hockey day in canada - kamloops this week

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FEBRUARY 3-6COME CELEBRATE4 DAYS OF HOCKEY IN KAMLOOPS

www.kamloopsthisweek.com D2 FRIDAY, January 29, 2016

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www.kamloopsthisweek.com FRIDAY, January 29, 2016 D3

It’s a game that defines our nation — and, next week, the biggest cel-ebration of the

fabric that connects Canada from coast to coast to coast will take place in Kamloops.

The annual Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada extrava-ganza will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 3, and run through a shinny-packed Saturday, Feb. 6.

The highlight of the event is, as always, the Saturday celebration of all things puck, with Hockey Night in Canada legends Ron MacLean and Don Cherry cen-tre stage at Sandman Centre in downtown Kamloops to host the 13-hour national broad-cast.

Saturday will fea-ture five NHL games, including all seven Canadian teams air-ing on Sportsnet and CBC, with MacLean and Cherry and many other hockey legends profiled in Kamloops between games.

Alongside the Coach and MacLean at Sandman Centre will be autograph sessions, merchandise giveaways, road hockey and a pre-game party before the Kamloops Blazers take to the ice against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings.

In addition to the Saturday showcase will be the opening cer-emony at Sun Peaks on Wednesday, a star-stud-ded luncheon and the WHL’s 50th Season Pro-Am on Thursday and a hockey-themed concert on Friday night.

And, what better way to mark Hockey Day

festivities than with two of Canada’s most iconic trophies?

The Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup will be making several appear-ances throughout Kamloops next week.

Former Kamloops Blazer Darcy Tucker is looking forward to returning to the Tournament Capital.

“I’m really look-ing forward to this Scotiabank Hockey Day in particular because, for me, it’s going to be special being with Hayzer [Kamloops Blazers’ head coach Don Hay] and some of these people that had an influence on not only my hockey career, but my life in general,” Tucker told KTW.

Toronto Maple Leaf legends Lanny McDonald and Wendel Clark are also coming to Kamloops to help celebrate the national winter game.

“It’s great for me. You get out and you get to celebrate our great game in different towns across Canada.

“We all kind of see the game the same, so when we get out with Scotiabank Hockey Day, it’s awesome to celebrate different parts of the country and the game that it plays,” Clark said.

“We are hockey in Canada. No mat-ter what part of the country we go into, it all kind of seems the same.

“Once you get into downtown and on a weekend, on a Saturday, you walk into every downtown rink, it’s the same.

“Everybody is doing the same things. Our work schedules and our social schedules all kind of revolve around hockey.”

Added McDonald, whose trade to Calgary in the 1980s led to a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989: “I’m going to meet a whole lot of people and have

a whole lot of fun with it. We’ll have thousands and thousands of new teammates by the time this is over.”

Joining the parade of ex-NHLers will be Mark Napier, who won a Cup with Montreal at the tail end of its 1970s dynasty and with the Oilers when Edmonton dominated

in the 1980s.Napier also spent

three years in the wild and wacky World Hockey Association, skating for Toronto and Birmingham, Ala.

“There’s always something going on,” Napier told KTW.

“For me, it’s the look on the young kids’ faces, getting their

skates on and having a blast. It’s such a great family atmosphere.

In the real good ones, the whole com-munity gets behind Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada and it’s a lot of fun.”

Also coming to Kamloops is Captain Canuck himself — Trevor Linden.

“Kamloops is in for a real treat,” Linden said.

“Any time Ron MacLean and Don Cherry are involved, they make things very special.”

Twitter users can use the hashtag #hockeyday to post their favourite memo-ries of minor hockey.

Dropping the puck on Canada’s gamewww.kamloopsthisweek.com FRIDAY, January 29, 2016 D3

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD

18:00 - 21:00 Opening Faceoff - Sun Peaks

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH

09:15 - 11:00 School Visits #1 and #2

11:30 - 14:00 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada Celebrity Luncheon at the TCC (Ticketed)

14:30 - 15:30 Hockey Clinic #1 Maple Leafs – McArthur Island Sport & Event Centre

14:30 - 15:30 Hockey Clinic #2 Local – McArthur Island Sport & Event Centre

16:00 - 19:00 Scotiabank Kids Hot Stove – Alumni Host at local branch (Private)

19:30 - 22:00 50th WHL Pro Am Alumni Game – Sandman Centre

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH

07:30 - 09:30 Breakfast with the Cups at the TCC (Free) Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup on display




19:30 - 22:00 The Music of Hockey hosted by Ron MacLean – Sandman Centre

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH

09:00 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada On - Air

09:00 - 15:00 Ron MacLean Live from Sandman Centre

08:00 - 09:45 Scotiabank Community HockeyFest – Sandman Centre

10:00 - 11:45 Hockey Clinic #5 Maple Leafs – Sandman Centre

11:45 - 11:30 Hockey Clinic #6 Local – Sandman Centre

12:00 - 14:00 Kamloops Major Midget Game – Kelowna vs Kamloops, Sandman Centre

11:00 - 13:30 Live - NHL Game: EDMONTON AT MONTREAL

15:00 - 16:45 Kamloops Blazers Pregame Party

16:00 Live - NHL Game: TORONTO AT OTTAWA

16:00 Live - NHL Game: WINNIPEG AT COLORADO

17:00 WHL Game – Edmonton at Kamloops

19:00 Live - NHL Game: CALGARY AT VANCOUVER

*ALL TIMES LOCAL ABOVE – SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

2016 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada – Kamloops BC

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, February 3rd 18:00-21:00 Opening Faceoff - Sun Peaks Thursday, February 4th 09:15-11:00 School Visits #1 and #2 11:30-14:00 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada Celebrity Luncheon at the TCC – (Ticketed) 14:30-15:30 Hockey Clinic #1 Maple Leafs – McArthur Island Sport & Event Centre 14:30-15:30 Hockey Clinic #2 Local – McArthur Island Sport & Event Centre 16:00-19:00 Scotiabank Kids Hot Stove – Alumni Host at local branch (Private) 19:30-22:00 50th WHL Pro Am Alumni Game – Sandman Centre Friday, February 5th 07:30-09:30 Breakfast with the Cups at the TCC (Free) Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup on display 09:30-12:00 School Visits #3 and #4 14:00-15:00 Hockey Clinic #3 Maple Leafs – McArthur Island Sport & Event Centre 14:00-15:00 Hockey Clinic #4 Local – McArthur Island Sport & Event Centre 19:30-22:00 The Music of Hockey hosted by Ron MacLean” - Sandman Centre Saturday, February 6th 09:00 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada On-Air 09:00-15:00 Ron MacLean Live from Sandman Centre 08:00-09:45 Scotiabank Community HockeyFest – Sandman Centre 10:00-11:45 Hockey Clinic #5 Maple Leafs – Sandman Centre 11:45-11:30 Hockey Clinic #6 Local – Sandman Centre 12:00-14:00 Kamloops Major Midget Game – Kelowna vs Kamloops, Sandman Centre 11:00-13:30 Live - NHL Game: EDMONTON AT MONTREAL 15:00-16:45 Kamloops Blazers Pregame Party 16:00 Live - NHL Game: TORONTO AT OTTAWA 16:00 Live - NHL Game: WINNIPEG AT COLORADO 17:00 WHL Game – Edmonton at Kamloops 19:00 Live - NHL Game: CALGARY AT VANCOUVER ***All Times Local Above – Schedule subject to change.


Schedule of Events


Proud Supporters of

In Canada

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HOCKEY DAY

FEBRUARY 3-6

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD

18:00 - 21:00 Opening Faceoff - Sun Peaks

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH


11:30 - 14:00 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada Celebrity Luncheon at the TCC (Ticketed)



16:00 - 19:00 Scotiabank Kids Hot Stove – Alumni Host at local branch (Private)

19:30 - 22:00 50th WHL Pro Am Alumni Game – Sandman Centre

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH

07:30 - 09:30 Breakfast with the Cups at the TCC (Free) Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup on display




19:30 - 22:00 The Music of Hockey hosted by Ron MacLean – Sandman Centre

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH

09:00 Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada On - Air

09:00 - 15:00 Ron MacLean Live from Sandman Centre

08:00 - 09:45 Scotiabank Community HockeyFest – Sandman Centre

10:00 - 11:45 Hockey Clinic #5 Maple Leafs – Sandman Centre

11:45 - 11:30 Hockey Clinic #6 Local – Sandman Centre

12:00 - 14:00 Kamloops Major Midget Game – Kelowna vs Kamloops, Sandman Centre

11:00 - 13:30 Live - NHL Game: EDMONTON AT MONTREAL

15:00 - 16:45 Kamloops Blazers Pregame Party

16:00 Live - NHL Game: TORONTO AT OTTAWA

16:00 Live - NHL Game: WINNIPEG AT COLORADO

17:00 WHL Game – Edmonton at Kamloops Sandman Centre

19:00 Live - NHL Game: CALGARY AT VANCOUVER

*SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.


Schedule of Events



Schedule of Events


SCHEDULE OF EVENTS


FEBRUARY 3-6

Moustached hockey legend Lanny McDonald will be in Kamloops next week for the duration of Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.

He looks back on his illustrious career in this question-and-answer piece:

KTW: Do you consider yourself a Flame or a Maple Leaf?

Lanny McDonald: First of all, I dreamt of play-ing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That dream came true for six-and-a-half years and it was absolutely fabulous. But, then I got to come back home. I won the Stanley Cup in my final year in Calgary. To go into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Calgary Flame, that was pretty cool.

KTW: You were on the ice when Darryl Sittler scored an NHL record 10 points in one game on Feb. 7, 1976. How magical was that night?

LM: I thought I was going to be first star because I had two goals and two assists. Then, you look at the game sheet. Can you imagine scoring 10 points out of a possible 11? I think George Ferguson scored the only goal he wasn’t involved in.

My favourite shot of the whole night was when he scored the goal and slammed himself up against the back boards, his arms were outstretched and he had this big ear-to-ear grin on his face.

KTW: What’s your favourite Tiger Williams story?

LM: We have so many. Some we can tell, some we can’t. You loved to have him on the team, but absolutely

despised him if he played on the opposition. We were best pals in Toronto, on the same line for two-and-a-half years. Then, I go to Calgary and he goes to Vancouver. Now, we’re foes. Well, I hated playing against him. You did whatever it took to try to find a way to win.

KTW: You’re a longtime advocate for the Special Olympics. Why is that?

LM: In my first year in Toronto in 1973-1974, I was invited to a floor-hockey game and I didn’t even know what it was. I get there and these people are just having the time of their lives, loving the game. To see where the Special Olympics move-ment has come from that time to now is fantastic and magical. I’m proud of my involvement and still am involved today.

KTW: What’s one thing people don’t know about your moustache?

LM: Some may know, but I started growing it in 1974 and have never shaved it off. Even though the red is gone, there is no possible way I could ever shave it off. I guess it’s stuck there for life. Grey, red . . . doesn’t really matter.

KTW: A co-worker of mine sat beside your mom in the stands in Calgary during your playing days with the Flames. She said your mom had some incredible outfits. Do you remember those?

LM: Sitting on the bench, I knew where she sat all the time. One game, Jim Peplinski goes, ‘Buzzzzz, buzzzzz,’ and I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘Check out your mom’s outfit.’

There she was in the stands, black and yellow hat, black and yellow dress. She looked like a bumble

bee, God bless her, and here was Peplinksi on the bench buzzing like a bumble bee. We were supposed to be watching the game, but what-ever . . .

More from McDonald

McDonald chimed in on the WHL count-ing down its top 50 players of all time. Read that story on D9.

Trevor Linden and McDonald are Medicine Hat Tigers’ alumni.

They both spoke about playing in legendary Medicine Hat Arena, which was replaced this season by the Canalta Centre.

Linden also harked

back to play-ing in raucous Memorial Arena in the late 1980s. That story is on D5.

McDonald talks ‘stache, allegiances, mom’s outfitsMARTY HASTINGS STAFF [email protected]

Lanny McDonald will try to hoist another trophy in the WHL 50th season pro-am alumni game on Thursday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m., at Sandman Centre.

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It was a stage fit for gladiators.

That’s how Lanny McDonald described the old Tigers’ barn, the Medicine Hat Arena, replaced this season by the Canalta Centre in the southwest-ern Albertan city of about 61,000.

Trevor Linden remem-bers it the same way.

“The Medicine Hat Arena was a special place,” said Linden, who won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Tigers in 1987 and 1988.

“The building was filled to the rafters and it always had that haze of cigarette smoke. To don that jersey and play in that rink was very special.”

In 1987, the Tigers clawed back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Saskatoon Blades to set up Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final.

Linden will never for-get the rabid crowd that night inside Medicine Hat Arena, a raucous bunch that helped lift the Tigers to vic-tory.

“We had some good battles with Saskatoon back in the day,” Linden said. “It was crazy in there that night.”

Medicine Hat established its fan base early, reaching the Memorial Cup tourna-

ment in the franchise’s third year of existence, 1973.

McDonald, who racked up 62 goals and 139 points for the Tigers in the 1972-1973 Western Canada Hockey League campaign, said rivalry games on home ice were always played at a fever pitch.

“When we first started, it was only around 3,600 peo-ple in there and it was open standing on concrete down

on the one end,” McDonald said. “To be in that close proximity, it was kind of like a gladiator pit.

“Against the Calgary Centennials or Edmonton Oil Kings, there were games where refs had to come out in their running shoes in warm-up to make sure things didn’t get out of con-trol. That’s how deep the rivalry went.”

Linden asked about Memorial Arena in Kamloops during an inter-view with KTW, wondering if the venerable edifice is still standing.

“I wasn’t sure what they did with it,” said Linden,

one of the most beloved players in Vancouver Canucks’ history.

“That atmosphere in there was crazy. For me, I was 15 in 1986 and we lost the league final to Rob Brown and Greg Hawgood and Mark Recchi and that crew.

“They had the big ban-ner of a bulldog in there, for Rudy Poeschek, and I remember that. It opened up my eyes to the love of the game and how much passion there was for the Blazers.”

Linden at Hockey DayLinden, president of

hockey operations for the Canucks, will be in Sun Peaks on Wednesday night to kick off Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.

The opening-faceoff event, which will feature Hockey Night in Canada legend Ron MacLean, gets underway at 6 p.m.

He will also attend the celebrity luncheon at the Tournament Capital Centre on Thursday. That gets underway at 11:30 a.m.

Linden will head back to the Coast after lunch to watch his Canucks play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena on Thursday night.

Barn nostalgiaMARTY HASTINGS STAFF [email protected]

LINDEN TALKS MEDICINE HAT, MEMORIAL ARENAS

Trevor Linden (left), born in Medicine Hat, grew up dreaming of playing for the Tigers. He ended up winning back-to-back Memorial Cups with his hometown WHL club and Captain Canuck has many fond memories of playing in Medicine Hat Arena.

SHAWN MULLIN PHOTO

FEBRUARY 3-6

The City of Kamloops is pleased to welcome this event to our community!

Our city hosts an impressive range of sporting and cultural events that contribute over $10 million to the local economy each year. Continuing to support and invest in the Tournament Capital Program ensures future opportunities for our community, and for the development of sports programs and events to bene�t our athletes.

These events would not be possible without the support of local volunteers, business, and sponsors.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers, as well as the organizing committee, for all of their hard work making this amazing event become a reality.

the City of Kamloops would like to thank all

Volunteers and Sponsors


Mark Napier won two Stanley Cups and might have won a third, had the Edmonton Oilers been able to escape the 1986 Smythe Division final.

Oilers fans will remember what happened in Game 7 of that series against the Calgary Flames, as much as they’d like to forget.

“You can’t blame Steve Smith,” Napier said, referring to the rookie defenceman’s own goal that led to Calgary’s 3-2 win.

“It’s too bad it was a defining moment for him on that one goal, but I think Wayne Gretzky said it best, ‘If we’re up 6-2, that goal wouldn’t have meant anything.”

Napier, executive director of the NHL Alumni Association, will be at Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada next week.

He’ll be sporting two rings, having hoist-ed Lord Stanley’s Mug with the Montreal Canadiens in 1979 and Edmonton in 1985.

Both the Habs and Oilers enjoyed dynas-ties and Napier isn’t sure if teams like that are a thing of the past.

“It depends how you term dynasty,” said Napier, who will play in the WHL 50th sea-son pro-am alumni game on Thursday.

“Chicago is on a pretty good run. It’s cer-tainly going to be a lot tougher, with the sala-ry cap, to be able to keep the teams together.

“There was also a lot less movement through free agency.”

If there’s anything Napier regrets about 1986, it’s that hockey fans were robbed.

“I think, at the time, the Oilers and Flames were the two best teams in all of hockey,” said Napier, who also played in Minnesota and Buffalo during his NHL career.

“It’s unfortunate we had to meet in the semifinal and people out East never got to see those games.”

As for Smith’s own goal, he leaves that in the past.

“At the time, it was pretty deflating,” Napier said. “I was on the bench when it happened.

“It was one of those series that both teams were so good, the team that made the least mistakes was going to win.

“You can’t blame Steve. You can’t blame Grant [Fuhr]. Somebody came in, put some pressure on Steve, he went to make a pass up the ice, it hit Grant’s leg and went in.”

Alumni game rosters

Napier reflects on Smith’s own goalMARTY HASTINGS STAFF [email protected]

Mark Napier won two Stanley Cups. He was also part of the Edmonton Oilers team that might have won it all in 1986, but fell to the Calgary Flames in the Smythe Division final, thanks in part to one of the most-infamous moments in hockey history.

6-275 Seymour St., Kamloops, BC V2C 2E7Phone: 250-372-5732 | Email: [email protected]

Visit: www.cathymcleod.ca

Proud to supportHockey Day in Canada!

Cathy

McLeod MP

kamloops.ca/hockeyday #HockeyDay Scotia Hockey Club

A 4-DAY OUTDOOR HOCKEY FESTIVAL FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

· Pro-Am hockey games & clinics with NHL Alumni™ · Celebrity lunch and concert

· See the Stanley Cup® · Meet “NHL on Sportsnet” personalities

WED, FEB. 3RD • Opening Ceremony, Sun Peaks Resort

THU, FEB. 4TH • Celebrity Luncheon, TCC. Tickets available @ Kamloops Chamber 778.257.5900

• WHL 50th Season Pro Am Game, Sandman Centre. Tickets available @ Sandman Centre Box Office

FRI, FEB. 5TH • “The Music of Hockey” Concert, Sandman Centre Hosted by Ron MacLean Tickets available @ Sandman Centre Box Office

SAT, FEB 6TH • Outdoor Festival, Sandman Centre - ALL DAY LONG! • Kamloops Blazers vs. Edmonton Oil Kings,

Sandman Centre, 5 pm. Tickets available @ Sandman Centre Box Office

NHL, the NHL Shield, and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and NHL Alumni name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. © NHL 2015. All Rights Reserved.®* Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.

Enjoy a full day NHL® viewing party hosted by Ron MacLean!

FEBRUARY 3–6K A M L O O P S

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PARTNERS:


Coach’s Corner, live from KamloopsRon MacLean and Don Cherry will be broadcasting live from Sandman Centre on Saturday, Feb. 6, entertaining viewers during the broadcast that starts at 9 a.m. and wraps up after the Vancouver Canucks play the Calgary Flames, an NHL showdown that begins at 7 p.m. MacLean will also be at the opening-faceoff event at Sun Peaks on Wednesday, Feb. 3. That is slated to get underway at 6 p.m. Ron and Don will attend the celebrity luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 4, at the Tournament Capital Centre. The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. Puck-drop for the WHL 50th Season Pro Am Alumni Game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Sandman Centre. MacLean will host the Music of Hockey concert on Friday, Feb. 5. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Sandman Centre. BLAZERHOCKEY.COM

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All hell had broken loose and, in the midst of it, as usual, was 5-foot-9, 150-pound Darcy Tucker.

The Kamloops Blazers and hometown Portland Winterhawks engaged in a bench-clearing brawl in the Western Conference final in April of 1994 that will go down as one of the wildest donnybrooks in WHL his-tory.

Kamloops forward Chris Murray, already in the penalty box for fighting, left the sin bin and skated toward the fracas.

“I decided when Darcy got clobbered from behind by Adam Deadmarsh that I wasn’t staying in the box,” said Murray, now a firefighter in Kamloops. “The closest guy was their goalie, so I grabbed him. It drew a few guys and, unfortunately, our guys were stuck on the other end. I hung in as long as I could.”

The story is a microcosm of much of Murray’s career with the Blazers. Just ask Tucker, who will return to the Tournament Capital next week for Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.

Tucker is the third-leading scorer in Blazers’ history, finishing his four-year major-junior career with 379 points, 150 of them goals, and he might not have reached those heights without the protection of Murray, his roommate for two years.

“He was my guardian,” said Tucker, who went on to enjoy a 15-year NHL career. “He always looked after me.

“These are the relationships you forge. I was a pretty good junior player and Murr ended up being one of the main-stays on the team, protecting players and looking after them.”

Tucker, who noted Murray could also pitch in offensively, was a menace through-out his NHL days and the same can be said of his stint on Mark Recchi way.

“Was I a yapper? That’s an understate-ment,” Tucker said. “I enjoyed getting under opponents’ skin. Let’s put it that way.”

Outside of hockey, Murray remembers Tucker often opted to wear a sweater knit-ted by his mother to NorKam secondary.

“It was a bear sweater. It fell short in the style department,” Murray said.

On the ice, there was nothing cozy about No. 16’s game.

“Darcy had a passion and a drive that really was unmatched,” Murray said.

“He would go out and get his nose smushed across his face and come out the next shift and chew on ankles. It’s the way he was. You weren’t going to stop him.

“To say I pro-tected him, yeah, I sure did, but he would drag us into the battle all the time. It was the kind of intensity that was impor-

tant for us all to play with.”Murray was 17 and Tucker was 16 dur-

ing their rookie season in 1991-1992 and neither saw much ice in Kamloops’ run to the Memorial Cup.

Losing to the Winterhawks in the Western final in 1993 was a crushing blow, Murray said, and Kamloops was outmus-cled by Portland in that series.

“In ‘94, we ended up against them again,” Murray said. “We weren’t going to let them push us around. Ever. That brawl was the peak of it.”

“Some of us were lunch-bucket guys, even though we had a good team,” added Tucker. “You look at the rivalry between

Portland and Kamloops back then . . . It all culminated in that brawl.”

The glass between the benches came down. The coaches got into it. The fans in Memorial Coliseum were losing it.

Don Hay, the current head coach of the Blazers, and Terry Bangen, an assistant, were involved on the Kamloops side that night. The video is on YouTube.

Murray graduated to professional hockey in time for the 1994-1995 campaign and spent most of it with the Fredericton Canadiens, racking up 234 penalty min-utes in 55 games, while Tucker was busy winning a third Memorial Cup with the Blazers.

And, wouldn’t you know it, the twosome was reunited the very next season, when Tucker arrived in Fredericton.

“It was the same thing again,” Murray said. “Night in, night out, maybe you think you’re not ready to play, well, you better be ready because Darcy’s got everybody chas-ing him around the rink.

“He was one guy you would never bet against. As soon as you did, he would grit his teeth and find a way.”

Milestone Achievement AwardThe WHL will honour the Blazers with a

Milestone Achievement Award before the WHL 50th season pro-am alumni game on Thursday to commemorate the club’s three Memorial Cup wins in four years.

Tucker had bodyguard in MurrayMARTY HASTINGS STAFF [email protected]

Darcy Tucker (left) and Chris Murray formed a special bond in Kamloops in the early 1990s.

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Asked to name the best player in Western Hockey League history, Trevor Linden responded with a common answer to the question.

“I can’t even begin to say,” said Linden, who starred with the Medicine Hat Tigers before moving on to the NHL. “That’s a tough one. It’s a fun exercise to go through, though.

“For 50 years, it’s been such an amazing league. Every franchise has seen great players.”

As part of its 50th-season cel-ebration, the WHL will decide on a top-50 list, with the bottom five (46 to 50) expected to be unveiled during the Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada festivities next week in Kamloops.

The list was whittled down to 125 in September by members of the media and individuals who have demonstrated longstanding contributions to the WHL.

Fans voted online and their voice, along with the committee’s, will be taken into consideration for determining the top 50.

WHL commissioner Ron Robison and former NHLers Lanny McDonald and Mark Napier had

similar responses to Linden when asked to name their No. 1 pick.

“Oh, my goodness. You’re really putting me on the spot,” said Napier, who won two Stanley Cups, one each with the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens.

“There are so many great, great players that came from the Western league.”

The first two that popped into Napier’s mind were McDonald and Bryan Trottier.

“You could even put Tiger

Williams on the list,” Napier added. “And, what about Clark Gillies? He had a great career.”

McDonald, who spent two out-standing seasons with the Tigers before jumping to the NHL, was stumped.

“I’ve never been asked that question, which is pretty cool,” McDonald said.

“You think about some of the players — Joe Sakic and Wendel Clark — that jump to the forefront — Bobby Clarke, Reggie Leach and Tom Lysiak — and the list goes on and on.”

Robison tap-danced around the question.

“I’d be getting myself into real trouble,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s up for grabs.

“We had great response from the fans. We’ll start revealing those results and that’s going to happen in Kamloops.”

The group charged with decid-ing on the top-125 list had the challenging task of taking into account different eras.

“You look at the 70s, to the 80s, to the 90s and to the 2000s and the game has changed so much and it’s a different style,” Linden said.

“In my era, I played against Joe Sakic and the Swift Current

Broncos. Joe was a brilliant player. And, I work with one of those guys who could be on the top 50, Stan Smyl. He combined power, speed, skill and toughness.”

Smyl, who played three seasons with the New Westminster Bruins and won two Memorial Cups in the 1970s, was left out of the top 125.

Linden, the former Canucks’ captain, rattled off a few more names — McDonald, Lysiak, Brian Propp, Ray Ferraro, Cliff Ronning, Mark Recchi, Rob Brown and Greg Hawgood — but never named his top dog.

In total, 88 forwards, 27 defencemen and 10 goaltenders cracked the top 125.

Players were selected based on a combination of the impact they had while playing in the WHL and their careers upon graduating from the league.

The rest of the top 50 list will be revealed in the coming months.

“There are so many players who had incredible careers, both in the WHL and professionally in the NHL,” Robison said.

“The committee had a very dif-ficult task getting down to 125, let alone shrinking it down to the top 50.”

TALL TASK TO NAME WHL’S BEST-EVER PLAYERMARTY HASTINGS STAFF [email protected]

Joe Sakic had an illustrious WHL career, but was he the best player to come out of the Dub? The league will begin its countdown of the top 50 greatest WHL players at Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.

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One of the most beloved Toronto Maple Leafs of all time, Wendel Clark made his name as a bruising forward who wasn’t afraid to light the lamp.

A 15-year NHL veteran, the native of Kelvington, Sask., played for the Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, amassing 330 goals, 234 assists and 1,690 penalty minutes in 793 career games. Now a community repre-sentative with the Leafs, Clark is a staple at the Air Canada Centre.

KTW caught up with the 49-year-old, who will be in the Tournament Capital for the Hockey Day in Canada festivities next week.

KTW: Wendel, what do you remember about Kamloops from your time playing with the Saskatoon Blades?

Wendel Clark: We didn’t play out there as much — we only did the once a year. Kamloops and Kelowna were just coming out, Kamloops was just kind of build-ing to be what they became after I left, the Darcy Tucker times, when

the teams were winning on a real regular basis.

KTW: You get to watch a lot of hockey in your position with the Toronto Maple Leafs. What do you think of where the NHL game is at today?

WC: Parity-wise, I don’t think it has ever been as good from top to bottom — it’s tough. Teams that aren’t quite as good aren’t really bad. Any given night, somebody can win.

I think the game is always evolving, always changing. Once they kind of started changing a rule here or there — in the early 2000s, I think that’s maybe when it started — once you change one rule, the next year you find you have to do something else, because once you’ve changed the game a bit, it’s almost like you have to keep correcting. And it’s not a bad thing — it’s just the evolution of the game.

If you always go, ‘Well, in the old days, this was way better,’ you sound like an archaic old guy.

KTW: The role you played — the physical player, who wasn’t afraid to fight — isn’t seen as much in today’s NHL. What’s it like to see that change?

WC: I think there will always

be — well, maybe not, but — some form of fighting. Fighting isn’t a bad thing, I find, if it hap-pens right away, two guys mad at each other, it just happens, where actually three-quarters of the building don’t even see the fight because it just kind of happens in the corner as the play goes on.

I think what they’re trying to get away from is the staged fight-ing — two guys drop their gloves at centre ice and you skate in a circle for a minute and a half before you actually fight.

KTW: With all the information about head injuries that’s out there now, does it ever give you pause about how you played the game?

WC: That’s part of playing the game. I think the game is actually rougher now than when I played. It was probably more violent when I played because you could do things and not get caught on camera — you had one referee, most of the games not televised — where today, every game has a camera angle on everything.

Today, pretty much everybody finishes a check. The finesse guy is a physical player.

KTW: Expansion has been a hot topic recently. You played part

of one season in Quebec with the Nordiques. What would you think of the NHL return-ing to Quebec City?

WC: I think, in time, there will probably be something going on there — I don’t think you build a rink of that stature to have nothing.

It’s a fun market. It was a fun rink to play in. It was always probably one of the best vis-iting towns to go to, a lively, active town.

When people say good markets, bad markets, espe-cially in Canada with some of the smaller markets, it really comes down to, in pro sports, are you winning? Winning is the bottom line to everything.

ADAM WILLIAMS STAFF [email protected]

Clark ponders new NHL, physicality, Quebec City return

Wendel Clark will suit up for Team Recchi in the WHL 50th season pro-am

alumni game on Thursday, Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m., at the Sandman Centre.

Check out our website at www.kamloopsminorhockey.com

for Weekend Game Schedules, Tournament Dates, Team and Division information plus more!

Phone: 250-376-1788Email: [email protected]

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