Note: Quotes in this blog come from two articles in the Quad City Times by Craig De Vrieze and by Mark Newman in The Griffinator, magazine of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. Wearing sweater #75, a number that matches his birth year, Pete Vandermeer is the eldest of six hockey playing brothers from the small Alberta town of Caroline. Located on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies, it is an area "in the midst of forests and farms with a rather thriving oil industry. Oil rigs and cattle dot the landscape." His family sold their farm when he was 10, but have maintained a modest sawmilling operation. Pete calls it "an incredible place. Back home there aren't a lot of folks who have tons of money, but everybody pitches in and helps out their neighbour and you’re expected to do the same." The Vandermeer siblings "played all sports" and "fought like cats and dogs." Their father instilled in the boys "a spirit of camaraderie", flooded the backyard each winter to make a big rink, and coached them in youth hockey. Pete said that "If you did something wrong, my dad would make sure you knew about it...he could be an intimidating man, but he did it in a way that was very instructional. He was a great guy to teach you about a lot of different things and not just hockey.

"At age 18, Pete was fortunate to start a junior hockey career with his nearest WHL franchise, the Red Deer Rebels, where in 180 games he had 114 pts (41 goals) and 807 PIMs. An additional 14 playoff games added 13 pts (5 goals) and 45 PIMs to his WHL total. He turned pro in 1996 with the Ohio based Columbus Chill of the ECHL. The next two seasons were split between Columbus and the AHL Rochester Americans. The fall of 1998 found Pete in the camp of the B.C. (Broome County) Icemen of the then UHL (United League) based in Binghamton, NY. With the Icemen he cemented his reputation as a tough player by leading the league with 390 PIMs, and helped with 36 goals. In 5 playoff games, he was able to stay out of the box and got 4 pts (2 goals, 2 assists.) A special experience followed next, with the 1999-2000 ECHL Richmond Renegades. Here Pete was joined by brothers Joe and Dan and they became the first trio of brothers to dress in an ECHL game at the same time. Here Pete had his best pro offensive season, 56 pts (31 goals) in 58 games. Once again, with 457 PIMs he led his league in that category. With the onset of a new century, Pete Vandermeer embarked on a ten year tenure in the American Hockey League. His PIMs were often above 300, and with the Philadelphia Phantoms, his 398 PIMs was the most on the AHL, making him a player who has lead three leagues in most PIMs. During this decade, Pete would sign five NHL contracts as various organizations valued his toughness and ability to both provide veteran leadership and mentor younger players. Craig DeVrieze in the Quad Cities Times (Apr 7, 2009) quotes Adam Cracknell on Pete, "He'll do anything for a teammate on or off the ice." Asked about "being a friend of players typically 10 years his junior". Pete stated that "there’s lots of ways to go about it. Sometimes it’s a word here or there, talking to guys away from the rink...sometimes it’s getting up in the middle of the room yelling and screaming at guys. But that doesn't work as well as it used to." Quad Cities Flames coach Ryan McGill said that Pete "has done a good job of teaching kids how to practice, he doesn't miss optional skates. He has been out there all the time. And he has been a warrior all his career and that says a lot." A hockey dream came true for Pete Vandermeer on Feb 8, 2009 when he made his NHL debut with the Phoenix Coyotes. His NHL time may have been only two games, but just to get there took a lot of effort. Earlier with the Philadelphia Phantoms, he was able see brother Jim's NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers. Pete said. "we were so happy for him because we all helped him get there. It was a real family accomplishment." At the Canoe Club in Victoria, on July 22, 2010 the Victoria Salmon Kings held a media event, introducing Pete Vandermeer as the new team captain. He brings to the provincial capital a work ethic forged in small town Alberta, leadership skills learned from his father and experiences from 843 games (as of Feb 1, 2011) of professional hockey. With the crunch time of the season upon us, the toughness, leadership and mentoring skills of Pete Vandermeer may prove invaluable in helping the team to achieve its goals.

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