NO DOUBTING THOMAS
Gradin to join B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame
Thomas Gradin is synonymous with Vancouver now. It makes his start here a tad more humorous.
“I remember when I was first told that I was going to Vancouver, I didn’t know where it was. I had to find it on a map,” explained Gradin, 60, who was a Canucks centre for eight seasons from 1978-86, and has been a scout with the club since 1993-94.
“I remember when I took the first flight here from Copenhagen over here. They said that when you could see Montreal you were almost there. You didn’t realize that it was another 41/2 hours to go. It was a surprising and shocking experience at that age.”
The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame honoured the classy Swede for his time with the team here Tuesday, naming him part of their 2017 induction class.
“It’s an honour. I don’t expect this to be happening. My career is over. Nobody knows who I am these days, compared to before,” Gradin said.
People may forget that Gradin was actually a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, chosen in the third round, 45th overall, in the 1976 draft. The Canucks, oddly enough, used the 44th pick on winger Rob Flockhart, a Kamloops Chiefs product. He ended up playing 43 games with Vancouver over three seasons, and recorded one goal and two assists.
The Canucks traded for Gradin’s rights in June 1978, sending a 1980 second-round er to the Black hawks. Chicago chose centre Steve Ludzik with that selection.
Gradin went on to play 613 regular-season games with the Canucks, the 13th most in franchise history. His 550 regular-season points, which included 197 goals, led the franchise at one time, but now have him slotted sixth best.
He was part of that run to the 1982 Stanley Cup Final and had an impressive 19 points, including nine goals, in 17 post-season games that spring. Gradin rejected a oneyear deal from the Canucks in the summer of 1986 and ended up signing with the Boston Bruins as a free agent for what would be his final season in the NHL.
His 593 points leave him sixth in scoring among players from his draft class, behind Bernie Federko, Kent Nilsson, Reed Larson, Randy Carlyle and Brian Sutter, respectively.
He may be best known, though, as the first of several Swedish stars with the Canucks. Patrik Sundstrom, Mattias Ohlund, Markus Naslund, Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Alex Edler are among those who followed.
Gradin, Naslund and the twins are all from that same Ornskoldsvik, Sweden area. Gradin said that his mother worked with Naslund’s father and the Sedins’ father, and his mom babysat Naslund for a time.
How much longer Gradin will keep working with the Sedins and the rest of the Canucks remains to be seen. He joked Tuesday that he would keep scouting “until somebody tells me that you can’t.”
He also said that he wanted to stay until the team wins its first Cup.
“That would be a good ending,” he said. “If it happens this year, though, I might go another.”
Other inductees to the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame:
Tony Tanti, who played parts of eight seasons with the Canucks from 1982-90, highlighted by three 40-goal seasons.
Dave Nonis, former Canucks general manager who went on to hold the same position with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Brad Lazarowich, a longtime NHL linesman from North Delta.
Ron Toigo, a Tsawwassen man who founded and still runs the Vancouver Giants and one of the main organizers of the highly successful 2006 world junior championships in Vancouver and Kamloops/ Kelowna.
John Shannon, the Oliver native who’s a former executive producer for Hockey Night In Canada and now a commentator for Rogers Sportsnet.
The 1996-97 Powell River Regals, who captured the Allan Cup senior amateur men’s hockey national crown.