Sherwood Bassin was born on August 14,1939 and 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.
27 Facts About Sherwood Bassin
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Sherwood Bassin was twice named OHL Executive of the Year and CHL Executive of the Year, and briefly worked for the Quebec Nordiques.
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Sherwood Bassin was born on August 14,1939, in Semans, Saskatchewan.
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Sherwood 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.
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Sherwood Bassin taught 25 years as a professor at Durham College, where he helped design a paralegal program for Ontario.
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Sherwood Bassin was announced as the Oshawa Generals head coach in March 1976, replacing Gus Bodnar who remained as the general manager.
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Sherwood Bassin had a young team that struggled through many injuries and finished last place.
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The Generals had the first overall pick in the 1977 draft, and Sherwood 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.
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Sherwood Bassin remained as general manager until 1989, when he resigned to take the same position in Sault Sainte Marie.
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Sherwood Bassin was assistant coach and assistant general manager of the national junior team from 1982 to 1985.
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Sherwood Bassin helped Canada win bronze at the 1983 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, fourth place at the 1984 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and a second gold medal at the 1985 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
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Sherwood Bassin was responsible for the trade of Eric Lindros to the Oshawa Generals for Mike Lenarduzzi, Mike DeCoff, Jason Denomme, and Fred Goltz.
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The Greyhounds missed the playoffs in 1990, but Sherwood Bassin quickly built the Greyhounds through the draft and trades.
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In 1990, Sherwood Bassin received the Bill Long Award for distinguished service to the OHL.
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Sherwood Bassin was named both the OHL Executive of the Year, and the CHL Executive of the Year in 1991.
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Sherwood Bassin worked with general manager Maurice Filion from 1993 to 1995 to help develop the farm team, and negotiated several NHL contracts.
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Sherwood Bassin was part of the ownership group which relocated the Niagara Falls Thunder to Erie, Pennsylvania, and then later became the primary owner of the Erie Otters.
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Sherwood Bassin was general manager of the Otters from 1996 to 2015.
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The Otters became the third franchise that Sherwood Bassin built into an OHL champion, and to play in the Memorial Cup.
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Sherwood Bassin was awarded the OHL Executive of the Year award, and the CHL Executive of the Year award, both for a second time in his career.
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Sherwood Bassin voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to sell the team.
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Some notable players drafted and developed by Sherwood Bassin include: Nikita Alexeev, Mike Blunden, Brad Boyes, Connor Brown, Andre Burakovsky, Chris Campoli, Carlo Colaiacovo, Tim Connolly, Alex DeBrincat, Luke Gazdic, Connor McDavid, Greg McKegg, Jordan Nolan, Ryan O'Reilly, Nick Palmieri, Adam Pelech, Anthony Peluso, and Dylan Strome.
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Sherwood Bassin 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.
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Sherwood Bassin is a past president and founding member of the Whitby Rotary Club.
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Sherwood Bassin has served on the board of directors for the Durham Symphony Orchestra, and Ontario Philharmonic.
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Sherwood 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.
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Sherwood Bassin considers his role models and mentors to be Gordon MacMurchy, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden, Pierre Page, and Dave King.