There’s a special connection that the game of hockey has to small towns in Canada. The local rink is often the focal point of the community, a part of the fabric of the town, a place where a lifetime of memories are made.
An hour and a half east of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway sits Vermilion, Alberta. It’s a close-knit farming community of just over 4,000 people with a rich hockey heritage. Over the years, there have been many players and people with a connection to Vermilion that have made it to the NHL.
On Nov. 1, the Edmonton Oilers will be honouring Vermilion, the area, and its fans with an Oilers Day visit followed by recognition throughout the Nov. 4 home game at Rogers Place vs. the Nashville Predators.
The Mayor of Vermilion, Greg Throndson (who wasn’t a bad hockey player in his day) said, “As a lifelong Oilers fan, I am overcome with joy that the Edmonton Oilers have chosen Vermilion as an Oil Country community. The excitement this brings to our community will be remembered for years to come.”
Small Prairie Town With A Big Time Love of Hockey
Vermilion is a proud community boasting connections to professional hockey for over 100 years. Many players who were born in Vermilion or played there have definitely helped put the town on the map in terms of impact and influence on the hockey world.
Some of the notable NHL players and people with close connections to Vermilion include:
Ernie Kenny – Born in Vermilion in 1907, Kenny played 10 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.
Art Wiebe – Wiebe played defence with the Chicago Blackhawks from 1932-1944 and won a Stanley Cup with the Hawks in 1937. He was born in Rosthern, Saskatchewan, and was raised in Vermilion. The Art Wiebe Memorial Trophy is given out to the player in the entire Vermilion minor hockey system who best shows sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.
Brent Macnab – Defenceman and member of the Vancouver Canucks of the old WHL, Macnab won two Lester Patrick Cups with the Canucks in 1958 and 1960 and was also an alternate captain and member of the Quebec Aces in 1956-57 under coach Punch Imlach. Macnab had a famous teammate on that Aces team in Willie O’Ree and the team ended up winning the Edinburgh Trophy in 1957-58. Macnab’s oldest son Mike won an Alberta Provincial Jr. B Championship with the Vermilion Jr. Tigers in the 1970s, while Brent’s youngest son Blair won a Provincial Jr. B Championship in the 1980s as a member of the Wainwright Bisons.
Rich Healey – A former Vermilion Sr. Tiger from 1967-68, Healy played one game in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1960–61 season on Jan. 4, 1961, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1959 to 1970, was spent in various minor leagues.
Bill “Cowboy” Flett – He was born in Vermilion in 1943, and played his minor hockey in Okotoks, Alberta. Flett once scored 43 goals with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1972-73 season and won a Stanley Cup with the Flyers in 1973-74. He ended his career as an original member of the Oilers of the NHL in the 1979-80 season.
Ron Jones – Jones was born in Vermilion in 1951 and played on the famous Vermilion Kinsmen Pontiacs who were the 1967 Midget Provincial Champions. His career took him from Vermilion to the Jr. A Edmonton Oil Kings to being a Boston Bruins first-round draft pick (sixth overall) in the 1971 NHL Draft. Jones was in good company as the sixth pick as Guy Lafleur was taken number first overall and Marcel Dionne was selected second. Jones played for the Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals during his injury-shortened career.
Miles Zaharko and John Paul (J.P.) Kelly – Zaharko and Kelly are linked because they were teammates on the 1974 Vermilion Jr. Tiger Alberta Provincial championship team. Zaharko was drafted 20th overall in 1977 by the Atlanta Flames, while Kelly was taken 50th overall in the 1979 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.
Both players were playing for the Jr. Tigers when Vermilion hosted the Lethbridge Native Sons in a playoff game that featured over 2,000 fans in the Vermilion Stadium. That was considered an unbelievable turnout considering the population of Vermilion at the time was just around 3,000 people.
Jeff Woywitka – Woywitka was drafted in the first round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers 27th overall. He played in 278 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and New York Rangers. One of the biggest goals of Woywitka’s career came at the World Jr. Hockey Tournament in January 2003. He scored the winning goal at 11:20 of the third period to give Canada a 3-2 win over the United States squad and a berth in the Final against Russia. Woywitka’s dad Ken played on the 1967 Provincial Champion Midget team along with many other notable players from the Vermilion area.
Brandon Baddock – Drafted 161st overall by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Baddock has played in one game in the NHL so far with the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 30, 2021. He is currently under contract with the Minnesota Wild and is highly regarded for his junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings where he won a Memorial Cup in 2014 and was captain in 2015-16. Baddock’s grandfather Bud was manager of the 1967 Provincial Midget Champion team in Vermilion, while his dad Brent and his uncle Larry both played for the Vermilion Jr. Tigers.
Grant McNeill – Born in Vermilion, McNeill was drafted 68th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers and played three games with the Panthers in the 2003–04 season. McNeill’s parents were both phys-ed teachers at J.R. Robson High School in Vermilion.
Jim Fleming – Born in Vermilion, Jim played for the University of Alberta Golden Bears when they won the league championship in 1964 and was the top scorer on the team that won Nationals. Fleming coached minor hockey in Vermilion for 17 years and college hockey for two years. He also organized and operated the Vermilion Hockey School for 15 years. Jim continues to instruct at hockey schools, and has his own school in Edmonton. He continues to teach power skating and has written a book on it. Jim assisted in rewriting the Hockey Canada Skills Manual, was chairman of “Player Development” for Hockey Alberta, and was recognized as one of the 100 Builders of Minor Hockey in Alberta.
Related: Penguins’ Dan McLean: From the Prairies to Australia to the NHL
Dan McLean – Pittsburgh Penguins amateur scout Dan McLean is entering his sixth season as an NHL scout. He played for the Vermilion Jr. Tigers in the early 1980s and went on to become head coach of Australia’s National Jr. Hockey Team and eventually a Western Hockey League (WHL) scout with the Seattle Thunderbirds before joining the Penguins.
Rusty Stalwick – Stalwick was a minority owner of the Oilers when the Edmonton Investors Group saved the team back in the late 1990s and kept the team in Edmonton.
A Personal Favourite Hockey Story With Ties to Vermilion
Growing up in Vermilion, one of my favourite connections to hockey has to do with former postmaster Ted Herbert and his grandson Rick, who he proudly talked about every moment he could.
Rick Herbert’s story is really quite amazing. Prior to Connor Bedard, he was the last person to represent the Regina Pats as a full-time underage player, so he’s definitely in good company (from “Harder ‘Connor Bedard will have a kindred observer in his rookie season with the Regina Pats’, Regina Leader-Post 06/20/20).
Rick was also childhood friends with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Larry Walker. Both Herbert and Walker tried out for the Pats together in 1982. Herbert made the team and Walker got cut and eventually turned to baseball, and the rest is history. In an interview with Sports Illustrated years later Walker told the story this way, “Rick Herbert’s father (Ken) drove him and me to the tryout,” Walker says. “Rick made the team. I didn’t. I drove back with his father, 15 hours from Saskatchewan.”
When I reached out to Rick Herbert about his connection to Vermilion, he fondly recalled spending several summers in Vermilion, where he attended the Vermilion Summer Vacation Hockey School.
Great Hockey Memories in Vermilion
Vermilion has amazing hockey memories for me and countless others who grew up and cheered for the Jr. B Tigers or played hockey there. I don’t think the Oilers could find a more deserving community to honour as an Oil Country feature town. I’m looking forward to Nov. 1, 2023, as I know it will be another great chapter in a town filled with so many great hockey memories.
