Former Red Deer Advocate sports reporter Greg Meachem was posthumously recognized by the Western Hockey League with the 2024-25 Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence.
On Friday, March 14, Meachem's wife Brenda and family was presented the award ahead of the Red Deer Rebels' regular-season home game against the Prince Albert Raiders at the Westerner Park Centrium.
Established in 2021, the WHL’s Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence is presented annually to a distinguished member of the radio, television, and print journalism industry in recognition of their outstanding contributions to sports journalism and the WHL.
Meachem spent 35 years as a sports journalist with the Advocate. He then served as a writer for the Red Deer Rebels from 2016 until he passed away in April 2024 following a brief illness.
Born in Aborfield, Sask., Meachem as raised in Creighton, Sask., and Flin Flon, Man. After completing his post-secondary education at the Southern Alberta Institute for Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Meachem embarked on his lengthy career in journalism, including stops with the Strathmore Standard and Lloydminster Times in Alberta. He joined the Advocate in 1981.
Meachem was a staple in the sports community in Red Deer, having followed and reported on the Rebels since they joined the WHL in 1992. Not only was he the local expert on everything Rebels, but he also provided broader coverage of the WHL, keeping fans close to the ice and connected to the players.
In 2001, Meachem chronicled the greatest season in Red Deer Rebels history, as the club won the WHL Championship, hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time. From there, Meachem carried on with the Rebels to Regina, where the team laid claim to a Memorial Cup title.
"Meachem was known for his tremendous personality, easy-going manner, skill and dedication to his craft. He established lasting and impactful relationships with players who came through the Rebels organization," states a media release issued by the WHL.
Aside from his work capturing the Rebels and the WHL, career highlights for Meachem included covering the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary and travelling to Halifax for the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships.
In 2023, Meachem was honoured with the City of Red Deer’s Lifetime Sport Achievement Award – presented to an outstanding sportsperson who has made a significant contribution towards the development and operation of amateur sport in Red Deer.
