St. Catharines OHL squad add former NHL goalie to the ranks

Niagara | St Catharines | Hockey | Sports |

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Published November 8, 2022 at 9:18 am

The Niagara IceDogs have added former NHL goalie Rick Wamsley as a Hockey Consultant.

The Niagara IceDogs already have Wayne Gretzky as a co-owner so it hardly seem possible to add any more NHL star power to the team.

Yet the OHL’s team majority owner Darren DeDobbelaer did precisely that by adding former NHL goalie Rick Wamsley as a Hockey Consultant.

Perhaps if the two former NHLers sit down to coffee some day, they can discuss the time that the Oilers came into St Louis on December 15, 1984 and Gretzky put four goals past Wamsley in an 8-2 win. Granted, that was just 38 years ago so it might still be too fresh to bring up.

Nonetheless, Wamsley is pumped about the new opportunity.

“I am grateful for the opportunity presented by Darren (DeDobbelaer) to join the IceDogs team,” said Wamsley. “I am especially excited to give back to the Niagara Region and the OHL, which was so instrumental for my journey as I pursued a career in hockey.”

Indeed, the Simcoe native is no stranger to the Niagara Region as he began his junior hockey career with the St. Catharines Fincups in 1976.

After 12-year, 204-win NHL career as a goaltender with the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs, Wamsley moved into a hockey operations role in Toronto, serving as a pro and amateur scout with the Leafs and an assistant coach under Pat Burns.

In the 2000 expansion, he joined the Columbus Blue Jackets as a scout and goaltending coach for six years. Following the 2005-2006 season, Wamsley accepted a position with the St. Lous Blues coaching staff. He served as an assistant coach and goalie coach for four seasons before moving back to Canada. From there, Rick joined the Ottawa Senators as a goaltending coach from 2010-2016

“Rick’s resume speaks for itself,” said DeDobbelaer. “He is a character person, as well as a ‘been there, done that’ guy. He will for sure help the IceDogs get to the next level.”

Presently, the IceDogs are eighth in the OHL East Division with a 4-8-3 record.

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