Inland Northwest’s Best: Olympians, postseason heroes and more

Olympians

John Stockton, basketball player (National Basketball Association, Gonzaga University, Gonzaga Prep). Stockton’s unselfish play was never more evident than in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, when he gladly shared the spotlight (and the ball) on the first two U.S. Olympic teams stacked with NBA players. Not surprisingly, the Americans breezed their way to gold medals both years.

Honorable mention: Dan O’Brien, track and field decathlete (Idaho, Community Colleges of Spokane). O’Brien never won an NCAA title, but he won gold at the 1992 Olympics. O’Brien also won three world championships and five national titles and set a world record of 8,891 points in 1992. O’Brien has been inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Also: Mike Babcock, men’s hockey coach (National Hockey League, major junior Spokane Chiefs, Canadian colleges). Babcock won gold medals as Canada’s coach in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, the 2004 World Championships and the 1997 World Junior Championships. Babcock, the new coach of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, coached Detroit’s Stanley Cup champions in 2007-08.

Postseason heroes formerly on INW teams

Stan Coveleski, 1920 Cleveland Indians baseball pitcher (former Spokane Indians star). Coveleski, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, might share the record of three victories in one World Series forever. Coveleski tossed three five-hitters in eight days, including a 3-0 shutout of the Brooklyn Robins (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) in the seventh and final game, when the World Series was a best-of-nine affair. Coveleski was one of a handful of pitchers permitted to continue throwing spitballs after the pitch was otherwise banned following the 1919 season.

Honorable mention: Cooper Kupp, 2021 Los Angeles Rams wide receiver (former Eastern Washington University star). Kupp walked off with the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player trophy after the Rams’ 23-20 win over Cincinnati. On the winning drive, Kupp caught four passes and ran for a first down. His 1-yard TD reception with 1 minute, 25 seconds left sealed the deal. The NFL’s leading receiver that year, Kupp caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl.

Also: Mark Rypien, 1991 Washington Redskins quarterback (former Washington State and Shadle Park HS star). Named the Super Bowl MVP after passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns in Washington’s 37-24 triumph over Buffalo. United Press International tabbed Rypien as the NFL’s 1991 Offensive Player of the Year after he set career highs with 3,564 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns.

Rags to riches

Todd McFarlane, entrepreneur (former Eastern Washington University and Community Colleges of Spokane baseball player). McFarlane’s college baseball career wasn’t much to brag about, but the Canada native has made millions as an artist for Spider-Man, Batman and Spawn comic books, the producer of a “Spawn” animated movie and the brains (and money) behind various other endeavors. McFarlane once owned a minority share of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, and he’s a sports memorabilia collector who paid $2.6 million for the then-record 70th home run ball hit by Mark McGwire in 1998.

Honorable mention: Oren Koules, entrepreneur (former Spokane Flyers major junior hockey player). Koules had the misfortune to play in front of a sea of empty seats when Spokane’s first major junior franchise debuted in 1980-81. Koules had moved on by the time the Flyers folded early in the 1981-82 season. Koules never made it out of the minors during a brief pro career, but he made a fortune as a Chicago stockbroker before heading to Hollywood to finance and/or help produce such projects as the hit television comedy “Two and a Half Men” and the “Saw” movies.

Also: Tyler Johnson, NHL player (former Spokane Chiefs major junior hockey player, Central Valley HS graduate). Johnson, born in Spokane and raised in Liberty Lake, was considered too small by most NHL teams despite his stellar career with the Chiefs. Tampa Bay wound up taking a flyer on him as an undrafted free agent. Eleven NHL seasons, 176 goals, 400 points and one Stanley Cup ring later, it would appear that a whole bunch of folks made a boo-boo in their evaluation of Johnson. The current Chicago Blackhawks center owns career highs of 29 goals (twice) and 72 points, and he led the NHL in playoff goals (13) and tied for the lead in playoff points (23) with Tampa Bay in 2015.

Hockey hat trick

1961-62 Spokane Comets. Gotta be the best hockey team in Spokane history, considering the Comets’ strong showing in an elite pro minor league (the original Western Hockey League) that thrived when the NHL consisted of just six teams. The Comets’ feats are listed in the Pro Teams section. Oh, and don’t bother making an argument for the 1916-17 Spokane Canaries. Yes, the Canaries played in the “major league” Pacific Coast Hockey Association, but pro hockey was in its infancy and PCHA teams played 7-on-7. The Canaries finished last in their only season, and the first-place Seattle Metropolitans beat the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup.

Honorable mention: Spokane fans were slow to warm up to junior hockey (20-and-under players) when the major junior Chiefs replaced the senior amateur Chiefs in 1985-86. Fans eventually learned to appreciate the entertainment value provided by longer schedules (the seniors played home games almost exclusively on Saturdays) and the steady stream of NHL prospects who play major junior. Winning never hurts, of course, and the Chiefs won Memorial Cups in 1990-91 and 2007-08. Like the senior amateur Allan Cup, the Memorial Cup was originally designed for only Canadian teams. The 1990-91 Chiefs were led by dynamic linemates Ray Whitney (67 goals and a league-leading 185 points) and Pat Falloon (64 goals and 138 points). The 2007-08 club had a more balanced offense, and Dustin Tokarski was a rock star in goal.

Also: Spokane’s long love affair with hockey blossomed even more when the Jets/Flyers won four Allan Cups from 1970 to 1980. Spokane had a considerable advantage over most senior amateur teams in terms of budgets, population, arena capacity (at the Spokane Coliseum) and the availability of jobs and schooling for players. Former minor league pros and the occasional ex-NHL player flocked to Spokane. Al Rollins, who won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 1953-54, served as coach and general manager of Spokane’s first Allan Cup champions. The roster included such fan favorites as Ken Gustafson, Tom Rendall, Gail Holden, Tom Hodges, Seth Martin, Dave Cox, Charlie Goodwin, Larry Palanio, Buddy Bodman and George Talotti.