cowboyblue
I was trying to get more info about the coaching staff of the New Westminster bruins, in the late 1970's. My grandfather, BILL SMITH, was a part of that, but I can't find any information.
New Westminster Bruins
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replied to: cowboyblue
NWBruin
Replied to: I was trying to get more info about the coaching staff...
Actually Bill Smith wasn't part of the coaching staff but did some work part-time in the Bruin's office in Queen's Park Arena.
Only full time paid people were the following:
Ernie "Punch" McLean was the coach.
The late Bill Shinske was the general manager.
Larry Dean was the trainer.
Barbara Bensmiller was the office manager.
The team scouts were paid small amounts but they had full time employment in other jobs.
The budget was around $250,000 for the team during the seventies decade. Season ticket prices were $30 dollars for children under 12, $65 for seniors and students and $90 for adults. The last couple seasons went up to $110.00 for adults (not sure about the others). The second franchise more than doubled the prices.
Doug Sauter for only a couple years served as Ernie's assistant coach. He originally was a backup goalie for the New Westminster Bruins in their original couple seasons (1971-73) and mainly ended up in the late 70s coaching the Abbotsford Flyers of the B.C. Junior Hockey League (a Bruin farm team). There was no other assistant coach during the period except Doug Sauter.
Ernie and Bill owned the team from the mid-sixties when they were in Estevan (operated as the Estevan Bruins). They moved the team to New Westminster for the 1971-72 season and owned it till the 1979-80 season than sold the franchise to Nelson Skalbania (He had Muzz McPherson as coach for the 1980-81 season). Skalbania sold the team than to Peter Pockington who moved the franchise to Kamloops to become the Kamloops Junior Oilers for a couple seasons and than Pockington sold the team to a large number of Kamloops business people who renamed them the Kamloops Blazers.
A second New Westminster Bruins team was created in the 1983-84 season when the Nanaimo Islanders were bought by Ron Dixon but they lasted only five seasons before Dixon moved the club to Tri City to become the Americans. Bill Shinske assisted in the first season (1983-84) of that team in the front office part-time only.
I know Bill Smith died a bunch of years ago and just very recently Barbara lost her husband.
I was a season ticket holder for both New Westminster Bruin franchises. I meet your grandfather a couple times in the office.
Only full time paid people were the following:
Ernie "Punch" McLean was the coach.
The late Bill Shinske was the general manager.
Larry Dean was the trainer.
Barbara Bensmiller was the office manager.
The team scouts were paid small amounts but they had full time employment in other jobs.
The budget was around $250,000 for the team during the seventies decade. Season ticket prices were $30 dollars for children under 12, $65 for seniors and students and $90 for adults. The last couple seasons went up to $110.00 for adults (not sure about the others). The second franchise more than doubled the prices.
Doug Sauter for only a couple years served as Ernie's assistant coach. He originally was a backup goalie for the New Westminster Bruins in their original couple seasons (1971-73) and mainly ended up in the late 70s coaching the Abbotsford Flyers of the B.C. Junior Hockey League (a Bruin farm team). There was no other assistant coach during the period except Doug Sauter.
Ernie and Bill owned the team from the mid-sixties when they were in Estevan (operated as the Estevan Bruins). They moved the team to New Westminster for the 1971-72 season and owned it till the 1979-80 season than sold the franchise to Nelson Skalbania (He had Muzz McPherson as coach for the 1980-81 season). Skalbania sold the team than to Peter Pockington who moved the franchise to Kamloops to become the Kamloops Junior Oilers for a couple seasons and than Pockington sold the team to a large number of Kamloops business people who renamed them the Kamloops Blazers.
A second New Westminster Bruins team was created in the 1983-84 season when the Nanaimo Islanders were bought by Ron Dixon but they lasted only five seasons before Dixon moved the club to Tri City to become the Americans. Bill Shinske assisted in the first season (1983-84) of that team in the front office part-time only.
I know Bill Smith died a bunch of years ago and just very recently Barbara lost her husband.
I was a season ticket holder for both New Westminster Bruin franchises. I meet your grandfather a couple times in the office.