Podcast: MacLeod, Nieuwendyk talk about induction into Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame

“When you grow up in the province and you get the opportunities I’ve been provided, it’s because of the people involved in hockey across Alberta,” she said. “It’s a humbling moment. My career’s been built on the shoulders of some incredible people, so for me it’s an opportunity to reflect on those people and be grateful for the effect they’ve had on me.”

The blueliner represented Alberta at the 1999 and 2001 National Championships and later played with the Wisconsin Badgers for four years in the NCAA.

She played in the 2003, 2004 and 2006 Four Nations Cups, where she won a pair of gold medals. She also won a gold medal in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Hockey Championship.

“Those are obviously incredible moments and a lot of work goes in trying to not only make those teams but then achieve the goal collectively to win an Olympic gold medal,” she added. “To do that in 2006 and then repeat it again in 2010 was really quite special.”

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A key influence on MacLeod was Judy Diduck, who is also from Alberta. The Spruce Grove, native said that when she got the opportunity to play alongside Diduck on the Calgary Oval X-treme as a 16-year-old, she learned a ton from her both on and off the ice.

“To me it’s the smaller moments that really sort of resonate with you as a person but certainly was fortunate to be a part of some pretty big moments as well and I’m grateful for that.”

After playing, she went on to coach at Mount Royal University before becoming the assistant coach for the Japanese national team in 2012. Most recently in 2023, she was named the head coach for the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Ottawa Charge and is also the head coach of the Czechia women’s national team.

She explained a number of coaches had a profound impact on her and inspired her to become a coach, including Wally Kozak who was a mentor to her on Team Canada.

She also learned from her coach at the University of Wisconsin, Mark Johnson. Johnson was a part of the 1980 U.S. men’s national team that defeated the Soviet Union in the ‘Miracle on Ice’ game.

She also credited Melody Davidson, who was head coach of the Canadian women’s national team.

“All of those people inspired me to not only play the game, but to one day coach the game. It was a pretty smooth transition for myself and I’ve been able to do some pretty nifty things on the coaching side,” she said. “I like working hard at it, I like having fun with it, and it’s always changing so it keeps me on my toes.”

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One of the most recognizable inductees includes Ryan Smyth who spent 15 out of 19 seasons in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. He also played for the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings.

During his time in Edmonton, he tied Glenn Andersen in 2014 for the most power play goals recorded at 126, surpassing Wayne Gretzky who had 125. He also won five gold medals playing for Team Canada.

He did not make an appearance at the ceremony because of a prior commitment. Instead, his father and mother accepted the award on his behalf.

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Howie Draper, who now coaches after a five-year playing career with the University of Alberta men’s hockey team ending in 1990, was also inducted.

Seven years after he finished playing, he became the head coach for the University of Alberta’s women’s hockey team up to 2023. During that time, they won eight national championships.

In 2023, he became the head coach for the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) New York Sirens but returned to the U of A as head coach for 2024-25.

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Garry Unger had a storied career which included 16 seasons in the NHL and a league record for most consecutive games played in the regular season with 914.

During his playing career, he suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta Flames, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.

After his time in the NHL, he played in the British Hockey League for the Dundee Rockets and the Peterborough Pirates. He scored 95 goals in only 30 games with the Pirates.

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The 1995 Calgary Canucks who won the Centennial Cup National Championship in the Canadian Junior ‘A’ Hockey League were all back together for the first time in many years to be inducted.

The Canucks won the title with a 5-4 overtime victory scored by Jason Abramoff over the host Gloucester Rangers.

The team earned their spot in the tournament by winning the Alberta Junior Hockey League playoffs.

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Legendary general manager Cliff Fletcher, who was also not at the ceremony, was inducted after a 48-year NHL career in which he served as GM for the 1972 Atlanta Flames — the team which later became the Calgary Flames in 1980. He stayed in the position and helped Calgary win the Stanley Cup in 1989.

He also served as GM for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1991, followed by short stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Phoenix Coyotes. He returned to the Leafs in 2001 as interim GM for six months.

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Joe Nieuwendyk said being inducted into the Hall is special for him and his family.

Nieuwendyk is a legend of the game, which included 20 seasons in the NHL, nine of those with the Calgary Flames.

“My buddy Al Coates (Hall board chairmen) called me a couple of months ago and said they’d like to induct me and I was thrilled. I found out Cliff was going in and I felt a little uneasy because he’s the man, the architect, and I was just a piece of the puzzle,” he said.

“It’s a great thrill. So much of my career was here in Alberta that I kind of grew up here as a hockey player. It’s awesome.”

He helped the Flames win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship before moving on to play for the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. He also won the Stanley Cup in Dallas in 1999 and New Jersey in 2003.

He was joined by former Flames teammates Tim Hunter, Joel Otto, and Colin Patterson at the event, all of whom taught him about what it took to win in the NHL.

“I was 22-years-old when we won the Cup way back when. I thought it was going to be easy from that point, but to see what it meant to those guys was very important for me in that stage of my career,” he said. “It was just a wonderful group of people that we had not only here in Calgary, but up in Edmonton. There was no better rivalry in sports at that time too.”

The 1989 title still stands as the only Stanley Cup in Calgary Flames history. Meantime, the Edmonton Oilers had won back-to-back titles in 1987, 1988, and again the year after the Flames in 1990.

This made for some memorable playoff moments between the two Alberta franchises.

“That Cup early on really sticks out [in my career] because, like I said, we won with Dallas and New Jersey, but when I get together with these guys, it’s a bond that’s lasted forever,” Nieuwendyk said.

“We just had our 35th anniversary last spring and we all knew what we went through, how hard it was to achieve that, and so we’ll have that bond forever.”

Throughout his career, he brought home plenty of hardware including the 1988 Calder Memorial Trophy, the 1995 King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the 1999 Conn Smythe Trophy.

He also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Sale Lake City Winter Olympics, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

After retirement, he became general manager of the Dallas Stars from 2009-13.

“I had a long career and I enjoyed every second of it. Not many guys get to play 20 years, but I was very fortunate to play almost half my career in Calgary, and what a wonderful place to play. These guys treated me well and I learned so much from the veteran group and that helped me the rest of my career.”

by Ian Gustafson

Podcast: MacLeod, Nieuwendyk talk about induction into Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame

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