WHL mourns passing of player, coach Glen Cochrane

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former player and coach, Glen Cochrane.

Born in Kamloops but raised in Cranbrook, B.C., Cochrane plied his trade with the Calgary Centennials and Victoria Cougars in the then-WCHL for parts of four seasons.

Fans who packed the Stampede Corral to watch the Centennials of the mid-1970s already saw flashes of the formidable bruiser Cochrane would become in the NHL.

In 1977-78, Cochrane wracked up 105 penalty minutes in 35 regular-season games to go along with his goal and five assists.

Cochrane would go on to play for four teams over ten NHL seasons, mostly notable as an enforcer for the Philadelphia Flyers.

He returned to junior hockey as an assistant coach for the Kelowna Rockets from 1995-1998.

“I was fortunate enough to work with Glen in Kelowna,” Lethbridge Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt, who served as Head Coach of the Rockets from 1996-1998, said. “We grew to be great friends. There are a lot of great men in this world, but there were none better than Glen Cochrane.

“Glen was a fierce competitor but a man who was a great friend.  A great family man to Joan and his daughters and when you saw him with his grandkids, it reaffirmed what a big heart he had.

“He will be deeply missed.”

After stepping away from the bench, Cochrane never strayed far from Prospera Place, becoming a steadfast presence in the stands during his more than two decades as a scout for the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks.

Cochrane was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and fought the disease as tenaciously as he did any on-ice opponent before passing away on January 13.

He was 65 years old.

The WHL’s condolences go out to Glen’s wife, Joan, daughters Tegan, Paige and Shelby and his entire family.