The names — Rick Lapointe, Russ and Geoff Courtnall, Matt Pettinger, and Ryan O’Byrne — say it all. The National Hockey Leaguers, all revered at the Victoria Racquet Club, are positive proof kids can grow up playing hockey in Victoria, and make it to the NHL.
This weekend, in the 41st annual Rick Lapointe Memorial Bantam Triple-A Showcase, 13- and 14-year-old bantam players will be trying to impress the many scouts from the WHL, BCHL and Canadian and American universities expected to be in attendance at the University of Victoria’s Ian Stewart Complex. The players will be putting their best moves on the line, in hopes the effort is worth notice, and a positive tick in a notebook.
The event, today through Sunday, is named in honour of Lapointe, a long-time NHL defenceman from Victoria, who died in 1999, at age 44.
Lapointe was the first Victoria product in 37 years to make it to the NHL. He starred with the Victoria Cougars, and was selected, along with fellow Cougar Mel Bridgman, for the Canadian national junior team. Lapointe was named top defenceman playing for Team Canada, and went on to be drafted in the first round by the Detroit Red Wings in 1975. He played for Philadelphia, St. Louis, Quebec and Los Angeles, in a pro career spanning 11 years.
Tournament director Lorne Hadley, then 28 years old, coached with Lapointe back in ’99, when Lapointe’s son Danny was playing for the Racquet Club.
“He was a nice guy,” Hadley said. “He had lots to offer. He was kind of our eye in the sky. He’d come down between periods and give out pointers.”
Given the Racquet Club’s tournament namesake, along with teams divided into Courtnall, Pettinger, and O’Byrne divisions, the goal of achieving excellence in their sport will never be far from the minds of the young hockey players this weekend. The tournament has grown to become one of the most prestigious bantam events in the province.
“There’s been huge interest. We had 17 teams apply to get in,” Hadley said. “We’ve got some of the top teams coming from Vancouver. It’s exciting.”
The 12 clubs playing this weekend include the Chilliwack Bantam A1 Bruins, Hollyburn Huskies Bantam A1, Richmond Blues, Racquet Club, Coquitlam Chiefs, Juan de Fuca Grizzlies, Semiahmoo Ravens Bantam A1, Vancouver T-Birds Bantam A1, Cowichan Valley Capitals, Langley Eagles, Seafair Bantam A1 and South Delta Storm.
Games run from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, and Sunday’s playoff games are at 8 and 10:30 a.m., with the championship final at 1 p.m.
