Vees to marshal parade
For those who missed the chance to cheer on the 2012 RBC Cup champion Penticton Vees, they will get another chance. The Vees will act as honorary parade marshals in the Peters Bros. Grand Parade on Aug. 11 for the 65th annual Penticton Peach Festival. Peach Festival president Don Kendall said organizers are pleased to honour the national champions. “The Vees put together one of the greatest seasons in Canadian junior hockey history,” Kendall said. “It will be great to cheer for them one more time.” The parade gets under way at 10 a.m. Peach Festival is scheduled Aug. 8 to 12. For further information, go to www.peachfest.com.
BCHHF induction ceremony
The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton is holding an induction ceremony on Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre at 7 p.m. Being inducted are retired NHLers Scott Niedermayer and Rod Brind’Amour, along with BCHHF founder Scott Carter, CBC Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Jim Hughson and long time administrator and coach Bob Hindmarch. Niedermayer played 18 seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks, winning four Stanley Cups, three of them with the Devils. He also won a Memorial Cup with the Kamloops Blazers in 1992 and represented Canada helping the country win its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years. Brind’Amour played 20 season in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2006, he won his lone Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes. Carter, a Penticton resident, was part of a local ownership group that purchased the team in 2004 and helped turn the Vees franchise around. Hindmarch received the 2010 Order of B.C. and was general manager and assistant coach for Father David Bauer’s Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team in 1964. While in Penticton for the induction ceremony, he will be at Hooked on Books Saturday for a reading and signing event for his book Catch On And Run With It/The Sporting Life And Times Of Dr. Bob Hindmarch. Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling Bruce Judd at 250-488-8695.
Men’s slo pitch
In Penticton men’s slo pitch action, the Gutter Done Right Titans crushed Brewski’s 27 to 8. The Titans then defeated the Best Damn Sluggers 19-10. TDA defeated the Brewski’s 19-1.
OHA midget girls going to Canada camp
Hannah Miller and Alexa Ranahan have been chosen for the final round of selections for Canada’s women’s under-18 program. Hockey Canada announced Tuesday the 40 players who have been invited to Canada’s national women’s under-18 team selection camp, taking place Aug. 2 to 14 at the WinSport Canada Athletic & Ice Complex in Calgary.
“We are extremely proud to have both Hannah and Alexa attending the final selection camp for U-18 World’s, said head coach Rebecca Russell. “These camps are an experience of a life time and both girls disserve it. They have worked very hard to get to this point and OHA is lucky and proud to have them represent us at the National Team Level.”
Hunter leaving OHA for Capitals
Tim Hunter has been hired by the Washington Capitals to be an assistant coach. The OHA said Hunter helped the Capitals reach the Stanley Cup final in 1998 and the team reached the postseason in three of his five seasons with Washington, compiling a record of 192-159-51-8 (.540 percentage).
Hunter coached the OHA Varsity Red team for the 2011/2012 season leading the team to an Canadian Sport School Hockey Leauge first place finish. The team also won four of the most prestigious awards in their division including MVP, Most Sportsmanlike, Student Athlete of the Year and Best Goaltender of the year. They finished with the most goals for in their division and second fewest goals against.
“I want to thank Andy, Dixon and Blake for allowing me to spend the winter coaching at OHA,” said Hunter in a release. “I was allowed to implement my hockey philosophy and all my boys improved and we all had a great year. Coaching at OHA is pure coaching and it was a great reminder for me of the importance of teaching the fundamentals of hockey.”
