Kimberley South Africa is world renowned for their diamonds, well Kimberley B.C. got their own diamond in a hockey sense when the Dynamiters recruited Bill McLelland to come here in 1967 to attend their training camp.

I'm sure there wasn't much of a tryout. After one practice, Bill quite probably wowed the socks off of Bill Steenson and Les Lilley and the rest of the Dynamiter braintrust.

Bill played Junior for the Moose Jaw Canucks in 1961, and then moved up to the Senior ranks with his hometown Moose Jaw Pla-Mors who were an elite Senior team playing in the Saskatchewan League which included Regina and Saskatoon. Bill played five seasons for The Jaw. The Pla Mors were defeated by the Nelson Maple leafs in the Allan Cup playdowns.

The Leafs had picked up Walt Peacosh, Ken McTeer and Bill Steenson. That was the only time Bill McLelland played against his three future team-mates. Nelson prevailed only to lose the Allan Cup Final to Sherbrooke Quebec.

The Dynamiters had a great network built up on the prairies at that time, scouts and contacts. Kenny McTeer was winding down his illustrious career, so before you knew it McLelland was centering the Nitro Line. This hockey payer had it all, smarts, skating ability, and lots of finesse stickhandling with the puck.

Did I mention absolutely brilliant in the face off circle? Well he certainly was. I saw Billy score a goal here in Kimberley that defied description. He picked up the puck at the boards even with the goal line, and waltzed to the net, turning both defenders from the Nelson Maple Leafs inside out, and proceeded to juke the goalie Bill MacDonnell, keeping control of the puck until sliding it in by the post. It was a remarkable goal by a quite remarkable player.

I happened to be sitting in the corner that game, and my eyes literally bugged out of my head. From start to finish the play only took two seconds or so.

Bill McLelland became Captain of the Kimberley Dynamiters in 1971, or 72 taking the C over from Dick Vincent who retired that year. Probably Bill was the last great hockey player to come to town.

I have just phoned Bill tonight to ask him what his wife's name was, and he mentioned another superb player who came here after Bill, Dennis Schick whom I forgot about totally.

For those of us who know Bill McLelland he is a pretty humble guy, not too much for the limelight. I do not know about the 1978 Allan Cup team here, I was gone by then, I'm sure they must have brought some good guys in for that season.

Bill retired from hockey in 1974 and still lives in Kimberley with his wife Linda who also hails from Moose Jaw. Shortly after marrying, Bill and Linda went to St Louis when he signed on with a pro team there .

They ,now have two grown up daughters, Traci who live here in Kimberley, and is a librarian and has a son, and daughter Angela who lives in Alberta with two daughters.

Bill took up skiing after hockey and got pretty good at it up on our local mountain. I seem to remember he was not big on turning, enjoyed going fast, cruising on the North star Main hill. In the summer Bill spends a lot of time golfing at Trickle Creek and Bootleg Gap He is a scratch golfer.

I saw McLelland play with Dick Vincent on the Nitro Line one season. These two had excellent chemistry together. Bill would give Vincent the puck where he could get that great shot off, usually at the top of the circle, and there goes the red light.

It certainly was enjoyable to watch Billy in a Dynamiter uniform, he had every trait you would wish for in a centre ice man -great with the puck and a ferocious back checker. I know that when Bill McLelland was on the ice he had the puck a great deal of the time, lots of finesse.

I do not know who got McLelland to come to the Kimberley Dynamiters, but hockey players with this guy's skill level don't grow on trees. In two seasons McLelland had 31 goals and 32 goals for the Kimberley Dynamiters. A model of consistency on the ice, and a very clean player who spent little time in the penalty box, he let his hockey stick do the talking for him.

A gem who ended up in Kimberley BC in the 1960s. Best centre ever? Well it would be close with Kenny McTeer, both were fabulous players, and gentlemen to boot. Bill McLelland did a lot of great things for us on the ice, but sticking around Kimberley after hockey was his greatest gift.