The other day on Riderville.com, this antediluvian amateur arborist dove into the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ family trees by enumerating the Canadian Football League team’s multitudinous father-son connections.
The premise piggybacked on our Dad’s Night Out theme for the June 16 home opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Far from content to leave it there, I will piggyback on the piggybacking by wading into historical ties of a different description.
To celebrate Week 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, we present this lengthy list of links between the Roughriders and the National Hockey League.
Gord Barwell
In 1977 — four years after concluding a 10-year career as a receiver with the Roughriders — Barwell moved to Toronto and was soon introduced to former Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings forward Paul Henderson.
Barwell and Henderson became fast friends, to the extent that they both worked closely with Athletes in Action.
“He was one of my great buddies,” Henderson, who scored the winning goal in the 1972 Canada-Russia Summit Series, told me in 2006.
Barwell was only 43 when he died of cancer on April 21, 1988.
(More hockey connections: Jay Barwell, Gord’s son, played for the Guelph Platers during the 1983-84 and 1984-85 Ontario Hockey League seasons. Jesse Barwell, Jay’s son, skated for the Saginaw Spirit and Mississauga Steelheads during a 254-game OHL career that ran from 2013 to 2017. Jesse Barwell was on the 2013-14 OHL Scholastic Team, which also included the Erie Otters’ Connor McDavid.)
Parri Ceci
The one-time University of Guelph Gryphons receiver attended training camp with the Green and White in 1986.
Parri’s son, Cody Ceci, is a veteran of 707 NHL regular-season games. Ceci and the Edmonton Oilers are facing the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lou Clare
Clare, a linebacker with the Roughriders during the 1976, 1977 and 1978 seasons, later became an NHL scout.
Ross Colton
Currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a first-round series against Toronto, Colton spent two United States Hockey League seasons with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
(That’s cheating. Onwards …)
Tim Dancy
Dancy was CKRM’s voice of the Roughriders from 1983 to 1985. Previously, he had worked in Edmonton and, in fact, was the original play-by-play announcer on Oilers telecasts.
In that capacity, Dancy witnessed and described innumerable magical milestones, such as Wayne Gretzky’s 50th goal of the 1981-82 season — scored in his 39th game.
Morgan Fleury
The Roughriders’ Digital Media Co-ordinator is distantly related to former Moose Jaw Warriors and NHL star Theo Fleury.
Morgan’s dad, Curtis Fleury, tells Riderville.com in an exclusive interview that “my great-grandfather and Theo’s great-grandfather were brothers.”
Norm Fong
Before beginning a 30-year run as the Roughriders’ equipment manager, Fong was a trainer with the 1972-73 Los Angeles Sharks (of World Hockey Association fame) and the 1973-74 Regina Pats (Memorial Cup champions).
The ’72-73 Sharks’ roster included the following players with NHL experience: Mike Byers, Bart Crashley, George Gardner, Russ Gillow (a backup goalie for one game), Earl Heiskala, Bob Jones, Jean-Paul LeBlanc, Bernie MacNeill, Ralph MacSweyn, Ted McCaskill, Jim Niekamp, Gerry Odrowski, Bob Perreault, Fred Speck, Joe Szura, Gary Veneruzzo and Jim Watson.
The following members of the 1973-74 Pats went on to play in the NHL: Glen Burdon, Drew Callander, Clark Gillies, Greg Joly, Robbie Laird, Kim MacDougall, Dennis Sobchuk, Ed Staniowski and Rob Tudor.
The 1973-74 Pats were coached by Bob Turner — a defenceman with the Montreal Canadiens when they won five consecutive Stanley Cup titles, beginning in 1956.
Ross Mahoney, who played in two games with the 1973-74 Pats, has been the Washington Capitals’ assistant GM for nine seasons. Prior to that, he spent 16 years as the Capitals’ director of amateur scouting. Yes, he drafted Alex Ovechkin.
The 1973-74 Pats’ organist was Alan Vanstone. Dad was also the featured pianist at a “Meet the Riders” function that was held on June 23, 1981 at the Regina Inn (now the DoubleTree).
Then-Roughriders centre Bob Poley and running back Greg Fieger were members of a 1974-75 Pats team that included Mahoney, Tudor, Callander, Staniowski and two other NHL-bound players, Gerry Minor and Gord Wappel.
Fieger returned to the Turner-coached Pats in 1975-76, a season in which eventual Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham made his major-junior debut.
Chris Getzlaf
An obvious one.
Getzlaf’s brother, Ryan, spent 17 seasons with the Anaheim Ducks before retiring in 2022.
Ryan Getzlaf was a major contributor when Anaheim won its first (and heretofore only) Stanley Cup title.
He drew an assist on an Andy McDonald goal to help Anaheim register a Cup-clinching, 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on June 6, 2007.
A mere 74 days later, Chris Getzlaf was traded to the Roughriders by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The 2007 Roughriders went on to win a Grey Cup, giving the Getzlaf family two titles in a span of 172 days.
Bart Hull
Bobby Hull’s son, a former CFL fullback, played in one game with the 1994 Roughriders.
Bobby’s brother (Dennis) and son (Brett) were both NHL stars.
Henderson and Dennis Hull were teammates with Canada during the 1972 Summit Series.
Gerry James
Kid Dynamite, a legendary running back with the Blue Bombers, signed off as a CFLer by spending one season (1964) with the Roughriders.
A remarkable two-sport athlete, James also played in 149 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs during a period that spanned 1954 to 1960.
From the nobody-will-ever-do-this-again department: James played in the Grey Cup and the Stanley Cup final in the same sporting season (1959-60).
Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel Sr., that is.
Admittedly, this is a reach, but we’ve made it this far, so … when the Calgary Stampeders visited Taylor Field on Oct. 3, 1982, their lone touchdown was the result of a 24-yard pass from Kessel to Alton Alexis.
Phil Sr. then found Willie Armstead for a two-point conversion.
End of Stampeders scoring summary.
The Roughriders, led by 156 receiving yards and two touchdown catches from Joey Walters, won 53-8 in a game that was televised by NBC during an NFL players’ strike.
One day shy of five years later, Phil Kessel Jr., was born.
The younger Kessel, who won a Stanley Cup in 2017 alongside Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, has registered 992 points (including 413 goals) over 1,286 NHL regular-season games.
In case you haven’t had your Phil of Kessel: The former Stampeders pivot is a 1992 inductee into the Northern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame, which has also honoured former Roughriders defensive linemen Bobby Jurasin (in 1998) and Chuck Klingbeil (2003).
Doug Killoh
After starring for the Pats in the early 1950s, Killoh played on the Roughriders’ defensive line from 1953 to 1960.
Killoh once attended training camp with the Canadiens.
Nick Mazurak
Nick is the Roughriders’ Director, Partnerships.
His father is former Roughriders receiver and Vice-President, Sales and Partnerships, Steve Mazurak — a cousin of ex-Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Keith Magnuson.
Another tie: Quinn Magnuson, an offensive lineman with the 1994 Roughriders who also attended training camp in 1995. Keith Magnuson, who was 56 when he died in a 2003 car accident, was Quinn’s uncle.
Frank Mathers
Mathers was a fullback and kicker with the All-Services Roughriders in 1943, during the Second World War. He later played in 23 NHL games, all with Toronto.
His one NHL goal was scored Oct. 23, 1948 in a 6-1 victory over Chicago at Maple Leaf Gardens.
He opened the scoring 1:43 into the first period by putting the puck past goalie Sugar Jim Henry, who in 1941 had helped the Regina Rangers win the Allan Cup.
As for Mathers, he went on to enjoy a 35-year association with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, for whom he was a player, coach, general manager and president.
Mathers was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
Greg Mayer
The Roughriders’ newly appointed Head Athletic Therapist has acquired a wealth of experience while working with the Warriors (from 1997 to 2004), Pats (2004 to 2023) and Canada’s world junior team (2001 and 2010).
Most recently, Mayer worked closely with Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock (a former NHL player, coach and GM) and sure-fire 2023 first-overall draft pick Connor Bedard.
As a Warrior, Mayer got to know head coach Hunt (who was later an assistant coach with Ottawa), assistant coach Lane Lambert (now the New York Islanders’ head coach), Al Tuer (an erstwhile Warriors head coach and the proud owner of one NHL goal) and big-league-bound skaters such as Johnny Boychuk, Kyle Brodziak, Troy Brouwer, Deryk Engelland, Kyle Brodziak and Brooks Laich.
With the Pats, Mayer interacted with Hunt (who had two stints as the team’s head coach), ex-NHL player and one-time Gretzky teammate Pat Conacher, and budding big-leaguers such as Adam Brooks, Kyle Burroughs, Jordan Eberle, Dryden Hunt, Josh Mahura, Rick Rypien, Sam Steel, Chandler Stephenson and Austin Wagner.
World juniors-wise, Mayer associated with Eberle, Jay Bouwmeester, Ryan Ellis, Taylor Hall, Dany Heatley, Nazem Kadri, Alex Pietrangelo, Brayden Schenn, Jason Spezza and Jarret Stoll, to name a few.
Karlie McGeough
Karlie is a Marketing Communications Associate with the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation.
Her father, Mick McGeough, refereed 1,091 NHL regular-season games and 76 playoff contests. He worked the 2006 Stanley Cup final between Edmonton and the Carolina Hurricanes.
(Saskatoon-born goaltender Cam Ward, who backstopped Carolina to a title in 2006, is an ardent fan of the Roughriders.)
Mick also tried out for the 1974-75 Pats before spending that season as the captain of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Regina Pat Blues.
Karlie’s uncle, Jim McGeough, scored seven goals in 57 NHL games. He played for Pittsburgh and Washington in the 1980s. (Also of note: He scored an astonishing 93 goals for the WHL’s Billings Bighorns in 1981-82.)
From the it’s-a-small-world-but-a-very-long-column department: Jim McGeough spent the 1983-84 season with the Hershey Bears, whose GM at the time was the aforementioned Frank Mathers.
Ken Preston
Rich Preston, son of the Roughriders’ longest-serving GM (1958-77), is a former NHL player (Chicago, New Jersey Devils) and assistant coach (Anaheim, Chicago, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks).
At 14, Rich Preston was a water boy with the 1966 Grey Cup-champion Roughriders.
With the WHA’s Houston Aeros, Preston played alongside Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.
(An aside: The Roughriders’ annual Green and White intrasquad game is traditionally played on the Saskatoon Minor Football Field, which is part of the expansive Gordie Howe Sports Complex.)
Jordan Reaves
A former defensive end and special-teamer with the Roughriders, Jordan is the younger brother of Minnesota Wild right-winger Ryan Reaves.
Their father, former Blue Bombers running back Willard Reaves, was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 1984.
Al Ritchie
“The Silver Fox,” a former Regina Roughriders head coach and executive member, scouted for the NHL’s New York Rangers from 1933 to 1966.
Torchy Schell
In addition to serving as the Roughriders’ assistant equipment manager from 1976 to 1981, he spent six years (1975 to 1981) evaluating players for NHL Central Scouting.
Brayden Schenn
Referenced earlier in the Greg Mayer item, Schenn was among three triumphant St. Louis Blues players who brought the Stanley Cup to Mosaic Stadium on July 6, 2019, when the Roughriders welcomed the Stampeders.
Schenn — who was joined at the stadium by Blues teammates Tyler Bozak and Jaden Schwartz — had played for the Saskatoon Blades when they were the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup.
That tournament was won by Nathan MacKinnon (now of the Colorado Avalanche) and the Halifax Mooseheads.
Among the attendees at the 2013 Memorial Cup was the Roughriders’ GM of the day, Brendan Taman.
“And I got barked at by a fan as I was leaving a game,” Taman confides. “He said, ‘Taman, you’d better make sure you get the team to the Grey Cup!’ ”
Taman, as always, was obliging.
The Roughriders defeated the visiting Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the 101st Grey Cup, after which Ryan Getzlaf’s older brother was named the game’s most valuable Canadian.
In the crowd at the 2013 Grey Cup was Hollywood legend Tom Hanks, who cheered for the Oakland Seals while growing up in nearby Concord, Calif.
Gerry Odrowski (see: Norm Fong) was an original member of the Seals, as was Pats legend Bill Hicke.
Hicke scored two goals in the Seals’ first game — a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 11, 1967.
In the late 1970s, Hicke chaired the Oldtimers Benefit Hockey Tournament — a fundraiser for the George Reed Foundation.
Seth Strankman
The Roughriders’ Manager, Game Entertainment and Events, boasts an impressive resume that includes five-plus years with the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation — which owns the Flames and Stampeders, among other sporting properties.
Mike Volcan
The veteran CFL defensive lineman attended the Roughriders’ training camp in 1965 after spending 10 seasons with Edmonton.
His son, Mickey Volcan, played for the Flames and Hartford Whalers during a 162-game NHL career.
Most memorably, Mickey Volcan and the Devils’ Garry Howatt were conscripted as linesmen for a Jan. 15, 1983 game between their respective teams after a snowstorm prevented referee Ron Fournier and linesman Ron Asselstine from being able to make it to the Hartford Civic Centre.
New Jersey’s starting goaltender that evening was Glenn (Chico) Resch, who grew up in Regina.
As a youngster, Resch requested and received a chinstrap from Roughriders receiver/linebacker Vernon Vaughn following a game at Taylor Field.
2019 Heritage Classic
On Oct. 26, 2019, the Winnipeg Jets posted a 2-1 overtime victory over Calgary before 33,518 shivering spectators at Mosaic Stadium.
After Bryan Little scored 3:08 into sudden-death play, the Jets celebrated their victory — in the Roughriders’ dressing room.
TAYLOR’S FIELD
It is a great pleasure to pass along the news that my successor as the Regina Leader-Post’s sports editor will be Taylor Shire, who debuts in that capacity on Monday.
Taylor — a brilliant hiring — is highly familiar to a local audience after spending a decade as a sports reporter/anchor at Global Regina.
Previously, he was an intern at the L-P (January to June 2011). From the outset, it was evident to all of us that he was a natural. We were all correct.
Congratulations to Taylor, to my favourite newspaper, and to its readers.
ROLL CREDITS …
Nice people who deserve a plug: Tina Holtby, Kelsey Rosenkranz, Greg Mayer, Karlie McGeough, Jorgen Hus, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Logan Ferland, Albert Awachie, Justin Herdman-Reed, Mitch Picton, Evan Johnson, Dallis Johnson, Maverick Johnson, Jordan Greenly, Tami Makowsky, Jodi Nicholson Hachey, Don Charabin, Ryan Ackerman, Jonathan Hamelin, Mitch Miller, Pamela Sersun, Billie Groom, Don Hewitt, Sean Kleisinger, Taylor Shire, Jill Clark, Kevin Kasha, Brendan Taman, John Maniatis and Paraskevi Filippakopoulos.
