Helps, Leitch add to their medal totals at OFSAA Track and Field Championships
Verbeek, Stapleton sign multi-year contracts with Anaheim Ducks
April 16, 2026
Barry Wright/The Independent
Pat Verbeek has signed a multi-year contract to remain general manager of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
The product of Plympton-Wyoming is in his fourth season with the Ducks and has them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Ducks clinched their postseason berth on Monday.
“Pat has done exactly as we hoped, having turned the Ducks into what we believe are perennial contenders for the next decade,” Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in a statement posted on NHL.com.
“We are beyond exited to see the team continue developing into what is already an exciting, winning team ready to take the next step.”
Verbeek, 61, played two seasons with the then Petrolia Jets from 1979-81 before moving to Sudbury of the OHL and then a 20-year playing career in the NHL.
He scored 522 goals and won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999. Verbeek played for the New Jersey, Hartford, New York Rangers, Dallas, and Detroit.
He was an executive with Tampa Bay and Detroit before being hired by the Ducks in 2022.
“Maintaining stability within our hockey operations department for the years to come will be important for the development of our team,” Ducks president Aaron Teats said in a statement.
“Our hockey staff has worked tirelessly to build a talented group our community can be proud of.”
The Ducks also promoted Sarnia-born Mike Stapleton to senior vice president and associate general manager. He had been an assistant GM since joining the Ducks in 2024.
Stapleton is the son of former NHL and 1972 Team Canada player Pat “Whitey” Stapleton.
NEXT
Long-time Sarnia councillor, MPP retires at 94
PREVIOUS
Calls to dismantle Indigenous transportation ‘barriers’
Front Page
Helps, Leitch add to their medal totals at OFSAA Track and Field Championships
June 6, 2026
John Wright/The Independent LCCVI’s Jaylen Helps and Mooretown’s Camryn Leitch both secured their second medal of the OFSAA Track and Field Championships on Saturday in St. Catharines. Helps claimed a bronze medal in Novice Girls discus with a season’s best throw. It was the second consecutive day she won bronze after taking home that medal in Novice Girls javelin on
Read More
Front Page
Elliott wins gold, five other Lambton athletes medal at OFSAA Track and Field Championships
June 5, 2026
John Wright/The Independent On a sizzling day in St. Catharines, Kallee Elliott leapt a personal best 1.61 meters to claim the gold medal in Novice Girls high jump at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships. Elliott cleared her first three jumps of the day with ease. That brought her to 1.55 meters where she had to work for it. The
Read More
Front Page
LCCVI Rugby finishes in the top eight at OFSAA
June 5, 2026
The Independent For the third year in a row, LCCVI’s Girls’ Rugby team made it into the top eight of the provincial A/AA championship. The first game of the tournament, the 11th-seeded Lancers upset sixth-ranked Bowmanville-Clarington Central, 17-12. Trailing 12-0 at the half, LCCVI fought back with second half tries from Mya Beaudoin, Miley Anderson and Abbi White along with
Read More
Front Page
Public health warns of more ticks in southeast Lambton
June 5, 2026
Heather Wright/The Independent If you’re picking more ticks off your dogs when you go for a walk in southern Lambton County, don’t be surprised. Lambton Public Health says the southeastern part of the county, including Dawn-Euphemia and parts of Brooke-Alvinston, have been identified as Established Risk Areas for the Blacklegged Ticks responsible for Lyme Disease. Over the past few years,
Read More