Wayne Dye, named Vernon’s Athlete of the 20th Century, will be honoured in a banner raising ceremony Friday night, Dec. 1, 2017 during a pre-game ceremony at Kal Tire Place where the Vernon Vipers take on the Trail Smoke Eaters.
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November 30, 2017 - 7:30 PM
VERNON - In the late 1960s, hockey night in Vernon brought crowds to their feet, particularly when the feisty, hot shot Wayne Dye hit the ice with the Vernon Essos.
The young man’s talent really came to the attention of fans during the 1969-70 season when he was just 14 years old. It wasn’t unusual to have crowds of 3,000-plus cram into the bleachers at Civic Arena where those arriving late found themselves standing and stacked two deep, says Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame director Kevin Mitchell.
“Dye won the BCJHL scoring title in 1969-70, a year when the Essos used a Jack Marsh overtime goal on Victoria Cougars’ goalie Ed Forslund to win the playoff crown before 5,219 fans at Victoria’s Memorial Arena,” says Mitchell.
It was this unmistakable talent that will see the Vernon Vipers and the City of Vernon raise Dye’s number 8 in the form of a legends banner to the rafters in a special pre-game ceremony this Friday, Dec. 1, when the Vernon Vipers take on the Trail Smoke Eaters at Kal Tire Place. Dye, who died at the young age of 35, was named Vernon’s Athlete of the 20th Century. He will be well represented by family, fans and hockey history buffs as his number and contribution is glorified Friday.
Dye finished his Junior hockey career as a 20-year-old with Punch McLean’s New Westminster Bruins, scoring 35 goals and getting picked 109th overall by Chicago in the 1974 amateur lottery. Wayne, a father of two, was also drafted by the Major League Baseball Seattle Pilots. His late father, Vern, helped found the Vernon franchise and the B.C. Junior Hockey League.
Along with the Dye honour, 1956 Allan Cup champion Vernon Canadians, will also be recognized with the unveiling of a legends banner, commemorating their accomplishments.
The Canadians dispatched the Chatham Maroons 4-1 in the senior hockey final series at Civic Arena that year. Thousands of fans attended a downtown parade to celebrate the championship.
Friday’s ceremony was a joint effort between Mitchell, Roger Knox, a former director with the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame, Vernon Vipers’ executive vice-president Todd Miller, Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund, Dan Bosquet of Wayside Press, who donated the banners and Dye’s brother-in-law Jack Gilroy.
Four of the living Canadians; Merv Bidoski, Odie Lowe, Tom Stecyk and Walt Trentini have been invited along with their families Friday.
The 1956 Allan Cup champion Vernon Canadians will be honoured in a banner raising ceremony Friday night, Dec. 1, 2017 during a pre-game ceremony at Kal Tire Place where the Vernon Vipers take on the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED
News from © iNFOnews, 2017