Tuer set to receive Hockey Canada Award
Graham Tuer, the long-time WHL scout and minor-hockey volunteer was true to form this week while questioning what he had done to deserve one of Hockey Canada’s highest honours — an Order of Merit for dedicated service to the game.
The Regina product is slated to receive the award today in Toronto at a banquet held in conjunction with Hockey Canada’s spring congress.
“I don’t know who I bought the whiskey for at the right time,” Tuer said with a laugh. “It’s going to be nice to put that on my (resume) the next time I apply for a job.”
“I’m truthfully very humbled,” he said. “I hope it has some impact on some of the other people around so they realize that awards like this are available for involving themselves in the community.
Tuer is to be joined at the awards ceremony by his sons Al and Greg. Al Tuer — who played 57 NHL games during a 10-year pro career — is a former WHL player and coach who’s currently working as a scout with the Florida Panthers.
Graham has been involved in hockey for over 50 years, perhaps best known for his time in the early ’90s as the Pats’ assistant GM and director of player personnel. He also served as the manager of the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, winning the Air Canada Cup national championship in 1988.
Tuer has been on the board of directors with the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League since 1982 and was instrumental in the creation of the Saskatchewan Development Model in 2007 which helped improve the working relationship between the WHL, SJHL and midget ranks.
A 2012 inductee in the Regina Sports Hall of Fame, Tuer’s name adorns a banner on the west wall of the Brandt Centre as one of the key builders in Pats’ franchise history. He received the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award in 2010, complementing numerous other volunteer-based honours from organizations like Sask Sport and the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.
In 2007, Hockey Regina named a tournament in his honour — the Graham Tuer Bantam AA Challenge.
Although he’s well into his retirement years — his actual age is a carefully guarded secret — Tuer remains active as a scout with the WHL-champion Kelowna Rockets and NHL Central Scouting.
“Hopefully I’ve been able to do some good,” added Tuer, a long-time promoter of player development and education. “It has been a great thing being involved at every level of the game and I appreciate it very much. If I didn’t think it was going to help the players and the game, I wouldn’t do what I do.”
Reprinted from the Regina Leader Post
