About 30 years ago a group of reporters were taking a break in the office, and a discussion ensued on who was the best goalie in the NHL. Various names were offered up, but one stood out.
It came from their boss, Burlington Post news editor Denis Gibbons, who sauntered by and offered his opinion.
“The best goalie in the NHL is currently a backup with the Chicago Blackhawks.”
He was referring to Dominic Hasek, who was two years away from the first of six straight seasons leading the league in save percentage. He was a future Hockey Hall of Famer, and a proud Czech.
Gibbons, whose admiration of the Soviet Union style of hockey led him to study the European game, knew Hasek’s potential before most of his North American hockey reporting cohorts. Long hours of learning the Russian language had given him an advantage in international hockey circles.
“I was a big fan of the (OHA Jr. A) St. Mike’s Majors as a kid,” said Gibbons. “Their coach was Father Bauer and they won the Memorial Cup in 1961. Bauer started the national team, all amateurs, and represented Canada in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and at world championships.”
Canada, while competitive, always ended up losing. When some of the Soviet Union powerhouse team games were shown on TV, Gibbons was hooked.
“I always liked their style,” he added. “Prior to that, I had no interest in Russia whatsoever.”
U.S. television networks used his knowledge to beef up the coverage of Winter Olympic hockey games. ABC hired him in 1988 for the Calgary Games, CBS followed in 1992, 1994 and 1998, and NBC signed his checks in 2002, 2010 and 2014. In 2018 and 2022 NBC and CBC, respectively, secured his talents, but he worked from home rather than on-site.
“Definitely the highlight of my career,” said Gibbons.
Heart problems forced him to miss the 2006 Olympics.
Gibbons’s 2017 book, Hockey: My Door to Europe, details his numerous trips to Europe, including seven to Russia from 1974 to 2014.
Now, just a couple of months after turning 80, the Acton native is still following the game, impressed by its speed and skill, but disappointed today’s stars can’t showcase their brilliance on a bigger international-sized ice surface.
Before joining the Burlington Post for 16 years in 1979, Gibbons was sports editor of the Acton Free Press and then the Georgetown Independent for a total of nine years. After leaving the Post, he worked as a freelance writer or on a contract basis for a variety of publications, including the Hockey News in Toronto, Business Executive magazine in Oakville and currently at the Bay Observer, an online publication.
His love of European hockey was one of a couple of the reasons he declined a daily newspaper job offer in the mid-'80s. He didn’t like the idea of working the overnight shift for two years. And, the job would prevent him from covering international hockey as he would be lowest on the seniority list.
He met his future wife Chris at a Hamilton Valentine’s Day party in 1990, and was attracted by her constant smile.
“She was not the host of the party, but it appeared she was doing all the work,” he remembered. “She had a sparkling personality and a good sense of humour.”
The Dofasco HR employee and Gibbons were married 15 months later. It was no surprise that Chris organized the 80th birthday party at their church, Holy Rosary on Plains Road in Burlington. It was a surprise, however, to Gibbons, who was asked to stop off and supposedly help fix a faulty alarm.
Through his church, Gibbons has been involved in helping refugees from around the world, including two single-mother, two-children families from Haiti and Afghanistan, as well as a Sudanese family.
At his birthday party, Gibbons was joined by two of his closet friends, Ron Henry of Acton and Len Kotylo of Toronto, among many others.
“Denis wasn’t very big growing up,” said Henry, a lawyer in Acton, who grew up with Gibbons but became closer friends later on. “In baseball he was a fluid fielder and was good at the plate, and in hockey he was shifty, a good skater and stickhandler.”
Henry added that the annual minor sports banquets of his youth, Gibbons amassed a good deal of hardware.
“Denis is a decent guy,” he said. “I have a ton of admiration for him.”
