Tag: Kevin Prendergast

Meet three more Wall of Honour inductees . . . Dinner tickets now available

The non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s inaugural Wall of Honour inductee dinner is almost upon us. It’s all set for the Centennial Arena in Okotoks, Alta., on Tuesday, July 30. . . . Tickets are available at hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. There also is information there about the evening’s entertainment. The theme is Tales from the Road and, based on that, there will be a couple of Hot Stove sessions featuring the likes of John Davidson, Ken Holland and Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser. . . . Of course, the spotlight will be on the 45 past and present-day scouts who will be inducted into the Wall of Honour. . . . Here’s a look at three more of them. . . . For a look at all of the bios, visit the Foundation website and click on Wall of Honour.

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GERRY O’FLAHERTY

(Aug. 31, 1950 —)

He was born in Pittsburgh, where his father, John (Peanuts) O’Flaherty, was playing for the AHL’s Pittsburgh Hornets. . . . Gerry grew up in Etobicoke, Ont., and was inducted into that community’s hall of fame in 2013. . . . Played 438 regular-season NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2), Vancouver Canucks (435) and Atlanta Flames (1). . . . Scored 25 goals for the Canucks in 1974-75, at the time a single-season NHL record for an American-born player. . . . Played for the U.S. in the 1976 Canada Cup. . . . Began scouting career in 1979 with the Montreal Canadiens. . . . Moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning as pro scout in 2003-04. . . . Has been part of five Stanley Cup championships — Montreal, 1986, 1993; Tampa Bay, 2004, 2020, 2021. . . . His father and two of his brothers, John Jr. and Bill, also were NHL scouts.

KEVIN PRENDERGAST

(March 27, 1951 —)

A native of Verdun, Que., he spent more than 30 years in the scouting business, including seven seasons (1983-90) as NHL Central Scouting’s assistant director of scouting. . . . He went from there to the Edmonton Oilers, where he filled various roles — head scout, vice-president of hockey operations, director of player personnel, assistant general manager — through May 2010. . . . Took over as Hockey Canada’s head scout in 2010 and stayed through 2012-13, working with the U18 and U20 programs. . . . Did pro and amateur scouting with the Buffalo Sabres from November 2013 until he retired in 2018. . . . Helped evaluate players for Canada’s men’s team at 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary. . . . Attended St. Mary’s University in Halifax where he quarterbacked the Huskies football team to three straight conference titles (1974-75-76).

GLEN SANDERS

(June 7, 1956 —)

From Trail, B.C., he has scouted for the NHL’s Nashville Predators since 2004. Started on part-time basis, and moved to full-time in 2007. . . Began scouting career with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in 1984. Joined the Kamloops Blazers in 1987 and spent 10 years with them, winning three Memorial Cups (1992, 1994, 1995). . . . Long-time minor hockey coach in Trail, starting in 1978 with pee wee rep team. Also coached a junior B team and in 1996 stepped in as GM of the junior A Smoke Eaters as they entered the BCHL. . . . Returned to scouting with the Tri-City Americans and then the Regina Pats. . . . Inducted in B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 as part of the 1994-95 Blazers. His name went on Trail’s Home of Champions Monument in 2019.

Barnes of Postmedia shines bright light on scouting fraternity

The headline on the Calgary Herald website reads: “The road warriors of sports: NHL scouts have always been appreciated, but never publicly. Until now.”

Dan Barnes, a veteran sports journalist who works out of Edmonton for Postmedia, wrote a lengthy piece about NHL scouts that appeared in newspapers and on websites on Saturday (March 9).

He led the story by explaining how as many as 100 scouts would hang around for a day after the NHL draft and take part in a best-ball golf tournament that was a social event that allowed them to let loose for a few hours after a long, stressful season. It also showed what a close fraternity this bunch is, despite the fact they are in almost constant competition with each other on the scouting trail.

That annual gathering has gone away, however, thanks to the draft having evolved from a 12-round marathon to an event that ends quickly on its second day.

“Old scouts, however, are nonetheless determined to gather the fraternity on an annual basis and continue shining a spotlight on pioneers of their profession,” Barnes writes.

“The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation was formed for that reason and will fete its inaugural Wall of Honour inductees on July 29 in Okotoks, Alta. Forty-five men will be honoured for their dedication and accomplishments, 19 posthumously . . .”

This is a rich read and will take you at least two cups of coffee. But it’s well worth it.

You’ll find quotes and stories from the likes of Kevin Prendergast, Mike Penny, Wayne Meier, Bruce Haralson, Ted Hampson, Archie Henderson, Vaughn Karpan and Scott Bradley, all of whom will be among the inaugural class of inductees at the Wall of Honour celebration in Okotoks.

Retired scout Wayne Meier has three Stanley Cup rings from his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo: Gregg Drinnan)

“At the end of his 30-year career, Henderson did the math,” Barnes writes. “He was 65 and estimated he had been at 6,000 games and spent 19 calendar years away from home.”

Henderson told Barnes: “I was away from my wife and my family, my kids, my parents for 19 years of my life. And how many people can sit back and say they would be willing to give up that many nights?”

These were and are a special breed and Barnes shines a nice, bright light on their profession.

His complete story, along with some terrific photos, is right here: https://calgaryherald.com/sports/nhl-scouts-wall-of-honour-inductees-okotoks

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.