Tag: George Fargher

Meet another trio of Wall of Honour inductees; dinner set for July 30

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation has its inaugural Wall of Honour induction dinner scheduled for Okotoks on July 30. As part of the evening’s activities, 45 past and present-day scouts will be honoured. . . . Here’s a quick look at three more of the inductees. . . . For more bios, visit hockeyscoutsfoundation.com and click on Wall of Honour. . . . BTW, tickets to the dinner for the general public are to become available on May 1 off the website.

ELMER BENNING

(Dec. 17, 1940 — Dec. 27, 2018)

ELMER BENNING

Born in Humboldt, he spent 47 years with the Montreal Canadiens as an amateur scout, starting in 1970. . . . Moved to Edmonton after his wife, Liz, got a nursing job there. Was a firefighter in Edmonton when the Canadiens hired him. . . . It’s true that his 1985 Toyota Camry had more than one million kilometres on it, mostly from scouting trips across the Prairies. . . . Health concerns forced him into retirement after 2016-17 season. . . . Two of his sons, Brian and Jim, played in the NHL, with Jim going on to scout and work as an NHL executive. . . . A grandson, Matt, who is Brian’s son, also played in the NHL.

GEORGE FARGHER

(Feb. 12, 1952 —)

GEORGE FARGHER

From Nelson, B.C., he began a lengthy relationship with the Ottawa Senators when he joined their scouting staff in 1996. . . . Started scouting career with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans in 1994, then spent the next season with the New York Islanders. . . . Was in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the junior A Vernon Lakers in November 1989 when head coach Ernie Gare was fired. Fargher resigned because he didn’t agree with the decision. . . . In summer of 1995, Gare, a scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs, recommended Fargher to the Islanders, who were looking for a western scout. . . . Was Gare’s assistant as the Lakers won BCHL titles in 1988 and 1989. They went on to the Centennial Cup in 1989. . . . Won 1971-72 BCHL championship with Gare as a teammate on the Vernon Essos.

GRAHAM TUER

(May 23, 1930 — Aug. 29, 2017)

GRAHAM TUER

Born in North Battleford, Sask., he spent more than 35 years with the Saskatchewan government, primarily in the Department of Highways, before retiring in 1987 and getting into scouting. . . . Went on to work with the Regina Pats, Moose Jaw Warriors, Kelowna Rockets and NHL Central Scouting. . . . His son, Al, is a former WHL/NHL player and coach, and a long-time NHL scout. . . . Graham was inducted into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame, as builder, on July 22, 2017, a month before his death. . . . The Graham Tuer U15 Challenge hockey tournament is held annually in Regina.

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.

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“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.”

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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.

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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.