1978-79 BWK Series — Day 8 — Patrick’s arrival a huge boon for team

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This article was published 03/08/2021 (1771 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s hard to dispute that great genetics run in the Patrick family.

Brandon Wheat Kings forward Stephen Patrick — he prefers Stephen to Steve, as he is widely known by in the hockey world — was the son of Steve Patrick, the Glenella product who played 13 seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, including four Grey Cup championship teams. Steve was later inducted into the Blue Bomber Hall of Fame, the Order of the Buffalo Hunt and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. 

Stephen carved out his own path in professional sports, playing 250 National Hockey League games over six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.

And in perhaps the ultimate future considerations, his son Nolan joined the Wheat Kings 25 years after Stephen left and the third generation talent blossomed into a Western Hockey League star. 

Patrick wasn’t initially sure he wanted to play in the WHL, instead staying with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s St. James Canadians with the intention of going to college. He played a game with the Wheat Kings on Nov. 11, went home and skated with the Canadians again, and ultimately joined Brandon for good on Nov. 22. 

Nicknamed “Archie” by his teammates, he settled in with Dave Stewart and Dave McDonald on the second line, contributing 23 goals and 31 assists in 52 games to finish seventh in team scoring. 

Patrick added 18 more points in 22 playoff games.

He spent two more seasons with Brandon before turning pro, and retired from hockey after the 1985-86 season.

The Patricks are the only father-son duo in Wheat Kings history to both win a WHL championship with a franchise that earned the top prize in 1979, 1996 and 2016.

He now owns his own company, Patrick Realty, in Winnipeg.

RICK KNICKLE: “What a talent. He was a guy who hit like a football player. His dad was football player. Stephen was one of those guys who was really quirky but in a good way. He was a guy who really didn’t know his own strength and his own talent.”

LAURIE BOSCHMAN: “Stephen was a great junior player. He played on the right side and I think he might have played a little bit of centre after we left. He was a big, strong guy, good skater, could really do it all.”

WES COULSON: “Stephen was another big guy with good skill level who could skate and shoot. He was one of those guys who at the age, he played a role and played it very well and scored some goals and wasn’t afraid to bang guys around. He had quite a bit of skill.”

BRIAN PROPP: “Stephen was another big strong guy who had a right-handed shot and fit in with the younger guys. He was a good forward, and good hard, heads-up guy. He got a chance with Dunc to play a little bit more. We could have scored more goals but we didn’t need to. We let the younger guys have a chance to improve themselves too, and that’s why Dunc was such a good coach. He let people know what they have and that they had to work for everything. You don’t have to get crazy, just practise hard and find a way.”

GREGG DRINNAN (Brandon Sun): “Stephen was a big kid. He played that one game to prove he could play in the league if he wanted to. He went back to the St. James Canadians, but it wasn’t long until he came back. He was one of the final pieces they needed, him and Dave McDonald and Kelly Elcombe. Every time I see Nolan I think of Stephen because they have the same skating style. The first time I saw Nolan it blew me away … At that time, Stephen was a bit of a plodder but had really good hands for a big guy. He was kind of shy. Certainly in his early days with the Wheat Kings, I think it came a little fast to him so it was like his head was in the clouds for a little bit until he got comfortable.”

RICK KNICKLE: “Stephen was part of the posse, the Winnipeg guys with Dave McDonald and Kelly Elcombe. They came a little bit later in the season. He was another guy who I gravitated to. There were about five or six of us with Dave Stewart and Kelly McCrimmon and Donny Dietrich. We didn’t have cliques … We just had certain guys who were the same age or had girlfriends of girlfriends … Stevie was a good guy and a good player.”

TIM LOCKRIDGE: “Steve was a good guy. He was just a big strong guy and he made a difference. He was on the second line with Stewie most of the time. He was just a good hockey player. He was so athletic, he was six-foot-three and could skate like the wind.”

DAVE CHARTIER: “(Stephen) was big and strong. He was always bigger than everybody else.”

KELLY McCRIMMON: “Stephen joined us late and it was a real recruiting coup for us. He was so talented, a physical specimen, big and strong, a great skater.”

MIKE PEROVICH: “(Stephen) was a serious kid. You could tell he was going to go somewhere. He was younger than us so I didn’t get to know him much off the ice. He had a good work ethic.”

RAY ALLISON: “Steve was a big guy, a big right-handed shot. He was a good player.”

DAVE STEWART: “Stephen was a scorer in junior. He was a big boy too. I enjoyed Steven on my wing. I had Steven and Dave on my wings and they both had good size. We gelled pretty good. Stephen is a little bit of a character too. We were always throwing shots and Stephen was always in there. He liked to start the shots with him and Dave (McDonald) and Kelly Elcombe, the Winnipeg boys. It was good fun.”

DON GILLEN: “(Stephen) was a good guy with a good attitude as far as a friendly guy. He was a very good athlete … He was a heck of a strong skater, good shot, he had all the aspects.”

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