This article first appeared on HaltonHillsToday Nov. 26.
With a combined 150 years of contributions to hockey in Georgetown, the seven people honoured by the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Council were invaluable to the game locally.
The Georgetown Hockey Heritage Council recently honoured the memory of four people - Dan Curtis, David Gedney, Gary McFadyen and Bill McKeown - with the Murray Ezeard Plaque for their outstanding contributions to Georgetown hockey.
Three more - Joe Pupo, Tom Sykes and Shawn Wood - were recognized with Hockey Heritage Citations for their contributions to the game.
DAN CURTIS
Dan Curtis was a strong skating centre who worked his way through the ranks of Georgetown minor hockey, from house league all the way to the junior Georgetown Geminis.
But it was behind the bench where Curtis really left his mark on the game. Like his playing days, he worked his way up, starting in house league, into the rep system and eventually with the Oakville Blades junior team.
After a short break, he began coaching his son’s team. With his firm, but fair, coaching style and a nickname for each of his players, he led the team to back-to-back OMHA finals.
He was a fierce competitor, but Curtis, who started coaching at 16, always made himself available to mentor young coaches and share his coaching knowledge.
“He was one-of-a-kind,” said Mike Daquano, who coached with Curtis for many years. “For sure a great player and coach, but he was an even better friend, husband and father.”
DAVID GEDNEY
When David Gedney moved to Georgetown in 1994, he contacted the Town to inquire about options for adult hockey during the day. He was 65 at the time and had played throughout his life, so he was disappointed to discover there were no such leagues. So he decided to start one.
Initially he had trouble finding enough players, but word spread. It started with two teams of 10 and continued to grow until there were three different days to accommodate players of different skill levels.
The group eventually became known as the Halton Silver Halos, and later the Halos.
‘The Commish,’ as he was known, strongly encouraged players to socialize, meeting at the pub after games and developing friendships. He hosted Christmas and end-of-year parties. Now in its 30th year, more than 200 players have donned a Halo sweater over the years, some playing into their 80s.
“Though his hard work and perseverance, he pioneered an opportunity for adults to play hockey in Georgetown during the daytime,” said John Boyce. “Thirty years later, men and women have the opportunities to skate and play shiny daily and the waiting list to join them is endless, a reflection of what he created.”
GARY McFADYEN
After three seasons playing junior hockey for Laval, Gary McFadyen was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the 1976 NHL draft.
He played four years of minor league hockey before returning home to join the Georgetown Senior A Raiders and scoring the winning goal as his hometown team won the Canadian championship, the Hardy Cup.
He seamlessly moved behind the bench, coaching the Halton Hurricanes and Mississauga Senators AAA team. He also coached the Georgetown Raiders Jr. A team and the Brampton Thunder of the National Women’s Hockey League, where he coached Olympians Jayna Hefford and Vicky Sunohara.
McFadyen created the Hockey Skills Camp to help young players develop their skills and reach their potential. His commitment to assisting young players has continued since his death in 2020 with the Gary McFadyen Memorial Fund that supports young athletes with financial aid.
Jay Anderson said McFadyen always loved to talk about the game with fellow coaches.
“He would always talk systems, what worked, what didn’t,” he said. “Gary possessed this ability to always talk to you like you were the most important person in the room.”
BILL McKEOWN
Bill McKeown was always there to pitch in how ever he was needed. Best known as the voice of the Georgetown Raiders during their Hardy Cup championship run, he also helped with advertising, selling 50/50 tickets and auctioneering at fundraisers.
A 40-year member of the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Council, he helped with the annual old-timers' tournament and emceed the council’s dinners. He was also a supporter of the Jr. B, and later Jr. A, Raiders, selling programs, 50/50 tickets and rallying the crowd during the intermission puck shoots.
“If there was a need for leadership in any activity, Bill was your man to call,” said Bryan Lewis. “The only thing he didn’t do in the arena was drive the Zamboni.”
JOE PUPO
Over his tenure in minor hockey, Pupo coached at every level from house league to AA and from novice to bantam.
While coaching house league, he often coached two teams in different age groups. Over his 18 years of involvement in minor hockey, Pupo was either the head coach or assistant coach on 33 teams. On top of his coaching duties, he was a house league convener for 10 years.
The teams Pupo coached went to four Ontario Minor Hockey Association finals, winning two of them.
“I worked with Jane (Pupo’s wife) and I remember many conversations ending with ‘Joe’s going to be at the arena this weekend,” said Tina Sykes. “I spent a lot of time at the arena, but didn’t log nearly as many hours as Joe.”
TOM SYKES
Called out of the stands to help out with his son’s practice, Sykes would go on to coach for 16 years, beginning in the select program.
In his first year coaching rep hockey, he led the minor atom AE team to the OMHA championship. After coaching novice select and peewee AA, won a second OMHA title in minor midget AE and later won a Tri-County championship with the midget A team.
Even after his own sons graduated from minor hockey, he continued coaching the midget AA for another five years.
“I found a gem,” said Gary Stone, the coach who called him out of the stands. “There was a level of respect obtained from his players, his assistant coaches, opposing players, the opposing coaches. It was a treat to coach with him.”
SHAWN WOOD
Shawn Wood worked with the Georgetown Raiders as an assistant to trainer and equipment manager Andrew Groombridge for more than 25 years.
Wood was a jack of all trades who was willing to do whatever was needed to help the team, with the highlight of his time with the team being the Raiders’ Dudley Hewitt Cup championship and the team’s trip to the RBC Cup in Weyburn, Sask.
Wood didn’t limit his involvement to the junior team, helping many successful minor hockey teams as well.
Wood continues to contribute as a member of the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Council.
“It would be hard to find a local that doesn’t recognize Shawn,” said Andrea Campbell. “Shawn is the Raiders’ biggest cheerleader.”
