Trotz Joins Wall of Honour Dinner’s Hot Stove Panel
The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation has finalized the list of panelists for the two Hot Stove sessions that will be a big part of its inaugural Wall of Honour induction dinner. Those festivities, during which 45 past and present-day scouts will be honoured, are scheduled for Tuesday, July 30, in the Foothills Centennial Centre, which is connected to the Centennial Arena in Okotoks, Alta. The Wall of Honour has a permanent home in the arena’s foyer.
Barry Trotz, the general manager of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, has confirmed that he will be in attendance at the dinner and will take part in one of the Hot Stove sessions, both of which will have a Tales from the Road theme.
Trotz, a native of Winnipeg, joined the Predators as a scout in 1997, then was the club’s head coach from 1998-99 through 2013-14, when he took over as head coach of the Washington Capitals. In 2018, he stepped in as the head coach of the New York Islanders and stayed through 2021-22. He returned to Nashville as a senior advisor in 2022 and took over as GM in 2023.
Back in the day, he also scouted for the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs and the Capitals. In Okotoks, Trotz will join John Davidson, a senior advisor and alternate governor with the Columbus Blue Jackets; Ken Holland, former general manager of the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers and a Hockey Hall of Famer; Craig Button, TSN’s director of scouting; and Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, a resident physician and assistant GM with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also is a Hockey Hall of Famer as one of the greatest female players in the game’s history.
Archie Henderson, Mike Penny, Brian Skrudland, Al Tuer and Craig MacTavish, all of whom know their way around Western Canada’s arenas, round out the participants who will be split into two groups and deliver their Tales from the Road in front of a sold out crowd of more than 430 eager listeners.
Dennis Beyak, who recently brought his terrific play-by-play career to an end, will be the event’s emcee, as he was on Sept. 30 when the Foundation held its startup banquet, which drew 190 diners, in Okotoks. Beyak will keep things running smoothly through an evening that also will include the auctioning of, among other things, jerseys and NHL ticket packages. The highlight, of course, will be the induction of the Class of 2024 into the Wall of Honour, which is to be officially unveiled just prior to the start of the dinner.
There will also be some great auction packages in play at the upcoming inaugural Banquet which he shown and highlighted on our foundation’s website.
Gregg Drinnan
Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation