Now in his second season as the head coach of the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers, Ed Patterson has strong ties to the hockey community in Kamloops. He spent eight years coaching and facilitating clinics with Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, eight years as head coach of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Kamloops Storm and the two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Patterson played his minor hockey with Delta Minor Hockey Association before playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos and Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. He accumulated 15 years of professional hockey experience, playing in the International Hockey League (IHL) in North America, Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom and the National Hockey League, where he played 68 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1993 to 1997.