The hockey world is in mourning after beloved junior coach Ernie “Punch” McLean died in a car crash in northern B.C. on Friday at age 93. Just this week, McLean was in attendance as supporters launched a campaign to build a statue honouring his legacy at Queens Park Arena in New Westminster, where he holds legendary status. The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame member coached the WHL New Westminster Bruins for 16 seasons, leading them to four consecutive Memorial Cup finals appearances and back-to-back national championships in 1977 and 1978. More than 100 players McLean coached eventually went on to have careers in the NHL. He also holds the second-place record for number of WHL games behind the bench, at 1,067. “On Wednesday we held a celebration of Punch, and at the time we didn’t feel like it was going to be a celebration of life,” TSN broadcaster Farhan Lalji, who hosted the event, told CTV News. He said Punch was “beaming” at the kind words former players had for him, including an email from Wayne Gretzky—who he coached in the World Juniors. “We really thought that in six months’ time we would be there with Punch unveiling the statue. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be able to see that,” Lalji said. The B.C. RCMP says a road maintenance worker reported finding a car fallen down an embankment and a man’s body nearby around 12:15 p.m. on Friday, about 30 kilometres south of Dease Lake in Upper Gnat Pass. “Early investigation indicates the lone male occupant of the vehicle swerved and went off road and appears to have been ejected from the vehicle. No criminality is suspected,” Mounties wrote in a statement. The cause of the crash is currently unknown and police asked anyone who may have witnessed it to call them. After retiring from hockey, McLean prospected for gold near Dease Lake. While working on a gold claim in the area in 2009, the then-77-year-old went missing in the wilderness for four days before he was eventually spotted by a helicopter. “He was larger than life,” Lalji said. “This guy absolutely embodied a life well lived.” He said while the iconic coach may no longer be here to see it, the newly formed Ernie Punch McLean Legacy Foundation is determined to make the statue a reality and create a scholarship in his name. “We want people to be able to remember, and want people to be able to walk outside of Queens Park Arena and see this legendary figure and know that top level junior hockey existed in New Westminster,” he said. Patrick Singh, chair of the foundation—which is seeking donations to get the statue made—first met McLean a few years ago when he asked to write a song about him. After that, they became friends and saw each other nearly every day. Singh said his nickname for McLean was “Dennis the Menace” because he was “a bit of a mischievous guy,” but he was also humble and generous with his time. He said McLean would get recognized and asked for photos whenever they were out and about, especially at Canucks games. “Punch was definitely an iconic figure in the city of New Westminster,” he told CTV News. “Even though the years have gone by he’s still recognized for what he accomplished with not just the team, but being an integral part of the community…he will always mean a lot to this community.”
