Sherwood Bassin

Sherwood Bassin (born August 14, 1939) is a Canadian ice hockey executive known primarily for 36 years of involvement in the Ontario Hockey League as a general manager, team owner and coach. Bassin successfully turned franchises around, and his teams won five J. Ross Robertson Cups, and appeared in six Memorial Cup tournaments, winning once. Bassin helped the Canadian National junior team win its first gold medal in 1982, and another in 1985. He was twice named OHL Executive of the Year and CHL Executive of the Year, and briefly worked for the Quebec Nordiques.

Early life and education Bassin was born on August 14, 1939, in Semans, Saskatchewan. Growing up in Semans, he then played junior hockey in North Dakota, then coached a team to a state championship. Bassin coached house league teams in Toronto, including a bantam team that won city a championship, and later in Wexford, winning an Ontario championship in 1970.

Bassin completed three degrees; a Ph.D. in hospital pharmacy, a Masters in hospital administration, and a Juris Doctor. He worked with the legal division of Canada's Food & Drug Directorate in Toronto, and as a pharmacist in a hospital. The Generals had the first overall pick in the 1977 draft, and Bassin chose not to make Wayne Gretzky his first pick as general manager since Gretzky only planned on playing one season of junior, then going to the Indianapolis Racers in the World Hockey Association.

Bassin had built a J. Ross Robertson Cup winning team by the 1982–83 OHL season, and finished as runners-up in the 1983 Memorial Cup, under coach Paul Theriault. Four years later, Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in the 1986–87 OHL season, and finished runners-up in the 1987 Memorial Cup.

Bassin remained as general manager until 1989, when he resigned to take the same position in Sault Sainte Marie. The team nucleus Bassin developed went on to win the 1990 Memorial Cup. Notable players drafted by Bassin during his time in Oshawa include: Dave Andreychuk, Joe Cirella, Mike Craig, Jeff Daniels, Dale DeGray, Peter Horachek, Charlie Huddy, Derek King, Steve Konroyd, Rick Lanz, John MacLean, Gord Murphy, Lee Norwood, Jim Paek, Peter Sidorkiewicz, Jarrod Skalde, Greg Stefan, and Tony Tanti.

During his tenure with the Generals, he acted as a colour commentator on CBC Sports and Global TV in the late 1980s, for World junior championship coverage. He was assistant coach and assistant general manager of the national junior team from 1982 to 1985. The Greyhounds missed the playoffs in 1990, but Bassin quickly built the Greyhounds through the draft and trades. In 1990, Bassin received the Bill Long Award for distinguished service to the OHL. Only two years after he took over, the Greyhounds were J. Ross Robertson cup champions in the 1991–92 OHL season under coach Ted Nolan. They defeated Bassin's old team, the Oshawa Generals in the finals, and played in the 1991 Memorial Cup. Bassin was named both the OHL Executive of the Year, The Greyhounds repeated as champions in the 1991–92 OHL season, and appeared in the 1992 Memorial Cup. Sault Ste. Marie was chosen as host of the 1993 Memorial Cup, ensuring three consecutive appearances in the national championship. Bassin's team reached the finals in the 1992–93 OHL season, losing to the Peterborough Petes, but won the Memorial Cup on home ice at Sault Memorial Gardens. Other notable players acquired by Bassin during his time in Sault Ste. Marie include: Drew Bannister, Dan Cloutier, Aaron Gavey, Kevin Hodson, Ralph Intranuovo, Chad Penney, Chris Simon, Steve Sullivan, and Jeff Toms.

Quebec Nordiques After the Memorial Cup, Bassin took on the dual role of assistant general manager of the Quebec Nordiques in the National Hockey League, and the general manager of the Cornwall Aces in the American Hockey League. Bassin worked with general manager Maurice Filion from 1993 to 1995 to help develop the farm team, and negotiated several NHL contracts. He was general manager of the Otters from 1996 to 2015. Bassin and the Otters were in financial trouble during the 2011–12 OHL season due to poor attendance, and poor on-ice results. A deal was made where Bassin was loaned $4.2 million USD by Ontario Major Junior Hockey Corporation, a subsidiary of Oilers Entertainment Group, to buy the Otters if successfully relocated to Hamilton, Ontario. When the deal did not materialize, Bassin was sued by the Oilers. The lawsuit from Edmonton was dismissed by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The team nucleus that Bassin had built and sold, later won the championship in the 2016–17 OHL season, and played in the 2017 Memorial Cup.

During nineteen seasons with the Erie Otters, Bassin helped many players into the National Hockey League. Some notable players drafted and developed by Bassin include: Nikita Alexeev, Mike Blunden, Brad Boyes, Connor Brown, André Burakovsky, Chris Campoli, Carlo Colaiacovo, Tim Connolly, Alex DeBrincat, Luke Gazdic, Mike Liambas, Connor McDavid, Greg McKegg, Jordan Nolan, Ryan O'Reilly, Nick Palmieri, Adam Pelech, Anthony Peluso, and Dylan Strome.

French River Rapids Bassin became director of hockey operations for the French River Rapids in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League starting with the 2017–18 season. Bassin and coach Ken Strong took over a team that had won just five games in two seasons.

Personal life Bassin resides in Oshawa, Ontario, and is Jewish. He has had hip and shoulder replacement due to osteoarthritis, and has organized golf tournaments to raise funds in support of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, for which he is on the board of directors. Bassin was named Ontario Sport Administrator of the year in 1985, was inducted into the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and named City of Oshawa citizen of the year. He considers his role models and mentors to be Gordon MacMurchy, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden, Pierre Pagé, and Dave King.

Coaching record Regular season and postseason coaching statistics.

Season Team League Regular season Playoffs G W L T Pts Finish Result 1975–76 Pickering Panthers MJBHL 34 18 12 4 40 4th Metro B Lost, first round 1976–77 Oshawa Generals OMJHL 66 5 57 4 14 6th in Leyden Out of playoffs