By Greg Douglas
Wait a minute: the math doesn’t add up.
How can Ron Shute be in the midst of his 66th season as a dressing room attendant for the Vancouver Canucks when the NHL franchise is currently operating in its 56th year?
As unlikely as it might seem, the numbers are correct.
Ten years prior to the Canucks making their NHL debut on October 9, 1970, Ron Shute was a 13-year-old kid in the stands at the old Forum on Renfrew Street preparing to watch the Detroit Red Wings play an exhibition game against the Western League Canucks.
A schoolmate, Wayne Liptrot, spotted Shute and asked for his help.
“Wayne was the Canucks stick boy and asked me if I would fill in for the guy who was supposed to work behind the Detroit bench but hadn’t shown up,” Shute says, taking great delight in telling the story. “When I asked what I had to do, he said I might have to hand Gordie Howe a roll of tape or get Alex Delvecchio a new stick. I was speechless. I just nodded and climbed behind the Red Wings bench in shock and awe.”
With the Toronto Maple Leafs next to appear at the Forum for an exhibition game, Shute was on hand just in case the regular guy didn’t show again. There was no sign of him.
“Everything started from there,” Shute says. “I pinch myself today when I think of all the wonderful people I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years.”
He instantly rattles off the legendary Canucks head trainers Ed Shamlock, Bill Gray, Pat Dunn, Ken Fleger, Larry Ashley, Pat O’Neill and currently Brian Hamilton, adding: “I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad day at the rink.”
Shute says one of his fondest memories will forever be the time he was asked by team management to escort the Canucks first-ever NHL captain, Orland Kurtenbach, to centre ice as part of the team’s pre-game 40th anniversary celebration.
“When I was walking out there alongside Kurt and seeing all of our different captains from over the years, I became very emotional,” Shute would say later. “We were there to present Henrik Sedin with his captain’s jersey for our 40th season. I could hardly keep it together.”
Another unexpected and meaningful tribute to Ron Shute’s longstanding career with the Vancouver Canucks came in December 2024, when goaltender Thatcher Demko unveiled his new black skate goalie mask, featuring a special design on the back honouring Ron. Always looking for something unique and different to incorporate into his helmet designs, Demko wanted this one to recognize someone whose dedication, loyalty and longevity have made him such an important part of the Canucks organization.
The design was a clever play on Ron’s longtime nickname, “Shooter,” and a tribute that carried a lot of personal meaning. For Ron, it was a complete surprise. He had no idea the artwork was being planned, making the reveal all the more special. As Ron will tell you, to have a player of Demko’s calibre recognize and honour his contributions in such a personal way is an incredible honour, and a career highlight he certainly never expected.
Shute and his wife Pat met as teenagers at Queen Elizabeth Secondary in Surrey and today thrive on spending time with son Rob, daughter Michelle, grandchildren Tegan and Kaden who, according to Ron, “all live and die with the Canucks.”
He has retired from his 34 years as a high school teacher in White Rock but cannot see himself stepping away from his love of contributing his talents in the Canucks dressing room and working alongside the coaching staff and players. After all these years, the feeling is obviously mutual from all levels of the day- to-day operation of the hockey club.