Chynoweth

Some sad, sad news for the WHL and Canadian major junior hockey everywhere really....Ed Chynoweth has passed away from kidney cancer this morning. WHL site has a release as well, here.

Chynoweth was the owner of the Kootenay Ice, but more importantly was the president of the WHL for almost a quarter-century and served as commissioner of the CHL for most of those years as well. Few people were as dedicated to or cared as much about junior hockey as big Ed. If not for his leadership of the league through its earlier years when it was full of owners and GMs and coaches with.....let's say "strong personalities"....who knows where the WHL would be today.

As a longtime WHL fan, I cannot count the number of times I went to games at the Saddledome and saw Ed sitting in the second-deck stands watching....not up in the press box or in a club seat or suite like some other bigwigs might be, but in the cheap seats visiting with old friends and NHL scouts, and he would chat with anyone who approached him. I'm sure many of you have similar stories of seeing Ed in your local rinks too, mingling with the common fans, because that's the kind of guy he was. Sad, sad day for us common fans....I'm sure there will be moments of silence before tonight's games. Take that moment to thank Ed for his contributions to the league we all love.