WHILE many players and teams, featuring a solid mixture of skill and physicality, from the Lakehead went on to achieve great success over the years, there were others who did likewise in other locations within the confines of chilly rinks and arenas. One such individual was Lou Passador.
Getting involved in coaching at an early age, Passador was instrumental of the success gained within the Fort William Hurricanes organization.
In just his second year at the helm of the Herks junior squad in 1951-52, he led them to great things.
After finishing third in the four-team Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League standings that season, a point behind the Port Arthur Flyers, the Herks went on sweep them in three straight games in semifinal action.
Meeting the front-running Port Arthur West End Bruins in the league championship series, Passador knew his club would have a stern test.
The West End Bruins had won four straight TBJHL titles and had also captured the Memorial Cup in 1948.
Undaunted, Fort William took the opening two match-ups by identical 4-3 scores, then split the remaining four contests, featuring another 4-3 triumph in the finale to hoist the league trophy.
Heading to the western playdowns, the Passador’s club kept it going by crowning the Winnipeg Monarchs three games to one, along with a pair of draws.
Next came the Abbott Cup western final against a quality Regina Pats contingent.
Starting at home at the recently opened Fort William Gardens, the Hurricanes took two of three, but with injuries to a number of key players, that added edge helped the Pats prove to be too strong in Saskatchewan as they skated away with three-straight decisions to take the series in six.
Off the ice, Passador showed he had a keen eye for talent and played an essential role in the Detroit Red Wings signing the legendary Alex Delvecchio after doing some scouting locally for the famed Jack Adams, who ran the Red Wings.
His skill-set bird-dogging talent did not go unnoticed as Passador went on to be hired to serve as a scout for the fabled Montreal Canadiens, joining another local icon, in Mickey Hennessy, in working with the team in a similar capacity.
In his tenure with the Habs, Passador went on to work as their chief eastern scout for close to a decade, in which Montreal won five Stanley Cups in that span.
Back in 1961, he left the Canadiens after being tabbed to serve as general manager of the North Bay Trappers franchise in the newly-minted Eastern Pro Hockey League.
After a short stint there, it was back to the NHL for Passador as he joined the New York Rangers to run their scouting department.
For the next 13 years, from 1963 through ’76, his efforts helped the Rangers improve their fortunes with the big club, as well as at the minor league levels where their affiliate teams went on to achieve success.
While drafting such future standouts as Brad Park, Passador’s contributions in recruitment helped move New York into one of the top teams in the NHL.
Heading to the St. Louis Blues in a similar role, he spent six more seasons with them, eyeing talent globally with still being based in Thunder Bay.
After that, NHL Central Scouting came calling where he served on the league’s staff in scouting potential future stars and saw the likes Mario Lemieux go No. 1 overall.
Stepping aside into retirement at age 65 in 1987, following 35-plus years of involvement, he stayed partially within the game on a three-year stint as a consultant, as his fitting and worthwhile run, as a legendary scout, came to a conclusion.
Inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, Lou Passador served the hockey community extremely well and is richly deserving of the accolades bestowed upon him for his decades of excellence.