Former senior hockey star Trembecky dies

For seven seasons during the 1970s, Bob Trembecky was one of the scoring stars during the midst of the heyday of senior amateur hockey in Spokane.

Five times from 1970-71 through an injury-plagued 1977-78 season, Trembecky finished in the top 10 in scoring in the Western International Hockey League. During the 1973-74 season he tied for the scoring title with teammate Ken Gustafson with a career-high 78 points.

Trembecky, who celebrated his 67th birthday in January, died Thursday in his hometown of Drumheller, Alberta.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last fall, said his former wife, Diane Barrie, “and he fought like the dickens.”

“He was a good hockey player; a centerman and a good puck-handler,” remembered former teammate Don Scherza. “He was a good teammate. Quiet … easy to play with.”

Trembecky, who teammates called “Tremmer,” arrived in Spokane the season after the Jets won the first of the city’s four Allan Cups as Canadian Senior Amateur champion and played a key role in capturing the second and third, in 1971-72 and 1975-76.

Trembecky, who had split the previous season between Oklahoma City in the Central Hockey League and Dayton-Columbus in the International Hockey League, wasted little time making his presence known in Spokane. He had 23 goals and 66 points to finish third in WIHL scoring that first year, but the Jets’ bid to repeat as Allan Cup champions was short-circuited by Nelson in the WIHL playoffs.

During his seven seasons in Spokane – the first four with the Jets, the last three with the Flyers – Trembecky scored 154 goals with 433 points. He was definitely not a trouble-maker. He accumulated only 46 penalty minutes, collecting just two minutes in each of three seasons.

During the Flyers’ 1975-76 Allan Cup season, Trembecky was named the playoff MVP after scoring four goals and adding seven assists in a 4-0 sweep of Barrie (Ontario) in the finals. He collected 37 points in Spokane’s 24 playoff games.

A knee injury sidelined him most of the 1977-78 season, which would be his last. He showed that during the long layoff he hadn’t lost his touch, however, scoring a hat trick in a late-season victory over Cranbrook.

After returning to Drumheller, Trembecky worked in the Canadian prison system before retiring a couple of years ago, Barrie noted.

He is survived by one son, Jason Trembecky of Spokane.

Services are pending.