-president and assistant GM — McCrimmon, 57, knows hockey and he knows business, that’s why he’s such a good fit with Vegas. Under his ownership, the Brandon Wheat Kings became one of the CHL’s most-respected franchises. . . . While running the Wheat Kings, McCrimmon earned an MBA from Queen’s U in Kingston, Ont. . . . He came awfully close to joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant GM over the summer of 2015, but stayed with his Wheat Kings because he had put together a roster aiming at the WHL’s 2016 championship, which Brandon won. . . . He joined Vegas that summer. . . . Did you know: After playing two seasons (1978-80) with the Wheat Kings, McCrimmon went on to the U of Michigan, where he played four seasons and was the Wolverines’ captain in the last one (1983-84).

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Murray Craven, senior vice-president — Craven, 53, played four seasons (1980-84) with his hometown Medicine Hat Tigers. He then went on to play 1,071 NHL games, spending time with Detroit, Philadelphia, Hartford, Vancouver, Chicago and San Jose. . . . Craven was named the Golden Knights’ senior vice-president on Aug. 18, 2016, after spending two years as an advisor to owner Bill Foley. . . . Craven and Foley were neighbours on Whitefish Lake in Montana and played golf together. . . . Craven oversaw such things as designing the dressing rooms in T-Mobile Arena and the building of the Golden Knights’ practice facility, and he also has done some pro scouting. . . . Did you know: Vegas GM George McPhee was an assistant GM in Vancouver when Craven played for the Canucks.

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Vaughn Karpan, director of player personnel — Karpan, 56, played 26 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1979-80 — Kelly McCrimmon was a teammate — but is best known for playing four seasons with Canada’s national team. These days, he is widely respected as one of the premier talent evaluators in the game. . . . He scouted for Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona for 13 seasons (1992-2005), and was the director of amateur scouting for the last six of those. Karpan then spent 11 seasons with Montreal, working as an amateur scout (2005-10) before transitioning to pro scout (2010-15) and then director of professional scouting (2015-16). . . . He signed on with the Golden Knights and spent the past two seasons scouting the professional ranks. . . . This is the man with the golden eyes and an incredible feel for the game. Yes, you can bet that he had a whole lot to do with putting together the roster that is about to play for the Stanley Cup. . . . Did you know: Karpan represented Canada at two Olympic Winter Games — 1984 and 1988.

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Bob Lowes, assistant director of player personnel — Lowes, 55, played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Regina Pats (1982-84), captaining the Pats in his final season. He spent nine seasons (1992-2001) as the head coach of Kelly McCrimmon’s Brandon Wheat Kings and three with the Pats (2001-04). . . . From 2006-16, he scouted for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, serving as director of amateur scouting for the last two of those. . . . Like Karpan, Lowes spent 2016-17 doing pro scouting for Vegas. . . . Did you know: When Lowes was inducted into the U of Manitoba Bisons Hockey Hall of Fame in February, he was introduced by McCrimmon.

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Erin Ginnell, amateur scout — Ginnell, 49, played for five teams over two WHL seasons (1985-87). He skated for the New Westminster Bruins, Calgary Wranglers, Seattle Thunderbirds, Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos. . . . He has been an NHL amateur scout since 2000-01, starting with the Columbus Blue Jackets for two seasons and one with the Colorado Avalanche. He was with the Florida Panthers for 13 seasons (2003-16), the last five as director of amateur scouting. He lost his job when the tall foreheads in Florida chose to clean house. (The Panthers, who haven’t won a playoff series since the spring of 1996, also fired Scott Luce, who had been the director of amateur scouting for eight seasons, the director of scouting for five and the director of player personnel for one. He now is the Golden Knights’ director of amateur scouting.) . . . Ginnell is the son of the late Pat Ginnell, who was a legendary coach, and the father of Kootenay Ice F Brad Ginnell. . . . Did you know: Following the crash of the Swift Current Broncos’ bus on Dec. 30, 1986, in which four players died, Erin was one of the players acquired by the Broncos to help get them through that season.

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Bruno Campese, amateur scout — Campese, 54, was a goaltender who played one season (1982-83) with the Portland Winter Hawks, who won the 1983 Memorial Cup. However, the Winter Hawks added G Mike Vernon from the Calgary Wranglers — teams could add a goaltender from another team back in the day — and Campese saw only 40 minutes of playing time. . . . He also played one season (1983-84) with the Kelowna Wings. . . . Campese spent one-plus seasons as the GM/head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, before stepping aside as coach. He then spent three seasons (2012-15) as the GM. . . . This is his first NHL scouting gig. . . . Did you know: Campese played in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, as well as the 1993, 1994 and 1995 IIHF World Championship tournaments, with the Italian national team. He has dual Canadian/Italian citizenship.

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Kelly Kisio, pro scout — Kisio, 58, played two seasons with the Calgary Wranglers (1978-80) before going on to a lengthy pro career that ended after two seasons (1993-95) with the Calgary Flames. . . . He then spent 21 more seasons in the Flames’ organization, the last 18 of those with the Hitmen. At various times, he was the general manager, head coach, executive vice-president of hockey operations and, for the last three of those seasons, the president of hockey operations. Yes, it was a surprise to some that the Flames didn’t move him to the NHL side of things before losing him to Vegas. . . . His son, Brent, is the head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Did you know: Kelly played for the Swiss club HC Davos in 1982-83. In his second-last game there, Kisio recorded eight goals and two assists in a 19-7 victory over HC Lugano. Three days later, he joined the Detroit Red Wings.

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Jim McKenzie, pro scout — McKenzie, 48, played two WHL seasons (1986-88) with the Moose Jaw Warriors and one with the Victoria Cougars. He totalled 21 goals in 197 regular-season games before going on to an NHL career that featured 880 games, 48 goals and 1,739 penalty minutes. . . . He has a Stanley Cup ring from the 2002-03 New Jersey Devils. . . . In the NHL, he played for Hartford, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Anaheim, Washington, New Jersey and Nashville. . . . He joined the NHL’s Florida Panthers as a pro scout in 2013-14 and spent three seasons there. . . .  Did you know: McKenzie’s hometown is Gull Lake, Sask., which also is the hometown of Roger Aldag, perhaps the greatest offensive lineman in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ history.

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Ryan McGill, assistant coach — McGill, 49, played in the WHL with the Lethbridge Broncos, Swift Current Broncos and Medicine Hat Tigers (1985-89). . . . He won a Memorial Cup with the 1987-88 Tigers. . . . McGill’s playing career included 151 NHL games but was cut short by an eye injury. . . . He coached in the WHL with the Edmonton Ice and Kootenay Ice. McGill guided Kootenay to the 2002 Memorial Cup title. . . . He also has coached in the AHL and was on the Calgary Flames’ staff for two seasons (2009-11). . . . Before joining Vegas, McGill spent two seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. He was the OHL and CHL coach of the year for 2016-17. . . . Did you know: McGill has previous Knights coaching experience, having spent two seasons (2005-07) as the head coach of the AHL’s Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights.

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Mike Kelly, assistant coach — Kelly, 58, spent one season (2003-04) in the WHL, as the Brandon Wheat Kings’ head coach. He was fired by Kelly McCrimmon on March 1, 2004, and McCrimmon, the general manager, took over as head coach. . . . Kelly also has coached in the OHL, QMJHL and the Canadian university ranks. He also worked as an assistant coach in the NHL, with the Vancouver Canucks (2006-08) and Florida Panthers. He was in his third season with the Panthers when he was fired on Nov. 27, 2016. At the same time, the Panthers dumped head coach Gerard Gallant, who now is the Golden Knights’ head coach. . . . Did you know: Kelly worked as an assistant coach under Gallant with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs (2010-12). They won the 2011 Memorial Cup.

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Ryan Craig, assistant coach — Craig, 36, played five seasons (1998-03) with the Brandon Wheat Kings and was the captain for the last two of those seasons. Obviously, he is well-connected with Kelly McCrimmon. . . . Craig’s pro career included 198 NHL games and 711 in the AHL, where he won a championship with the 2015-16 Lake Erie Monsters. . . . He retired after the 2016-17 season and was hired by the Golden Knights. . . . Did you know: Craig captained four AHL franchises — the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Norfolk Admirals, Springfield Falcons, and Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters.

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Shane Hnidy, TV analyst — Hnidy, 42, split five WHL seasons — and 327 games — between the Swift Current Broncos and Prince Albert Raiders. A defenceman, he went on to a pro career that included 550 regular-season NHL games, along with stints in the ECHL, AHL and IHL. . . . Hnidy had been part of the Winnipeg Jets’ broadcast crew for six seasons before moving to Vegas. . . . Did you know: Hnidy won a Stanley Cup with the 2010-11 Boston Bruins, getting into three regular-season games and three more in the playoffs. He retired following that season.