Good Doctor Makes B.C. Hall Call:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Good doctor makes B.C. Hall call

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star

Published: January 06, 2011

Dr. Duncan Wray received an unexpected phone call from former Vancouver Canuck Darcy Rota a few weeks ago.

Like Wray, Rota has a Royal Bank Cup national junior A hockey championship to his credit. He assembled the Burnaby Express (now Coquitlam) roster that won a banner in 2006.

“You’re joining another club that I’m a member of,” Rota told Wray, referring to the good doctor’s selection to the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Wray, now in his 19th season as owner of the Vernon Vipers/Lakers organization, has four national titles (1996, ‘99, ‘09, ‘10). He enters the Hall in a class headlined by former Colorado Avalanche captain and two-time Stanley Cup winner (Burnaby) Joe Sakic.

Other inductees include former Vancouver Canuck player and assistant coach Jack McIlhargey, long-time NHL referee Rob Schick of Port Alberni and the 1986 Penticton Panthers, who were the first B.C. team to claim a national junior A title.

“That stellar playing career that I had must have convinced them I was a worthy candidate,” laughed Wray, who often jokes he spent the majority of his minor hockey days removing splinters because he rode the pine so much.

More seriously, he added: “It’s humbling when you look at some of the names that are in there. It’s pretty hallowed ground.”

The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame is housed in Penticton’s South Okanagan Events Centre, which is where this year’s induction ceremony will take place in July.

In 1986, Wray, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon by trade, moved to Vernon from Saskatoon where he was teaching at the University of Saskatchewan. He soon became a fan of Lakers hockey and began helping stitch up players’ various facial injuries.

When the opportunity to take over the organization from Mel Lis arose in 1992, Wray jumped at it. He became the majority owner with partner Al Paterson.

“We won’t promise a championship team every year, but we will promise an exciting team,” Wray told The Morning Star shortly after taking over.

It would be difficult to argue he hasn’t delivered on that vow.

Ask Wray how many kids he has and you’ll get a surprising answer.

“Twenty-eight: five of my own and 23 others I’ve adopted every year,” said Wray, who is married to wife, Libby.

He is, of course, referring to the Vipers themselves. Just don’t ask him to choose a favourite team.

“It’s like asking someone who your favourite child is. Every team has been unique.

“We’ve had teams we thought would win and didn’t. We’ve also had teams we didn’t think would go far, but did. You can never tell.”

That mind set pretty much sums up his attitude towards running a junior A hockey franchise. It has become as much a passion as it is a business.

“I live and die with this organization,” said Wray, who can often be seen down in the corners photographing Viper games with his plethora of Canon camera equipment.

He even fills in as Todd Miller’s colour man during radio broadcasts sometimes.

“A lot of them (team owners) treat it as a business and have a passion for hockey, but I don’t think anybody throws as much enthusiasm into it as I do.”

Vipers’ head coach/GM Mark Ferner knows that all too well. He was the victim of one of Wray’s elaborate pranks last season. Wray went to the effort of calling league commissioner John Grisdale and asking him to send a hoax mandate to the Viper office saying coaches must wear helmets during practice.

Dutiful as always, Ferner showed up to the rink wearing a Gretzky-style Jofa helmet and Wray made sure The Morning Star was on hand to capture the hilarity.

But if it wasn’t for coaches like Ferner and the players he and his scouting staff bring in, Wray said Viper hockey wouldn’t be what it is. He surrounds himself with talent, and then lets them do their thing without interfering.

“I like to think I have a hand in most parts of the business, but I let them run with it. I’m not going to undermine the efforts of the people I have working for me.

“There are so many people who have helped me in this career. I didn’t do this on my own.”

Jason Williamson has been with the Vipers as both a player (1999-2002) and assistant coach (since 2007-08).

“As a player, I don’t think you could ask for much more in an owner. He gives you everything you need to go out on the ice and have success,” said Williamson, who reached two league finals as a player. “As an employee, it’s the same thing.”

Williamson celebrated his 30th birthday as the Vipers entertained the Langley Chiefs Thursday night at Wesbild Centre.

The Vipers (22-8-4-7), tied with the Penticton Vees (26-12-2-1) for first in the Interior, begin a home-and-home series with the Westside Warriors tonight at Royal LePage Place. The two teams play again Saturday at Wesbild. The fourth-place Warriors (22-14-2-3) trail the Vipers by six points.