Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Day

Some photos and stories from the press conference today at the HHOF by James Mirtle.

http://www.fromtherink.com/2008/11/10/657988/hhof-09-induction-day-in-p#comments


Besides Glenn Anderson (fnally), Igor Larionov (The Professor) and the late Ed Chynoweth,former head of the Western Hockey League, there was Ray Scapinello who was probably more recognizable during his 33 years as a linesman than 90% of the players. He didn't miss a SINGLE game. Amazing.

From the Mirtle blog:

And finally, on the end there, is 62-year-old former linesman Ray Scapinello, who had some of the day's best stories. My favourite was when he talked about his relationship with his father, an immigrant from Italy who never really grew attached to the Canadian game. After a few years in the NHL as an official, Scapinello was nonetheless still living at home in his 30s, and had amassed a considerable stick collection from some of the most famous players in the game. One day, he came home to find his father had lopped the end off of all the sticks and used them up as posts in his tomato garden.

'Best wishes, Phil Esposito,' sawed in half and hammered into the soil to stake tomatoes," he said.

 

The HNIC feature in Scapinello had the same story. Really entertaining stuff.

 

Can't wait to go to the HHOF when I'm in Toronto next month.

 

RIP Ed.

 

There wasn't really anything on him in HNIC's coverage. For those of us who don't know him very well, what was he like?

 

Without Ed, we may never have known major junior as it exists today.

Ed was a straight-shootin', ball-bustin' kind of guy ... the type that commanded respect simply by walking into the room.

An incredible mind for hockey ... and his sons Dean and Jeff are no different.

 

Couple of good stories here about the legacy Ed left his sons:

www.chl.ca/fullstory.php?select=3&id=535

www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=391626

As president of the WHL and CHL in 1988, Ed presented the WHL championship trophy and, later, the Memorial Cup to Dean, who was the captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers. In 2002, Ed and Jeff shared another Memorial Cup with the Kootenay Ice (Ed was the team's president, Jeff was and is the GM). How cool would those occasions have been?

 

Get ready. It's a lot of fun.
(Probably even moreso when the temps outside aren't at steambath levels ... )

 

Few can capture the spirit of Ed Chynoweth like my former boss, old friend, and mentor Gregg Drinnan:

http://gdrinnan.blogspot.com/2008/04/ed-chynoweth-1941-2008.html

 

No Hall of Fame touches hockey's. It's the best by far. I've spent hours there each time I go to Toronto.

Anderson should've been in about eight or nine years ago. Why he had to wait this long while guys like Clark Gillies and Bernie Federko got in before him is ridiculous.

 

I guess it all goes back to his questionable character. The deadbeat dad stories that surfaced quite publicly did not exactly help to convince the voters.

 

It's the Hockey Hall of Fame, not the the Hockey Hall of Fame for People With Unblemished Records.

If you took "questionable" character into the equation, it'd be a pretty short list.