Bassen note

I see on Gregg Drinnan's blog - and on NHL.com now - that former NHL goaltender and WHL coach Hank Bassen died of a heart attack on Friday at age 76.

Gregg mentioned what a great person he thought Bassen was, and I have to offer up my own encounter with Hank Bassen as well. About 8 or 9 years ago I was watching the Hitmen playing the Regina Pats, back when the Pats had a kid named Chad Bassen playing for them. Yes, Hank's grandson. Anyway, this older couple happened to be sitting in the two seats next to me and were cheering for the Pats. I got to chatting with them during the first intermission and as you've probably figured out already, it was Hank Bassen and his wife, I believe her name is Shirley?

I've met a lot of nice people in my days of being a WHL fan but the Bassens really stand out in my mind. They were like the grandparents everybody wished they had, just a couple of super nice folks who spent a good chunk of that game chatting with me - somebody they didn't even know. Hank & I both agreed the crappy canned music being played at the game was much, much too loud, and he told me about the experience of playing for the Blackhawks in the old Chicago Stadium when there was no scoreboard exhorting you to CLAP!!! or YAHOO!!! and no audio clips of "musicians" of questionable talent being played at ear-bleeding volumes, just an organ and thousands of leather-lunged fans. What a guy.

So, it's a sad day to hear this news. ...