Trailblazing hockey player Mel Wakabayashi remembered as ‘someone to look up to’ | CBC News

Mel Wakabayashi, a Chatham Sports Hall of Famer who played hockey for the Michigan Wolverines, passed away earlier this month at 80.

He’s being remembered for his contributions on the ice — and for being a player that brought diversity to hockey at a time when it was rare.

Dwight Wakabayashi is Mel’s great nephew and a sports writer from Chatham. He joined Windsor Morning host Nav Nanwa to reflect on Mel’s legacy.

Dwight, first and foremost, condolences to you and your family. If you can describe your great uncle with one word, what would that be and why?

Well, you you took it, it’s “great,” probably. The other one would probably be “accomplished.” Mel has always been associated with all the great things that he’s done. Not just, not just sports wise, but just in the business world and you know, the way he’s carried himself through his life and you know, he was the president of the Prince hotels and he was also vice president of hockey in Japan and for the federation there.

So he’s just always kind of been known as great Uncle Mel or just by the great things that he does, tries to do. And then, you know, he was already quite accomplished when I came along. So he’s just always been known as someone who just, you know, he’s always striving. Yeah, someone to look up to for sure.

Tell me a bit about Mel and his upbringing and how he ended up in Chatham.

He was actually born in one of the [Japanese internment] camps in B.C. and it was Slocan city. And he wasn’t even a year old before they moved. They actually gave a choice for some of the people that were interned, if they wanted to go to Ontario, and so they picked to go Neys, Ontario, a camp near Thunder Bay.

[It] ended up being eight of them, but it was only a few of them at the time. I think three of my my aunts and uncles and my dad included, actually, but he ended up in Thunder Bay when he was one.

And then in 1950, there was also an opportunity. They asked, do any of you want to go to Southern Ontario? There’s land there. And so, my family ended up in Chatham and that was when Mel was… [in 1950], he was seven years old, I believe. 

With the camp life, I know that there was always talk that they were always together and playing sports. I’m not too sure how they learned, what they used or anything, but I know that my grandpa was big into baseball and  they played sports in the camps. 

But I think in Chatham in 1950, when they arrived there, that’s when the sports really started to pick up.

Is that how he got into hockey, eventually?

Yes, I’m pretty sure. Like, I think hockey was [played] a little bit when they were in B.C. when they were growing up. There was always hockey from my grandpa, and then I think that they played a little bit and just with the older people in the camp, there was some hockey — like the skill set. But then when they came to Chatham, I know that’s when the hockey really started to develop.

And then, the timing of it was perfect for Mel because when he was 16, the Chatham Maroons were formed. That was like the first team. They were just starting to get it going. 

Yeah, he would go on to eventually play for the Chatham Junior Maroons and then eventually he went over to the University of Michigan, where I know he really made an impact as a Wolverine. Do you want to maybe touch on his time there?

Yeah, well I know Al Renfrew was the coach at the time, and he took the time to come to Chatham and watch Mel play and then I think he immediately wanted him on the team. But because of the university rules, my uncle couldn’t start until later in the semester.

So he actually had a late start to his hockey career. But he jumped in right away when he joined the team in January, and and just started pumping in the points and I think my uncle through his time in Michigan he was known for his offence, I mean his pure dynamic speed and offence and also the way that he played the game at the time.

I think he got one penalty in his whole university career. So I used to joke with him actually because, you know, it’s a badge of honour for him. But I used to bug him because I used to tell him that he wasn’t involved in the play enough, right? That was always my shot back to him. But yeah, he was just a speedy guy.

He put up huge numbers at the university. And the thing was, in his first year they won the title and I think it was ’64. And they won the title against University of Denver and in the finals he actually potted two goals. So that’s kind of a big thing. Like, my family, especially my uncles … they always talked about, you know, you could play the whole year and get lots of points and lots of wins and everything, but but when it came down to the end, like in the crunch time did you show up?

So I that was a big thing with my uncle that he got two goals and the national and the national title game. It was just a star at Michigan, a lot of accomplishments.

And it wouldn’t end there, right? Like, you know, he would then go get drafted to the Detroit Red Wings. But then he decided to play in the Japan Ice Hockey League and then eventually led to him coaching the Japanese hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Dwight, you wrote a pretty extensive post about him on your sports blog awakafightermma.com, titled A Life with Uncle Wolverine. What are you going to miss the most?

Well, with Uncle Mel,  I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time with him. I spent a lot of time with his son Chris, my cousin. Him and I grew pretty tight in the in the earlier years, but the thing with Uncle Mel is and with both my uncles, is you just always knew that they were out there spreading the Wakabayashi vibe, you know what I mean?

Like they were just out there at high places, letting it be known the the Wakabayashi way, which is like, you know, the way to treat people. With my uncles, it’s like, you’re not going to get the love unless you’re doing something right, like unless you’re doing something you know? So that was with Uncle Mel, I’m going to miss that.