Tag: Dan Ginnell

Bzdel, Bailey headline Wall of Honour’s Class of 2026

OKOTOKS, Alta. (Nov. 19, 2025) — Jim Bzdel, a veteran of more than 30 years in the scouting game, and Garnet (Ace) Bailey, who was part of seven Stanley Cup-winners as a player and/or scout, headline the Class of 2026 that will be inducted into the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s Wall of Honour next summer.

The induction dinner is to be held in Okotoks on Aug. 28.

All told, the Foundation will induct 20 scouts — one (Bzdel) from the early era (1968-80), 17 from the modern era and two from the major junior game.

“I want to congratulate all of the individuals and their families on being selected to the WCPHS Foundation’s Wall of Honour,” said Scott Bradley, one of the Foundation’s directors and the chairman of the Wall of Honour selection committee. “This will be our third induction banquet, and there are still many more individuals to be honoured in the years ahead.”

Bzdel, 91, has lived in Regina since 1954. He spent 24 years working for the City of Regina, choosing to retire in 1993 and get into scouting on a full-time basis. He had started his scouting career with the WHA’s Los Angeles Sharks in 1972, and also worked with that league’s Cincinnati Stingers. In the NHL, he scouted for the Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks before retiring in 2002.

Bailey was the Los Angeles Kings’ director of pro scouting and was en route to training camp on Sept. 11, 2001, when his flight was commandeered and flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. He was 53. As a player, he won a Memorial Cup (Edmonton Oil Kings, 1966), Calder Cup (Hershey Bears, 1969) and two Stanley Cups (Boston Bruins, 1970, 1972). He worked as a pro scout with the Edmonton Oilers for 13 seasons, helping them win five Stanley Cups, before moving to the Kings in 1994.

The WCPHS Foundation’s Ace Award is named in honour of Bailey. It is awarded annually to a person, or persons, who have exceeded expectations in helping those in the scouting fraternity.

Also included in the Wall of Honour’s Class of 2026 are Mike Barnett, once Wayne Gretzky’s long-time agent and now a senior executive with the New York Rangers; Dan Ginnell, whose father, the late Pat Ginnell, and brother Erin both are in the Wall of Honour; and twin brothers Rich and Ron Sutter, whose brother Duane was inducted in July.

The list is rounded out by Craig Channell, Paul Charles, Marcel Comeau, Jeff Crisp, Marshall Davidson, the late Laurence Ferguson, Thomas Gradin, Randy Hansch, Ryan Jankowski, Kelly Kisio, the late Jack McIlhargey and John Williams. Ray Dudra and the late Mark Johnston will be inducted as major junior scouts.

“Congratulations to the members of the outstanding Class of 2026 who have been selected to the WCPHS Foundation’s Wall of Honour,” offered Foundation president Erin Ginnell. “It’s always a tremendous honour to be recognized by your peers, especially with so many deserving scouts.

“I’m looking forward to a great evening and catching up with all involved.”

The Foundation has been in existence since 2023. It will hold its third annual Wall of Honour induction ceremony during a dinner in Okotoks on Aug. 28. The dinner has been moved from late July in order to strengthen the Foundation’s partnership with the Yuill Foundation, which is to hold its second annual Golf Classic in Medicine Hat on Aug. 27.

The Wall of Honour, featuring a rolling video display that includes brief bios of each inductee, is located in the Viking Rentals Centre in Okotoks.

The 20-member Class of 2026 will bring the total number of Wall of Honour members to 94.

Information on ticket availability for the banquet will be released early in 2026.

Flin Flon teammates are going into Wall of Honour

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation will induct a class of 45 into its Wall of Honour at its inaugural banquet in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. . . . Here are two of the inductees from the Early Era (1968-80) . . .

PAT (PADDY) GINNELL

(March 3, 1937 — Nov. 17, 2003)

A native of Dauphin, Man., he turned to scouting after a lengthy junior coaching career. . . . Started with St. Louis Blues in 1983, later went back to coaching for 2-1/2 seasons, then returned to scouting. Was still with the Blues at the time of his death. . . . As a player, he won a Memorial Cup with 1956-57 Flin Flon Bombers. . . . Went on to play nine seasons in the pro WHL and IHL before returning to Flin Flon as the head coach of the Bombers, winning the MJHL title in his first season (1966-67). . . . Spent almost 20 seasons coaching in the major junior WHL with Flin Flon, Victoria Cougars, Lethbridge Broncos, Medicine Hat Tigers and New Westminster Bruins. Was four-time WHL coach of the year — no one has won more — and won two championships with Flin Flon. . . .  Inducted into Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame (builder) in 2009. . . . Two of his sons, Dan and Erin, and grandson Derek (Dan’s son) are NHL scouts. Erin, who scouts with the Vegas Golden Knights, will be joining his father in being inducted into the Wall of Honour on July 29. Erin also is president of the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation.

TED HAMPSON

(Dec. 11, 1936 —)

Born in Toigo, Sask., he captained Flin Flon Bombers when they won the 1957 Memorial Cup. . . . Played professionally until he was 44, then started scouting with NHL Central Scouting. After two years, moved on to St. Louis Blues (21 years), then Colorado Avalanche (2) and finally Vancouver Canucks (10), retiring in July 2022 at the age of 85. . . . Played 12 seasons in the NHL, spending time with Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Oakland/California Golden Seals and Minnesota North Stars. . . . While with Oakland, he was the recipient of the 1969 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. . . . Also played in the WHA with Minnesota Fighting Saints and Quebec Nordiques. . . . Inducted into Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame (player) in 1986.

Ginnell family had memorable run in the WHL . . . Blazers take apart Winterhawks; move into West final . . . Stankoven new scoring leader

As Riley Ginnell took what would be the final shift of his WHL career on April 10, I wondered it if was the end of a long-running chapter.

PatGinnell
A young Paddy Ginnell.

After all, it would appear that there won’t be a member of hockey’s Ginnell family involved with the WHL next season; in fact, there apparently isn’t even one in the pipeline.

To date, the WHL has been home to Riley, Brad, Erin, Kevin and Pat (Paddy) — the first four players, the latter a legendary owner, general manager and coach from back in the day.

Riley, 20, played out his junior eligibility with the Regina Pats this season, bringing an end to a four-season stint that also included stops with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors. He has hopes of continuing his career in the professional ranks.

“I enjoyed every single moment of my time in the Western League,” Ginnell told Dante De Caria of the Pats for a story that you will find right here. “It’s pretty difficult to walk away from it, but you gotta be happy that it happened, not sad that it’s over.”

Riley’s brother, Brad, concluded a five-season career in the spring of 2021, having played for the Portland Winterhawks, Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice, Spokane Chiefs and Moose Jaw. Brad, 22, played for the senior Eston, Sask., Ramblers this season.

By playing in the WHL, they were following in the footsteps of their father, Erin, who spent four seasons in WHL arenas. He spent time with the New Westminster Bruins, Calgary Wranglers, Seattle Thunderbirds, Regina and the Swift Current Broncos. Early in 1987, following the bus crash that resulted in the deaths four Swift Current players, Erin was moved from the Pats to the Broncos as teams helped to fill holes in the Swift Current roster.

Erin, 54, has been an NHL scout since 2000, working with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. He is in his seventh season with Vegas.

The first Ginnell to play in the WHL was Erin and Brad’s older brother, Kevin. He spent four seasons (1978-82) in the league, playing with the Lethbridge Broncos, Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Wranglers. After battling health issues for a year, Kevin died in Vancouver on May 2, 2020, at the age of 58.

As I wrote at the time of his death:

“When his mother, Wanda, was battling cancer, he promised that if she beat it he would leave the ice and go back to school.

“Wanda recovered and Kevin . . . resumed his education. Dr. Ginnell went on to leave an indelible impression in the world of academia as a professor at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College.”

The Ginnells are more than a WHL family, though; this is a hockey family.

A third Ginnell brother, Dan didn’t play in the WHL, but has been in the NHL since 2005. Dan, 56, is in his 18th season as an amateur scout with the St. Louis Blues.

Derek, Dan’s son, also didn’t play in the WHL, but he spent time in the Alberta and Saskatchewan junior A and junior B ranks before moving into the scouting game. Derek, 32, has been in the NHL for nine seasons — five seasons with Columbus and the past four with the New York Rangers.

Interestingly, Brad and Derek both got a taste of Flin Flon hockey. Derek played four games with the Bombers in 2009-10; Brad played two games with them in 2020-21.

Of course, it was in Flin Flon where the patriarch of the Ginnell family first made his mark in hockey.

Paddy was a key contributor with the Bombers when they won the 1957 Memorial Cup. And if the Flin Flon Bombers winning the Memorial Cup isn’t one of hockey’s best stories, I don’t know what is!

A true character when the WHL was populated with more than a few of them, Paddy would go on to coach the Bombers, stepping into that role prior to the 1968-69 season and staying there until purchasing the Victoria Cougars during the 1973-74 season. He was in Victoria through 1977 before moving on to spend time with the Lethbridge Broncos, Medicine Hat, Swift Current and New Westminster.

He later moved into the NHL as a scout with St. Louis. He was with the Blues for 14 seasons, until he died of cancer on Nov. 17, 2003, in Vernon, B.C. He was 66.

So . . . what about it? Was Riley’s final game the end of the line for the Ginnell family in the WHL?

When I asked Erin via email, he responded with:

“I guess the next batch will be our grandkids. LOL.”

Time will tell.

WHLA few Twitter tidbits from Wednesday’s WHL playoff games . . .

Geoffrey Brandow (@Geoffrey_Brandow): “Zack Ostapchuk capitalizes on a power play in overtime for Winnipeg as it is back to a best-of-3.  Ostapchuk did not have a winning goal with the ICE since being acquired.  Ben Zloty helps out on all three tallies, 13 for postseason without a goal.” . . .

Brandow, again: “Saskatoon survives to play another day coming back from two down past the halfway point of regulation (trailed after 2nd break in 8 of 11 games thus far). Defenders Aidan De La Gorgendiere and Tanner Molendyk both turn in a goal and assist.” . . .

More from Brandow: “Kamloops has Portland teetering after earning the win in Game 3. Logan Stankoven and Fraser Minten collect power-play markers, team’s 11th and 12th of postseason to lead the League. Minten tied for 4th with 17 power-play goals in regular season.” . . .

Brandow, again: “Make way for Seattle as it reaches the Western Conference final scoring 16 times in 2 road games in series. Eight different marksmen do the job, including Colton Dach who delivers game-winner in back-to-back tilts, tacks on 2 assists in Game 4.”

——

WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:

And then there were six . . .

There was only one game on Thursday night, as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Winterhawks, 10-4, in Portland to sweep that series. The Seattle Thunderbirds are next up for the Blazers, who will be the host team for the Memorial Cup. . . . Seattle and Kamloops both are 8-0 in the playoffs as they head into the Western Conference final for a second straight spring. . . . One year ago, the Thunderbirds beat the Blazers in seven games. . . .

There still are four teams alive in the Eastern Conference, but that could get whittled down with tonight’s lone game. That one has the Red Deer Rebels taking their 3-1 series lead into Saskatoon for Game 5 with the Blades. . . . As of 10 p.m. PT on Thursday, there wasn’t anything on the WHL website to indicate whether Saskatoon F Justin Lies will be suspended after taking a headshot major and game misconduct at 3:24 of the first period on Wednesday night. You would have to think that Red Deer F Kalan Lind won’t be able to play. He left the ice on a stretcher after that hit and was taken to hospital. He was released shortly after game’s end. . . .

In the other series, which is tied, 2-2, the Moose Jaw Warriors will meet the Ice in Winnipeg on Saturday night. They’ll be back in Moose Jaw for a sixth game on Monday night.

——

THURSDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Kamloops (2) at Portland (3) — The Kamloops Blazers scored a PP goal 31 Kamloopsseconds into the first period after Portland was penalized for a lineup infraction on the opening faceoff and went on to beat the Winterhawks, 10-4. . . . The Blazers, who were 10-for-17 on the PP in the series, swept the Winterhawks, 4-0, and will open the Western Conference final with games against the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on April 29 and 30. . . . F Matthew Seminoff scored three times for the Blazers, including the game’s first goal. He has four goals in these playoffs after scoring 31 in the regular season. . . . Goals from D Kyle Masters (1) and F Logan Stankoven (9), on a PP, got the Blazers into a 3-0 lead. . . . Portland closed the gap to one on goals from D Ryan McCleary (1), on a PP, and F Diego Buttazzoni (1) before the first period ended. . . . However, Seminoff, who also had one assist, completed his hat trick with goals at 2:29 and 5:24, the latter via the PP, to start the second period and school was out. . . . Kamloops D Olen Zellweger finished with three goals and three assists, his six points one shy of the WHL record for most points in a playoff game by a defenceman. Darryl Sydor holds the record (7), having scored once and added six assists in an 11-5 victory by the Blazers over the visiting Tri-City Americans on March 22, 1991. Sydor now owns a chunk of the Blazers. . . . Zellweger had 12 points, eight of them assists, in the four games with Portland and now has 20 points in these playoffs. That trails only teammate Logan Stankoven, who had two goals and an assist in Game 4. He leads the WHL with 21 points, 10 of them goals, one more than F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, whose season ended on April 10. Stankoven, who led last season’s playoff scoring race with 31 points, has put up 52 points in his last 25 post-season games. . . . Stankoven had six goals and six assists in the series with Portland. . . . The Blazers also got a goal and two assists from F Caedan Bankier. . . . F Diego Buttazzoni scored his first two playoff goals for Portland. . . . At one point in the second period, Joshua Critzer (@jjcritzer) tweeted: “6th post of the night for Kamloops and (it has) seven goals on the board.” . . . The Blazers, who had a 48-27 edge in shots, later hit a seventh post. . . . G Dylan Ernst earned the victory with 23 saves. . . . Portland G Dante Giannuzzi made his first start of the playoffs, but left at 10:24 of the first period, having been beaten three times on 11 shots. Jan Špunar finished up, stopped 30 shots.

Golfer

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

D Stanislav Svozil of the Regina Pats has been invited by Czech Ice Hockey to participate in their national team training camp for the 2023 IIHF World Championship. . . . Svozil, 20, made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 13 after the Pats were eliminated from the WHL playoffs. He was a third-round selection in the NHL’s 2021 draft. . . . The Czechia camp opens Monday in Brno. The World Championship is to run from May 12-18 in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia.

THINKING OUT LOUD — What do you think? Is it safe to assume that fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs put away the panic buttons, at least for a day or two? . . . Is there anything more predictable than cross-checking being removed from the NHL rule book for the playoffs? . . . You know what NHL playoff games need? More scrums, that’s what.

——

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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

——

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

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Soup

Hockey, academia mourn loss of Kevin Ginnell at 58 . . . Left game to become success in world of political science

Kevin Ginnell was raised in a world of hockey. But when his mother, Wanda, was battling cancer, he promised that if she beat it he would leave the ice and go back to school.

Wanda recovered and Kevin, who died Saturday morning in Vancouver at the age of 58, resumed his education. Dr. Ginnell went on to leave an indelible impression in the world of academia as a professor at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College.

The eldest son of the legendary Pat Ginnell, a longtime player, owner, general manager and head coach, Kevin experienced some health issues over the past year and was in care in Vancouver when he died.

KevinGinnell
KEVIN GINNELL (Photo: sfu.ca)

Ginnell was born in Omaha, Neb., in 1961, while his father, who died on Nov. 17, 2003, was playing for the International league’s Omaha Knights.

Kevin played four seasons (1978-82) in the WHL, the first with the Lethbridge Broncos, then two with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He finished up by playing 17 games with the Calgary Wranglers in 1981-82. In 220 regular-season games, he had 168 points, including 70 goals.

Ginnell was a fifth-round selection, 99th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 1980 draft, but he ended his playing career after 1981-82, choosing to jump into the coaching waters.

His coaching career included a stint with the AJHL’s Calgary Spurs and 12 seasons in Saskatchewan. He coached in the SJHL with the Minot Americans, Estevan Bruins, Yorkton Terriers and Saskatoon Titans, moving to Kindersley with the Saskatoon franchise after the 1992-93 season. He was the SJHL’s coach of the year in 1991-92 while with the Titans.

After the 1994-95 season, at the age of 33, he left coaching in order to attend university, thus fulfilling the promise he had made to his mother. He was 37 when he graduated from Simon Fraser U with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours. He achieved his Master of Arts in Political Science in 2001 and his Doctorate in 2013. His dissertation was titled: Who Really Governs Vancouver? Community Power and Urban Regime Theory Revisited.

According to hockeydraftcentral.com, Ginnell was “vice-president of Simon Fraser University’s political-science students association and was nominated for a community service award in 1999 for efforts to get the campus community to help low-income residents of Vancouver. . . . Became a voice in Vancouver politics as a result of academic work on political issues, including published papers on Vancouver’s public transportation system and impact of the Habitat for Humanity program.”

His younger brothers, Erin and Dan, continue to work in hockey. Erin, 51, is a scout with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights; he played for two seasons in Minot with Kevin as the GM and head coach. Dan, 53, scouts for the St. Louis Blues.

Erin has two sons playing in the WHL — Brad, 19, finished last season with the Spokane Chiefs, while Riley, 17, is with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Dan’s son Derek, 29, just completed his first season as a scout with the New York Rangers after being with the Columbus Blue Jackets for five seasons.

Taking Note has been told that Geoff Grimwood will be the next general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals. . . . He will succeed Mike Vandekamp, who left last month to become the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. . . . Grimwood spent three seasons (2015-18) as the GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers, then was with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors in 2018-19. . . . Grimwood, who is from Victoria, began last season as the GM/head coach of the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders, but he resigned on Dec. 6, saying in a news release that he was “choosing to step away from coaching and take some time away from the game.” At the time, the Stampeders were 17-10-2.

Clayton Stoner, who played in the WHL and NHL, has joined the Victoria-based South Island Royals program as a coach. According to the organization, Stoner “will be joining our U15, U16 and U18 teams for the 2020-21 season as an associate coach and advisor of player development.” . . . Stoner was a third-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2004 draft. He played with the Wild and Anaheim Ducks before injuries forced his retirement. . . . He played three seasons (2002-05) with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans.

Inquiring minds are wondering at what “other leagues” the dart is aimed . . . LOL!

Beer