To tell the story of Les Wingrove鈥檚 life is to go through a rolodex of a Who鈥檚 Who of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
But the longtime lacrosse player, coach, manager, executive and member of that very same hall of fame who passed away suddenly on Saturday at the age of 74 was about much more than the sport that was his life鈥檚 passion, said Coquitlam councillor Chris Wilson.
鈥淗e was just such a wonderful man who wanted to make a difference in his community,鈥� said Wilson, who worked with Wingrove to construct displays to honour the athletes, coaches and builders in the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame.
In fact, Wilson said, it was Wingrove鈥檚 idea to put the hall of fame into the lobby of the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex where those displays were passed by 1.4 million people last year 鈥� that鈥檚 almost five times more than visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto annually.
鈥淗e wanted to put it in an area where there鈥檚 a constant flow of people,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚t provides some inspiration and motivation for young athletes and gives them role models.鈥�
Wingrove鈥檚 role in the formation of Coquitlam minor lacrosse, his work as a coach for seven teams from tyke to midget, as well as an official, and a two-year term as its president, helped instill in many of those young athletes a love for lacrosse. Some of those even followed as Wingrove rose through the ranks to the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs of the BC Junior A Lacrosse League and then the senior team in the Western Lacrosse Association.聽
Like Port Moody鈥檚 Ken Thomas who had Wingrove as his coach all the way from when he was 11 years old through his junior career with the Adanacs from 1985-88 and again when Thomas came out of retirement in 2001 with the senior team and they won a Mann Cup together.
鈥淟es wanted us to do our best, achieve our best, but he wanted us to do it the right way,鈥� said Thomas, who鈥檚 also in the lacrosse hall of fame. 鈥淗e was a father figure to a lot of the guys.鈥�
Another hall of famer, Pat Coyle, said it was Wingrove鈥檚 persistence that convinced him to move west from Ontario where he鈥檇 won Mann Cups with the Brampton Excelsiors in 1992 and 1993.
鈥淗e was relentless,鈥� said Coyle of the telephone pitches that continued even as he set the phone down to go to the washroom then returned to still hear Wingrove trying to woo him.
When Coyle finally relented and joined the Adanacs in 1994, he was quickly absorbed into Wingrove鈥檚 way of doing things, including a raucous annual party for the team at his home.
鈥淲e鈥檇 destroy his backyard and he鈥檇 just be smiling as we did it,鈥� said Coyle, who now coaches the Junior Adanacs.
Todd Clerkson, the principal at Heritage Woods secondary school in Port Moody and a former player with the junior and senior Adanacs, said Wingrove had a knack for turning boys into upstanding young men.
鈥淗e was constantly encouraging,鈥� Clerkson said. 鈥淗e was one of those guys who was very positive, and I needed that in my early 20s.鈥�
James Abbott, the president of the junior Adanacs who helped bring Wingrove back into the team鈥檚 fold in 2012 after he was dismissed from his position as the general manager of the senior team in 2011, said his knowledge of the game, and of the Coquitlam lacrosse scene, were indispensable.
鈥淗e knew everything, he鈥檇 experienced everything, and you could always tap into it,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淗e was definitely a mentor to me.鈥�
Wilson said the death in 2010 of Wingrove鈥檚 son, local lacrosse legend Trevor, hit him hard and he thought by working together on the hall of fame displays he might be able to help fill a bit of that hole in Les鈥� heart. Instead, Wilson said, it was he who was nurtured.
鈥淚 got just as much out of it if not more,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the kind of guy he was.鈥�
Abbott said Wingrove鈥檚 legacy and spirit will be felt every time a player of any age pulls on an Adanacs jersey and their loved ones cheer from the stands.
鈥淵ou just know and feel the importance of the Adanac logo in the community,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou look across the board and he鈥檚 respected by everyone.鈥�
鈥� Arrangements for a memorial service for Wingrove have yet to be announced. Both the Western Lacrosse Association and the BC Junior A Lacrosse League posted tributes to him on their websites, and the latter announced each of its eight teams will hold a minute of silence as they open their respective seasons.
