A former Nelson Maple Leaf who won an Olympic medal and was a longtime minor hockey coach in the city will be posthumously inducted in the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Ted Hargreaves, who died in November 2005, will go into the hall under the builder category on July 12. Born in Saskatchewan, Hargreaves played in the NCAA with Brigham Young University and joined Team Canada, with whom he scored one goal and won bronze at the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France. Hargreaves also spent seasons with a Toronto Maple Leafs' affiliate and the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Hockey Association.
Hargreaves joined the Nelson Maple Leafs of the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) in 1971 and spent two seasons with the Leafs as a player-coach. He won an Allan Cup with the Spokane Jets of the WIHL, and rejoined Nelson again from 1974-77.
In announcing his inclusion to the hall, Hargreaves was credited as a pioneer in development. He helped create the first video instruction series on skills, which was adopted by Hockey Canada's national coaches certification program, and drew over 400 illustrations for coaching manuals. Hargreaves was also a provincial head coach and worked with B.C. Hockey for 20 years.
After his playing career came to an end, Hargreaves became a high school teacher in Nelson and coached local minor hockey teams. He led the Nelson Junior Leafs from 1988-1991 and was also one of the first coaches of the West Kootenay Wildcats, who he coached from their inception in 2000 to the time of his death.
Nelson Minor Hockey Association honours its coaches of the year with an award in Hargreaves' name, and Osprey Community Foundation the Ted Hargreaves Fund that provides financial assistance for youth to participate in sports.
Hargreaves will go into the Hall of Fame with players Dan Hamhuis and Shawn Horcoff, builder Mike Penny, pioneer-player-builder Larry Kwong, the 1987 Centennial Cup champion Richmond Sockeyes and the 1978 Allan Cup champion Kimberley Dynamiters.
With files from Nelson sports historian Bill McDonnell.
