45 hockey scouts inducted into Okotoks’ ‘Wall of Honour’

Hockey royalty descend on Southern Alberta on Tuesday to honour legendary scouts from the past 80 years.

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation (WCPHSF) will induct 45 former and current scouts into its recently unveiled Wall of Honour during its opening banquet at the Foothills Centennial Centre in Okotoks.

“We started losing some of the older guys and there hasn’t really been a lot of focus in hockey in the past on honoring scouts,” WCPHSF President Erin Ginnell said in an interview with CTV News.

“We thought we would put something together and make a wall of honor.”

The wall, which features a three-video screen display, will be on display at the nearby Okotoks Centennial Arena and will be unveiled Tuesday afternoon.

Ginnell said the foundation looked at several cities to host the wall of honor, but the Okotoks Oilers and the city of Okotoks really pushed to get the event off the ground.

“We can’t thank the city of Okotoks enough for their early participation and assistance,” he said.

“We are a group of scouts, we have never done this before, so it was good to have some expertise in-house that really helped us get started.”

The newcomers include five ‘pioneers’ from the period 1940-1963, 17 from the early days of scouting (1963-1979), 20 from the modern era and two from junior hockey.

Ginnell says that because hockey scouts spend a lot of time on the road, they often develop close friendships.

“I think that’s how relationships start and they often last a lifetime,” he said.

“Although we are on different teams, we travel a lot and see each other often in hotels, on the plane and on the road.”

The WCPHSF will also present the first Ace Award, honoring newcomer Garnet (Ace) Bailey, who was director of pro scouting for the Los Angeles Kings when he was killed aboard a plane that struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

“We created a trophy in his honor, to actually give it to someone who has really helped the Scouting community,” Ginnell said.

“He was such a great person and it’s really good to honor a person like that.”

The gala starts in the afternoon, followed by a dinner in the banquet hall.

The event will feature sessions with Ken Holland, former president and general manager of the Edmonton Oilers; John Davidson, president of the Columbus Blue Jackets; and Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, a practicing physician, former Olympic gold medalist and assistant GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There will also be live and silent auctions of hockey memorabilia, including signed NHL player uniforms.