Legendary Tales from the Bench: Ernie “Punch” McLean on Coaching, Chaos, and the Birth of the WHL

About this episode

Pete Fry interviews Ernie “Punch” McLean about his coaching experiences and the origins of the WHL.

Send us Fan Mail In this historic and wildly entertaining episode, Pete Fry sits down with the one and only Ernie “Punch” McLean—a two-time Memorial Cup champion, iconic junior hockey coach, and foundational figure in the creation of the Western Hockey League. From outsmarting referees with water bottles to putting a goon in net for a penalty shot, Punch shares his unfiltered, unbelievable, and hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from decades in the game. You’ll hear: The wild “water bottle t...

People in this episode

Host: Pete Fry

Guest: Ernie “Punch” McLean

Topics covered

• coaching
• hockey history
• junior hockey
• WHL creation
• sports anecdotes

Keywords

• Ernie McLean
• coaching stories
• hockey anecdotes
• WHL
• Memorial Cup

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Western Hockey League

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