Welcome to a site where we sometimes provide food for thought, and often provide information about the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation.
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.
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.
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.
A hilarious photo of Bruins coach Paddy Ginnell attempting to sneak into a preseason game in Victoria while under suspension from @TheWHL. He wasn't in New Westminster long, but he certainly was entertaining.
A 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
Also finding himself with a new hat is Matthew Seminoff who notches two of team's 4 power play goals of contest as part of it in 25th career playoff outing. Had found back of the net just one time this postseason, was only goal prior since 4G, 8 point effort back on March 15. https://t.co/4wPFjrwh8d
Kamloops (2) at Portland (3) — The Kamloops Blazers scored a PP goal 31 seconds 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.
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.
Wilson Du shared his story at National Kidney Foundation events for years in the hopes of spreading awareness of kidney disease and dialysis. What he didn't know is this is where he would meet the woman who would give him a second chance at life. https://t.co/O7JpuIUlsX
September 15, 1985 – Suspended coach Paddy Ginnell attempts to gain entry to the Bruins preseason game in Victoria wearing this very clever disguise. Ginnell is serving a five game penalty for his part in a wild bench-clearing brawl last week in Chilliwack. pic.twitter.com/NHsamUA0uj
— New Westminster Bruins (@NewWestBruins) May 30, 2020
The headline in the Victoria Times-Colonist read: Paddy (The Phantom) Ginnell back in town.
It was Sept. 15, 1985, and the New Westminster Bruins were in Victoria for an exhibition WHL game with the Cougars.
Ginnell, a former owner, general manager and head coach of the Cougars, now was the Bruins’ GM/head coach. While he wasn’t behind the bench for this one because he was serving Game 1 of a five-game suspension, he actually was in the arena. At least for a few minutes.
Dave Senick of the Times-Colonist covered the game and wrote that Ginnell “had a false moustache pasted on his upper lip, a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose and a floppy cap pulled well down his forehead. A frumpy lumber jacket completed the outfit.”
It seems that Ginnell had planned on taking in the game in person, but after being recognized — gee, you think! — Senick reported that the veteran coach “stood by the Bruins’ bus and spent the afternoon chatting with those he knew from a past coaching job with the Cougars.”
Why was Ginnell suspended (and fined $500)?
It seems the Bruins and Seattle Thunderbirds had become involved in a bench-clearing brawl on Sept. 11 in Chilliwack, and Ginnell’s guys were deemed the first to leave the bench.
Bench-clearing brawls. Coaches in disguise. Yes, those were the days, weren’t they?
BTW, the above photo of Ginnell, in disguise, was taken by Ian McKain of the Times-Colonist.
The QMJHL, which unveiled a new logo on Monday, plans to begin its 2020-21 regular season on Oct. 1 with a schedule calling for each team to play its usual 68 games. Commissioner Gilles Courteau told a video conference on Tuesday that his league expects to have “a certain percentage of spectators” attending games. . . . The QMJHL opened its 2019-20 regular season on Sept. 19. The 18-team league has teams in four provinces — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. . . . Courteau said the league is working on a return-to-play program and that it will continue to work through all of this with public health officials. . . . Later, some teams, including the Halifax Mooseheads, issued statements. “Although this is a positive announcement for all of us . . . we fully understand that there are still a number of factors to be determined and approved by our Provincial Government and public health authorities before we can begin selling ticket packages,” the Mooseheads said. “We are currently working closely with the QMJHL on a Return to Play protocol for the 2020-21 season in order to ensure a safe return for our players, staff and fans, that will be in compliance with public health guidelines.” . . . So, while the QMJHL is aiming for Oct. 1, it still is faced with a lot of unknowns, meaning the league is no different than anyone else.
Don’t shoot the messenger. OK?
Bartley Kives of CBC News wrote an interesting piece that was posted on the Corp.’s website on Sunday morning.
Here’s the headline: Never mind 2020 — It could be years before pro sports fans are back in the stands.
That is something I have been wondering about for a while now. Faced with an aggressive virus, no vaccine, and with governments, at least in Canada, who are reluctant to allow large gatherings in their jurisdictions, where exactly does the sports world go from here.
That sports world would include pro sports and, yes, junior hockey.
While the NHL, NBA and MLB likely could survive in the short term without fans in the stands, it’s doubtful that the CFL could make it. And there is no chance — Zero! Nil! Nada! — that junior hockey at any level could make it.
The CFL, like all leagues, is wanting badly to have some sort of season in 2020.
As Kives points out, “. . . the CFL may not be able to afford a year of failing to engage its audience. The CFL desperately needs real fans to buy tickets to games, merchandise, food and beer.
“The league could be holding out faint hope public health authorities will allow fans to gather in large groups this season.
“That is quite unlikely, given the highly communicable nature of COVID-19 and the potential for infection when thousands of people are gathered in a confined space such as a stadium concourse.
“It’s hard enough for public health employees to trace the contacts of a single infected patient who works at a Winnipeg Walmart or a Brandon trucking company.
“Imagine the complexity — if not outright impossibility — of trying to figure out who came in contact with one infected person among a crowd of tens of thousands at a stadium such as I.G. Field in Winnipeg or Mosaic Stadium in Regina.”
Kives spoke with Dan Chateau, an assistant professor of community health sciences at the U of Manitoba.
“Think about the Roughriders,” Chateau said. “They get people from all over Saskatchewan, and the Blue Bombers get people from all over Manitoba and from all over the City of Winnipeg, which is three quarters of a million (people) itself.
“You don’t want those people to go back to their communities and eventually spread COVID-19 again through each of their individual spheres of social contact.”
Kives followed that by writing this:
“This would not just be a problem this fall. It will be a problem for the CFL, NHL and any professional league as long as COVID-19 continues to circulate among the population and no vaccine treatment is available.
“This, unfortunately, means there may be no fans in the stands for CFL and NHL games in 2021, 2022 or beyond.”
As for a vaccine, well, you can read all about it right here, which is where you will find Kives’ complete story.
Just remember . . . please don’t shoot the messenger.
When you talk about the most under-rated players in WHL history, Rick Blight’s name has to be near the top of the list. Playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he put up 31 goals and 62 assists in his freshman season (1972-73). The next season, he totalled 130 points, including 49 goals, in 67 games. In 1974-75, Blight scored 60 goals and added 52 assists. . . . He finished his major junior career with 336 points, including 141 goals, in 201 assists. . . . Blight committed suicide in April 2005. . . . Ed Willes of Postmedia has more on Blight’s story right here.
The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Connor Levis, a first-round selection in the WHL’s 2019 bantam draft who had committed to the U of Michigan Wolverines. Levis was the 20th overall selection in that draft. . . . He and D Mats Lindgren, who was taken seventh overall by the Blazers, had both committed to Michigan. Lindgren also has signed with the Blazers. . . . Levis, at 15, had 12 goals and 14 assist in 33 games for the St. George’s School prep team last season.
Glen Goodall holds one WHL record that won’t ever be broken. Over six WHL seasons, Goodall, now 50, played in 399 regular-season games. At 14, he was a regular with the Seattle Breakers in 1984-85. He played the next five seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Having played at 14, he can relate to what F Connor Bedard is faced with as he prepares to join the Regina Pats at 15. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post chatted with Goodall and the results are right here.
USA Hockey has cancelled boys’ and girls’ player development camps for this summer. From a news release: “USA Hockey cancelled the Boys Select 15, Girls 15, and Girls 16/17 camps on March 20 and on Monday cancelled the remaining camps that had been listed as tentative, including the Boys Select 16, Boys Select 17 and Girls Under-18 Select camps.”
A few Twitter tidbits from Wednesday’s WHL playoff games . . . 
seconds 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.
TAKING NOTE 