I couldn’t name many CIS hockey coaches today, but I could back in 1979 when Wayne Fleming was coaching Manitoba, Dave King was coaching Saskatchewan, Clare Drake ran the Alberta program and George Kingston was in charge at Calgary. All four went on to coach professionally and be part of Canada’s Olympic program where King and Drake were among the head coaches from 1980 to 1992. And three of the Canada West coaches, including Fleming, went on to the NHL.

Fleming succumbed to brain cancer after a long battle earlier this week, but from humble beginnings he had an impressive career, and more than that, left his mark with people and players everywhere he went. He had a way about him. If you met Fleming once, you never forgot him. If you had a conversation, it was probably memorable. If you wanted an answer or an opinion, you knew you could trust him to share one.

There are many good people in the hockey business but there is one fewer now than there was last week.

Continued with the usual assortment of Sunday notebook topics represented.