Tag: Matt Recchi

Hockey world, Foundation in mourning

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation and its members are mourning the loss of veteran scout Glen Dirk, who died on April 17 after a battle with cancer. He was 85.

A native of Loon Lake, Sask., he had been in hospice in Sechelt, B.C.

A memorial service is scheduled for Woodlawn Mt. Cheam Funeral Home (45865 Hocking Ave.) in Chilliwack, B.C., on Monday, June 10 at 1 p.m.

Dirk had been with the New Jersey Devils since 1994-95, having joined them after spending one season with the Washington Capitals. He was actively scouting for the Devils until two weeks before his death.

In his early scouting days, he worked in the WHL, with the Regina Pats, Spokane Chiefs and Kamloops Blazers.

In 1990, Dirk was a part-timer with New Jersey while working with Kamloops and pushed hard for the Devils to draft Kamloops D Dean Malkoc, which they did in the fifth round.

“Thank you to the man who trusted in my ability and forever changed my life,” Malkoc wrote in tribute. “Dirky started out as the scout who drafted me but turned into a life-long friend and mentor. His friendship was genuine, full of jokes and laughter, and I always looked forward to sharing time with him.

“His success in hockey equaled his love for his family, including his children, grandchildren and, maybe his best friend of all, Sam. He was a great scout, incredibly witty and intelligent and I will miss being the centre of his jokes.”

Glen Sanders, who will be one of the inaugural inductees into the Foundation’s Wall of Honour in Okotoks, Alta., on July 30, noted: “We are all going to miss Glen and his great stories. RIP Buddy.”

Dirk was recognized with a Recognition and Dedication Service Award at the Foundation’s startup banquet on Sept. 30 and is to be recognized at the inaugural Wall of Honour dinner in Okotoks. He was presented with his commemorative belt buckle on the night before he died.

Dirk won two Memorial Cup titles with Kamloops (1992, 1994) and three Stanley Cups with New Jersey (1995, 2000, 2003).

“Success followed Dirk wherever he went,” wrote Gabriel Foley of Pro Hockey Rumors. “He played a key role in building a Kamloops Blazers squad that would win both the 1992 and 1994 Memorial Cup. His championship-winning traditions quickly transferred to the NHL, with Dirk’s first season with the Devils being their 1995 Stanley Cup-winning season. He’d go on to play a role in the 2000 and 2003 Cup wins, as well as the 2001 and 2012 runner-up seasons.”

In a statement, the Devils said: “Affectionately known as ‘Dirky,’ his family wanted us to know that he passed away early Wednesday morning (April 17) surrounded by his two daughters, their spouses and his grandchildren. Recently in hospice, he cherished the calls and messages that came his way and passed along his good wishes to many. He loved his hockey family like he loved his family — fiercely loyal, generous, and truthful.”

Joe Ferras, a Devils’ scout for the past seven seasons, was a dear friend. Ferris wrote: “He was an amazing man, mentor, father and great friend, and we have all been better people for having had him in our lives.”

Ron Delorme, one of the Foundation’s directors, is among those whose career has Dirk’s fingerprints on it.

“He was without a doubt the most quick-witted, humble and by far the funniest man I have known,” Delorme said. “When I broke in 38 years ago, he represented the man I wished to be . . . He turned heads every time he talked.

“I’d like to believe that all scouts, young and old reading this, know exactly who I am talking about, and I am fairly certain most of the veteran scouts from previous years know, too.

“I’ve worked in the same field and have known Dirky for 38 years, and I had the opportunity to give him a heartfelt thanks for what I have learned from such a great man.

“RIP Dirky.”

Craig Demetrick, a former NHL scout, posted on X (formerly Twitter):

“Like for many of us that came into the scouting game on the West Coast,  Dirky was a huge influence and mentor for me. He was a larger-than-life character with his classic one-liners that always made me laugh! Sad to hear this news!

“Rest in Peace my friend!”

Milan Dragicevic, a former Regina Pats defenceman who is well known in the hockey circles of B.C.’s Lower Mainland, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “What a great sense of humour, one of the best  in the game, Dirky listed me in 1982 when he was scouting for the Regina Pats, stayed in touch over 40 years, he will be missed, one of my favourite hockey people.”

There is a complete obituary right here.

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Ed Chadwick, a former NHL goaltender who began his scouting career in 1968 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, died in Fort Erie, Ont., on April 23. He was 90. . . . Chadwick is the last Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender to have played every game in a single season. He actually played the entire schedule twice, in 1956-57 and 1957-58 when a regular season comprised 70 games. . . . He totalled 184 regular-season games between Toronto and the Boston Bruins, then spent six seasons in the AHL before retiring. . . . After scouting with Pittsburgh for one season, he moved on to the Oakland/California Golden Seals (1969-72), New York Islanders (1972-79), Buffalo Sabres (1979-82) and Edmonton Oilers (1982-2001). . . . He was with the Oilers for five Stanley Cup titles (1984-85-87-88-90) and his name is on the Stanley Cup three times (1985-87-90)

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The scouting world also has lost Mike Leier, who spent a few seasons scouting for the Kamloops Blazers about 10 years ago. Leier died early in March in Saskatoon. He was 62. . . . Matt Recchi, then the Blazers’ director of player personnel, hired Leier about 10 years ago. “He worked with me for four or five years,” Recchi said, “. . . then left as he was busy with his Cob’s Bread store. . . . Mike never scouted before I hired him, but he was an excellent scout, and a great family man.” . . . There is a complete obituary right here.

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Greg Meachem, who covered the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels for more than 40 years, died in a Red Deer hospital on April 18. He was 71. . . . The Rebels announced his death on social media, saying he died “after a brief illness.” . . . He spent 35 years in the sports department at the Red Deer Advocate, before joining the Rebels as the writer for their website in 2016.

Hay may be retired from Blazers, but he’s not done . . . What next in Kamloops? . . . Little Montreal days a distant memory

Don Hay is many things . . . father . . . grandfather . . . runner . . . a man who works out regularly . . . proud Kamloopsian . . . an icon in the community . . .

One thing he isn’t is retired.

Oh, he may be done as the head coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, but it’s obvious he doesn’t feel that his coaching career is done.

That became evident Friday morning as Hay read a prepared statement and then answered questions from the media vultures outside the Blazers’ dressing room.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the WHL franchise, had

DonHay
Don Hay, as the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, talks with the media after a game earlier this season. (Photo: Gregg Drinnan)

announced that Hay had decided to retire. Gaglardi also said that once he learned of Hay’s decision — as incredible as it sounds, Gaglardi didn’t speak to Hay— the owners decided to move out general manager Stu MacGregor, lead assistant coach Mike Needham and Matt Recchi, the director of player personnel, as well.

Hay completed the fourth season of his second stint as the Blazers’ head coach in March. His first stint, with the Blazers’ then under  community ownership, included a couple of Memorial Cup titles. His second stint, under private ownership headed up by Gaglardi, didn’t go nearly as well.

In fact, the Blazers experienced two first-round playoff exits and two non-playoff seasons during Hay’s most-recent stop. This season, they lost their first nine games and weren’t able to dig out of that hole.

Between the end of the season, during which Hay never once indicated that he was the least bit interested in retirement, and Gaglardi’s announcement, Hay spent a month as the head coach of the Canadian under-18 team that played in the IIHF World Championship in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia. Does that sound like something a career coach would do just before retiring?

Also, do you really think that Hay, who turned 64 on Feb. 13, wants to go out on the kind of season his team had in 2017-18?

No. No. No . . . just no to everything.

At one point on Friday, Hay was asked: “Do you think cleaning house is the right way to go?”

Hay replied: “I don’t know if that is a good question to ask somebody who just got let go, so, you know . . . who just made the decision to move or go to a different role.”

Whether that was a slip of the tongue or a look into what really went on, Hay, who has more regular-season and playoff victories than any coach in WHL history, isn’t retired. OK?

What he is right now, more than anything, is confused. That is what showed through on Friday.

He appeared to be confused and hurt by the fact that his decision to walk away from the Blazers’ bench apparently resulted in ownership clearing out three other people.

It seems that Hay had conversations with Don Moores, the franchise’s president, COO and alternate governor. (Moores, once a shareholder in the community-owned team, spoke out against the sale of the franchise in 2006 and 2007, then joined the front office two summers ago.) Moores obviously reported to Gaglardi, one thing led to another, and Hay’s decision led to three other departures.

MacGregor is gone after having completed three seasons in his second turn as general manager. He replaced Craig Bonner six games into the 2015-16 season and now, like Bonner, has had a soft landing on the Dallas Stars’ scouting staff. The Stars, of course, are owned by Gaglardi.

The Blazers also dumped Needham, who had been on the coaching staff, in either a part-time or full-time role, since 2010. Needham — wink! wink! — has been told that he can apply for the head-coaching position or the assistant’s spot from which he was just deposed.

Recchi spent 10 seasons as the director of player personnel. He is the brother of Mark Recchi, who is one of the four ex-Blazers in Gaglardi’s ownership group, the others being Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla and Darryl Sydor.

Hay will remain with the Blazers as an advisor, which is the same thing they did with Guy Charron after his first go-round as head coach.

I would suggest that Hay likely saw some writing on the wall and chose to walk away from the Blazers’ bench. I’m sure he is aware that this is an ownership group that has been stumbling around like a thirsty man in the Serengeti for the better part of 11 years. I’m sure Hay knows that the Blazers haven’t drafted well and that there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. At this stage of his career, he has to know that there are a lot of different places to coach if he wants to continue, and he does. He also knows that the ownership group’s dream of playing host to the 2020 Memorial Cup tournament is a pipe dream, so that didn’t figure in any part  of his decision.

In an interview with Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, Gaglardi said: “I think we have failed in all three facets. We haven’t coached well enough, we haven’t drafted well enough and we haven’t managed well enough . . . and I guess by extension, we haven’t owned well enough.”

No, they haven’t owned well enough. Not even close. And this is on ownership. All of it. The whole mess.

This goes back to when these guys bought the franchise. In 11 seasons under this ownership group, the Blazers have missed the playoffs four teams and lost out in the first round on five occasions. They have been beaten in the second round once and made it to the Western Conference final once.

This ownership group has burned through eight head coaches, nine if you count both of Charron’s turns. Dean Clark, Greg Hawgood, Barry Smith, Scott Ferguson, Charron, Dave Hunchak, Mark Ferner, Charron (again), and Hay. Hawgood, Ferguson and Ferner were interim head coaches, signalling midseason coaching changes.

None of those coaches has moved to a higher level. At least five of them, including Hay, aren’t even coaching, at least not now.

There has been a distinct lack of excitement around the organization, which didn’t even hold a news conference when Hay returned to Kamloops after a 10-season run as head coach of the Vancouver Giants.

What must happen now is that these owners have to find a general manager who has no loyalties to anyone in the organization, and who is prepared to make like he is taking over an expansion franchise. Yes, it’s time to start over, to rebuild this organization from the ground up.

How sad are things in Kamloops, whose WHL franchise once was so successful that the city was known in hockey circles as Little Montreal?

Had you visited the Blazers’ website on Friday evening, more than 24 hours after Gaglardi announced the purge, you would have discovered that Don Hay is the team’s head coach, and Stu MacGregor is the general manager, and Mike Needham is an assistant coach, and Matt Recchi is the director of player personnel.

Embarrassing? Yes. Sad? For sure. But that seems to be the way of the Kamloops Blazers these days.