British Columbia Ernie 'Punch' McLean led the Western Hockey League (WHL) New Westminster Bruins to four consecutive Memorial Cup finals and two championships between 1975-1978, and coached more than 100 players who later skated in the NHL. The 93-year-old had been fêted just days earlier amid a campaign to erect a statue of him in New Westminster Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Ernie Punch McLean speaks at an event in his honour at New Westminster's Queen's Park Arena on Weds. May 6, 2026. McLean died two days later in a crash near Dease Lake. (Stephen Braverman) Tributes are pouring in for a towering figure in British Columbia's hockey community. Ernie "Punch" McLean, 93, died in a single-vehicle crash near Dease Lake — about 230 kilometres south of the Yukon border — on Friday, CBC News has confirmed.…