Canucks equipment manager Hall bound
Vancouver Canucks equipment manager Pat O’Neill became a little less unheralded on Monday.
O’Neill, who joined the NHL club in 1988 and whose international experience has included working for Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, was part of the 2016 B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame induction class announced during a news conference at Rogers Arena.
Also set to be honoured are former Canucks Brendan Morrison and Murray Baron, BCHL commissioner John Grisdale, longtime Merritt Centennials coach, general manager and executive Brian Barrett and the 1998-99 Vernon Vipers.
O’Neill is from Victoria and started sharpening skates and repairing hockey gear at his family’s sporting goods store there when he was a teenager.
“Those are the guys who are behind the scenes, but they mean a lot to the players,” veteran Canucks winger Daniel Sedin said of O’Neill.
“They help out all the guys, but especially the younger guys.
“Guys like that aren’t mentioned nearly enough when a team has success. Usually, they’re a big part of it.”
O’Neill was with Canadian entries at the 1990 and 2004 world championships, as well as the 1996 World Cup. He took part in NHL all-star games in 1988 and 1992. He worked his 2,500th NHL game Nov. 14, 2014.
Morrison, of Pitt Meadows, spent 14 seasons in the NHL, highlighted by eight with the Canucks, where he starred for much of that time on the West Coast Express line with Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi.
Baron, a Prince George native, played 15 seasons in the NHL, including five with Vancouver.
Ontario transplant Grisdale played six seasons in the NHL, including five with the Canucks. He’s best known for his time running the BCHL, the now 17-team junior-A loop, which sends players on to NCAA programs.
The Centennials are one of the BCHL’s longer-standing teams, dating back to 1974. Barrett signed on initially as general manager and coach in 1979-80. He’s held various titles with the club since then and is currently governor and director of hockey operations.
The 1998-99 Vipers are considered one of the best teams in BCHL history and won the Royal Bank Cup.