Meachem Wins Bob Ridley Award

The Western Hockey League has announced that longtime Red Deer sports journalist Greg Meachem has been posthumously recognized as the 2024-25 recipient of the WHL’s Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence. 
 
Meachem’s wife, Brenda, was presented with the Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence prior to the start of Friday’s WHL Regular Season game between the Red Deer Rebels and Prince Albert Raiders.
 
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.
 
Born in Aborfield, Sask., Meachem as raised in Creighton, Sask., and Flin Flon, Man. He passed away in Red Deer in April 2024 following a brief illness. 
 
Since 2016, Meachem had served as a writer for the Red Deer Rebels website, following a celebrated 35-year career with the Red Deer Advocate.
 
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. In 1981, he joined The Advocate, where he worked in the sports department until 2016. 
 
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.
 
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.
 
Previous Winners of the WHL’s Bob Ridley Award for Media Excellence
2023-24: Earl Seitz, CFJC TV (Kamloops)
2022-23: Rob Vanstone, Regina Leader-Post (Regina)
2021-22: Bob Ridley, CHAT TV & Radio (Medicine Hat)

(WHL Communications)