NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Regardless of whether he was in Estevan or New Westminster, B.C., Ernie (Punch) McLean enjoyed success that made him one of the top junior hockey coaches in Canadian history.
Now a group of hockey fans in B.C. is looking to create a lasting tribute to the 93-year-old bench boss who was born and raised in Estevan, and was at one time the Estevan Bruins coach back when the Black and Gold were in what is now the Western Hockey League.
Michael Tuzzi, the director of press and media for the Ernie Punch McLean Legacy Society, said the four-person board is looking to raise funds to build a bronze statue of McLean outside of Queens Park Arena in New Westminster, the site of what Tuzzi called McLean’s greatest accomplishments. McLean guided the New Westminster Bruins to the Memorial Cup tournament four straight years from 1975-1978, winning the national championship in 1977 and 1978.
McLean is supportive of the concept, Tuzzi said, but he adds McLean remains a humble person who doesn't tout his own accomplishments.
Tuzzi pointed out that society member Patrick Singh wrote a song and created a music video, "The Ballad of Punch McLean", which chronicles McLean's life and and now a website to raise funds for the statue.
“We could do something, create a legacy fund and hopefully get a statue up in front of Queen’s Park Arena,” said Tuzzi.
Tuzzi has only started to get to know McLean in the past few months through the work on the legacy project, and they have had some good conversations.
“He’s still sharp as ever for 93,” said Tuzzi. “Pat keeps telling me they’re having trouble trying to get him to rest and calm down. And Punch, at 93, still wants to go, go, go.”
Tuzzi recalls he was 15 years old when he first noticed McLean coaching the Bruins in 1977.
“It was incredible that he ended up taking them to four Memorial Cups [in a row] and winning two,” said Tuzzi.
To Tuzzi and so many other hockey fans in B.C., McLean is a legend, Tuzzi said. More than 80 players he coached went to the NHL, including Stan Smyl, who became the captain of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
“I used to collect all of the newspaper clippings. I had two or three binders full. I just kick myself now because I threw them away later on when I was moving, so I wish I would have kept those," said Tuzzi.
When the WHL Bruins moved from Estevan to New Westminster in 1971, McLean and the team’s general manager, Bill Shinske, went with them. Tuzzi noted McLean remains proud of his Estevan roots, talks fondly of his time in the Energy City, and was even wearing an Estevan Bruins’ coach’s jacket when he dropped the puck during a ceremonial opening face-off before a B.C. collegiate hockey game last month.
When a couple of big birthday celebrations and other events happened for McLean, they attracted a lot of media attention.
“It’s good to see quite the interest, still, after all these years, because he’s still a legend in these parts, especially in New Westminster and Coquitlam,” said Tuzzi.
Born in Estevan in 1932, McLean played youth hockey in the Estevan area and received an invite to a New York Rangers’ training camp as a teen.
McLean coached 16 seasons in the Western Hockey League for Estevan and New Westminster. He also coached Team Canada at the 1978 World Junior Hockey Championships, a team that included Wayne Gretzky.
At the conclusion of his coaching career, McLean was second all-time among Western Hockey League coaches in games (1,067) and wins (548).
