Paul Henderson

Paul Henderson’s legendary goal on September 28, 1972, during the Summit Series between Team Canada and the Soviet Union, remains etched in the memory of Canadians nationwide. Whether they were in a classroom, at home, or at work, many Canadians vividly recall where they were when “The Goal” was scored.

As a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the time, Henderson’s seventh goal in eight games secured an astonishing series victory for Team Canada against the formidable Soviets. Foster Hewitt’s iconic commentary immortalized the moment as he described the play leading to Henderson’s goal, capturing the excitement and euphoria of the fans and team alike.

Despite Henderson’s impressive 13-season career in the NHL, where he showcased his exceptional skating and shooting skills, it is “The Goal” that remains his enduring legacy. However, despite the fame and recognition brought by his performance in the Summit Series, Henderson found true happiness a few years later when he became a born-again Christian.

Since then, Henderson has dedicated his life to spreading the message of faith as a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, sharing his experiences and insights with businessmen and students alike. Reflecting on his childhood dreams, Henderson humorously recalls dreaming of scoring the “big goal” in the Stanley Cup, never imagining facing off against the Russians in his dreams.

Paul Henderson’s journey from hockey icon to devoted Christian speaker exemplifies the transformative power of faith and highlights the depth of his character beyond his athletic achievements.

Dr. Paul Dennis

Paul Dennis, an Etobicoke native, made a significant impact on the Toronto Maple Leafs as a player development coach, mental skills coach, and video coach for 20 years. Despite not recording any on-ice statistics, Dennis’ contributions to the Leafs during some challenging years earned him respect and admiration within the organization and the broader hockey community.

Dennis began his career in sports as head of the physical and health education department at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Etobicoke. He later coached the Toronto Marlboros’ OHL team and became president of the Marlboro organization. In 1989, Toronto head coach Pat Quinn appointed Dennis as the team’s video coach, marking the start of a close relationship that lasted until Quinn’s passing in 2014.

Beyond his work with the Maple Leafs, Dennis was involved in international hockey, serving as the video coach for the host country at the 1991 Canada Cup and as the sports psychologist for Canada’s World Junior hockey team in 2002 and 2003. He also played a role in establishing the Ontario Hockey League’s “exceptional athletes status” program in 2005, with John Tavares being the first applicant.

Dennis’ impact extended beyond hockey. He worked with the Toronto Raptors (NBA) and Toronto FC (MLS) as a sport psychology consultant, taught sports psychology at the University of Toronto and York University, and became a published author and sought-after lecturer.

Throughout his career, Dennis remained well-liked and respected by players, coaches, and colleagues alike. His dedication to his work, coupled with his ability to understand and connect with people, has left a lasting legacy in the sports community. Dennis credits much of his success to the unwavering support of his wife, Lynn, who played a crucial role in raising their two sons while he pursued his career in hockey and sports psychology.

In retirement, Dennis continues to do consulting work with the Ontario Hockey League and guest lecturing at universities, reflecting on a career that has spanned several decades and left a lasting impact on the world of sports.

Pete Conacher

Pete Conacher is part of a legendary Canadian sports family. A family proud of having 3 brothers elected to the National Hockey League Hall of Fame, Lionel, Charlie, and Roy.

Born and raised in Toronto, Pete started his hockey career in the Toronto Hockey League, became Chicago Blackhawk property at the age of 16. He then played for 3 years with their O.H.A. Jr. A farm team in Galt before turning professional with Chicago at age 20.

A 13 year hockey career followed with stops with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo A.H.L., St. Louis A.H.L., and Hershey A.H.L.

His professional career was interrupted in 1959 when he joined the Belleville McFarlands and helped win the World Championship in Prague. In the summers he played fastball in the Beaches Major League and senior baseball for Lizzies at the old Viaduct Stadium.

After retiring from professional hockey in 1966 he joined the N.H.L. Oldtimers Hockey Club and for the next 13 years played charity hockey games across Canada. Pete is still playing oldtimers hockey.

A past President of Ontario Special Olympics and a board member of the Charlie Conacher Throat Cancer Research Fund, Pete recently received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal from Senator Frank Mahovlich in recognition of his athletics and community services in Canada.

Pete and his wife Ann have lived in Etobicoke for the past 38 years.

Sami Jo Small

Sami Jo Small’s journey from a determined youth hockey player in Manitoba to a celebrated Olympian and co-founder of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League is a testament to her resilience, passion, and dedication to her sport.

Despite facing challenges and setbacks throughout her career, Small embraced each opportunity with unwavering determination. From her early days playing boys’ hockey and breaking new ground in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League to representing Canada on the world stage, Small demonstrated her commitment to excellence.

Small’s Olympic journey, which saw her participate in three Olympic Games and win multiple world championships with Team Canada, was marked by both triumphs and disappointments. Despite not always playing the role she had envisioned for herself, Small learned valuable lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and the importance of embracing one’s role for the success of the team.

Throughout her career, Small remained grounded and focused on continuous improvement. Whether facing off against top international competitors or inspiring the next generation of athletes through public speaking and coaching, Small approached each opportunity with humility and gratitude.

As a trailblazer for women’s hockey and a role model for aspiring athletes, Small continues to make a lasting impact on the sport and the lives of those she encounters. Her induction into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame serves as a fitting recognition of her contributions to hockey and her enduring legacy as a champion on and off the ice.

Turk Broda

Perhaps the best playoff goaltender in hockey history, Turk Broda was as free spirited off the ice as he was fiercely competitive on it. Called “the Fabulous Fat Man” due to his impressive girth and his prowess between the pipes, Broda backstopped the famed Toronto Maple Leafs teams of the 1940s, winning five Stanley Cups in 12 years and setting the standard to which every subsequent Leafs goalie would aspire.

Fresh off the first of his two Vezina Awards as the league’s top goaltender, Broda’s legend was born during the 1942 Stanley Cup final, when Toronto found itself down three games to none against Detroit. Backed by their stopper’s brilliant play, the Leafs stole Game 4 and then rolled over the Red Wings 9–3 in Game 5. Frustrated Detroit fans pelted Broda with fruit and peanuts in Game 6, but Turk was outstanding, shutting out the Red Wings and then allowing just one goal in Game 7 as the Leafs completed the unprecedented comeback.

Broda spent the next two seasons in the army but returned to lead Toronto to four more championships, including a run of three straight titles from 1947 to 1949 and a nail-biting 1951 final that saw him turn away Rocket Richard’s Canadiens, with every game decided in overtime. Broda’s sparkling playoff resume includes 60 wins, 13 shutouts and a miniscule 1.98 goals-against average in 101 games. He once said that the lure of bonus money outweighed any pressure he felt on the ice—or as Toronto Star humorist Gary Lautens once quipped, “When the playoff bucks were on the line, the Turk could catch lint in a hurricane.”

Like Johnny Bower after him, Broda wore No. 1, a fitting choice for a man with a knack for finding the spotlight. His most publicized off-ice battle was with Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe—and a weigh scale.  Smythe had first happened upon the portly Manitoban in 1936 while the Leafs boss was at a Detroit Olympics International League game scouting a different goaltender. But Broda’s tenacious play caught Smythe’s eye, and he paid the Red Wings $8,000 to transfer the promising young goalie to Toronto. That transaction proved to be a lucky break for Broda and the Leafs, for whom the future star spent his entire 15-year career.

Smythe had no qualms with Broda’s play—“Broda,” he once said, “could tend goal in a tornado and never blink an eye”—but his rotund goalie’s prodigious skill with a knife and fork caused the owner no end of consternation and sparked a short-lived but highly publicized confrontation that became known as “the Battle of the Bulge.”

After missing just one game while he slimmed down to Smythe’s weight target, a jovial Broda called the stunt “a million laughs.”
By the 1951–52 season Broda—then the oldest player in the league—was in the twilight of his long career. In a rare move, Smythe held an appreciation day for a current player, and players and executives from across the league—plus scores of fans—packed Maple Leaf Gardens on December 22, 1951 to celebrate the beloved netminder.

After retiring in 1952, Broda turned to coaching, leading the Toronto Marlboros to back-to-back Memorial Cup championships. The six-time NHL all-star was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967 and died seven years later at age 58. Still the all-time leader in regular season and playoff wins, shutouts and games played by a Maple Leafs goalie, Turk Broda’s legend looms large in hockey history to this day.

Patrick J. Hughes a.k.a. “Pat”

Pat Hughes was born in Calgary but moved to Etobicoke with his parents when he was 5.

From his first day in the Royal York Minor Hockey League he dreamed of playing professional hockey. An outstanding player, he moved from league to league until spending 2 years in the tier 2 provincial Junior “A” Hockey League.

The University of Michigan scouted him, offering him a scholarship for his scholastic achievement and athletic ability.
At the end of his 3rd year, Pat was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. He began his professional career with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the AHL and in his second year, was called up by the Canadiens, the start of his 10 year career in the NHL.

Pat’s talents were always in demand. His aggressive playing style and solid strength as a player took him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Edmonton Oilers, the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues. In ten years, he played 573 games, scoring 130 goals and 128 assists.

Although he went on to an executive position in the Detroit area after his retirement from hockey, a few years later he resigned to fulfil a lifelong desire to become a police officer. He joined the Ann Arbor Police as a constable, quickly becoming a detective and is now a sergeant.

He and his wife, Heather, and their three daughters, Katie, Kelly and Kristi live in Dexter, Michigan, but Jim and Shirley Hughes, his parents, still live in the same Etobicoke house they moved into when he was 5.

Ralph Mellanby

Ralph Mellanby’s career in television sports production is a testament to his dedication, creativity, and impact on the industry. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1934, Mellanby’s journey to becoming an executive producer for Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) was marked by a series of formative experiences and strategic career moves.

After attending Wayne State College in Detroit and earning a degree in communications, Mellanby began his television career as a prop boy at CKLW-TV in Windsor. His roles expanded over the years, encompassing stagehand work, camera operation, and floor management, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of television production.

By 1966, Mellanby had ascended to the position of Executive Director for Hockey Night in Canada, a role he would hold for the next 20 years. Under his leadership, HNIC underwent significant transformations, including the introduction of new talent and innovative production techniques.

Mellanby’s tenure at HNIC coincided with the rise of televised hockey as a national pastime in Canada. He played a pivotal role in shaping the broadcasts, negotiating sponsorship deals, and elevating the quality of production to new heights.

His creative vision and commitment to excellence earned him accolades, including five Emmy Awards for his coverage of the Winter Olympics and special recognition for his work on the “Miracle on Ice” at the Lake Placid Games in 1980.

Beyond his contributions to hockey broadcasting, Mellanby also left a lasting legacy in international sports production. He played a key role in the coverage of multiple Winter Olympics, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in the field.

In addition to his professional achievements, Mellanby is a proud father, celebrating the successes of his children, including his son Scott, who enjoyed a successful career in the NHL, and his daughter Laura, who excelled in the business world.

Despite facing personal challenges, including the loss of his wife Janet to cancer, Mellanby’s passion for sports and dedication to his craft remained unwavering. Today, he resides in Niagara Falls, Ontario, reflecting on a career filled with memorable moments and impactful contributions to the world of television sports production.

In recognition of his remarkable career and lasting impact, Ralph Mellanby’s induction into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame alongside his son Scott is a fitting tribute to his legacy and contributions to sports and life in general.

Scott Mellanby

Scott Mellanby has beaten the odds in a number of ways, but none more dramatic than his 20–year career in the National Hockey League.

Among the thousands of Canadian youngsters aspiring to be NHL’ers, how do you figure that the son of the executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada would be one of “gifted ones” who succeeded in that goal. Not only did he make it, his 20-years of service is testimony to the respect that he has earned over those two decades.

Born in Montreal in 1966, when he was five years old his dad had introduced him to Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Guy LaFleur and others of the cast of super heroes that had made the Montreal Canadiens into the most successful franchise in the six-team NHL. By the time the Mellanby family moved to Etobicoke, Scott was of age to play house league hockey with Humber Valley. Like many a young lad, he wasn’t an instant hit; actually he was a late bloomer.

When asked about his memories of Montreal, Scott said that they were few in number, but that he cherished Guy LaFleur as his favourite player and that when he arrived in Toronto he was a Montreal Canadiens fan. This in spite of the fact that his dad was neutral because of his HNIC duties as Scott recalls that era.
His father has told us about Scott’s minor hockey days and the son details a similar version.

Scott says that his father was always a positive force in all of his endeavours. “He never found fault with any of my performances right from pee wee to the NHL. He always congratulated me on a game well played and did so even when I didn’t do very well in a professional game.”

Scott treasures his youthful days at Humber Valley School and Richview Collegiate where he attended even though he played Junior “B” for Henry Carr. But when he did gain his height and weight as a Don Mills Flyers Midget, he had really developed as a prospect almost overnight. His father, Ralph, credits the great coaching that he received at Don Mills and Henry Carr juniors for the finished product that he turned out to be.

Even then, he chose college at the University of Wisconsin over junior “A” hockey in Canada and was still drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1984 entry draft. Forsaking the Wisconsin Badgers after two years, where unfortunately he was stricken with “mono” and missed the NCAA finals in 1986, he turned professional the next year. He enjoyed a respectable rookie season while compiling 11 goals and 21 assists in 71 games.

Just prior to that, he had helped Canada to a Silver Medal at the World Juniors in Hamilton, Ontario with 5 goals and 4 assists in the 7–game series. In his five years with Philadelphia he recorded a balanced output of 83 goals and 114 assists. He then became an Edmonton Oiler in a 6–players swap with the Flyers in 1991. From there he was taken in the 1993 expansion draft by his old General Manager in Philly, Bobby Clarke who by then had the same job with the Florida Panthers.

This is where, now in his prime, he had his best years. He scored their first ever goal and then led them to the Stanley Cup final in 1996. He played his 1,000th game with the Panthers, was their Captain and chosen their Player of the Decade.

Traded to the St. Louis Blues in February of 2001, he recorded a tidy 57 points for the 2002–03 season and then after 2004 he signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Becoming a Captain again with his new team, he played two more seasons and retired after 1431 games, 364 goals and 476 assists. Statistics don’t always tell the whole story, but in Scott’s case they do. Ten years constitutes a significant career, twenty years qualifies as an exceptional one.

Talent is one thing, good fortune is another; Scott met his wife Sue while at Madison playing for the Badgers and this turned out to be even better than being drafted by the Flyers. He relates how pleased he is that his daughter, Courtney, a high school senior is considering Wisconsin as her college of choice.

Scott and Sue are also parents to Carter 15, and Nicholas, 10 and this delightful family has come to grips with Carter’s autism in a positive way. With loving and constant care, Carter is a freshman at high school and although he can’t speak, he has learned to communicate with his iPod.

Often ability trumps character in athletes; when you have both qualities, you invariably become the team captain. It is fitting that Scott was so recognized by both the Florida Panthers and the Atlanta Thrashers. Similarly, players with long careers often wish to stay in the Game and usually begin an extensive study of every facet of coaching and management of personnel and strategic game plans. It is revealing that upon retirement, Scott worked for three years for the Vancouver Canucks as a special consultant to general manager, Mike Gillis and the hockey operations department.

When contemplating the vicissitudes of his NHL career, he made this observation to sum up the 20 years of constantly striving to win. “In four of the five franchises that I have played for, our teams made the final four of the Stanley Cup finals,” recalls the still combative Mellanby. “The feelings of achievement during those efforts to win it all are most satisfying even though we didn’t quite gain the ultimate prize,” this provides proof of a job well done for Scott.

He is currently increasing and applying his knowledge as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues. Scott has only ever played in one professional league and today finds the definitive adult education student still employed at what he loves best and knows best. Even though he left St. Louis for Atlanta at the end of his career, the family home stayed put because their roots were firmly entrenched there.

Scott finished the interview with these thoughts about his father’s career. He feels that Ralph should be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame for the simple reason that so many of the personalities that he hired and nurtured through the many improvements in hockey telecasting, have been recognized for their role and contributions. “Why not dad?” says the proud son.

There can be no more impressive a person than Scott; father, husband, professional athlete whose exploits and lengthy career only reinforce his worthiness to become a Member of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame. He is a most welcome addition.

Mike McCarron

Over its storied history, many future stars and hall of famers have skated with the St. Michael’s Buzzers. Mike McCarron was not one of them.

McCarron likes to jokingly say that his claim to fame is being the worst goalie in St. Mike’s history. But his relationship with the Buzzers did not end after his last game between the pipes. The Etobicoke native later rescued the team from financial ruin, and as majority owner for nearly 15 years, he led a movement to revitalize the entire Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Like many kids growing up in central Etobicoke in the 1960s, McCarron was a rink rat. He played minor hockey with the Royal York Rangers. “It was all local kids,” he recalls. “For me, it was a sense of community.”

“Ace”—a childhood nickname that stuck—remembers seeing other kids wearing their Rangers jackets in the pews of All Saints Catholic Church, and playing against some of his Rangers teammates in the Catholic Youth Organization hockey league. “It was almost like small-town hockey,” he said of the tightknit CYO. “It became very competitive for bragging rights.”

While at St. Michael’s College School, he played metro junior B with the Buzzers. “I was proud to be part of the St. Mike’s hockey legacy. It’s a staggering history,” said McCarron, who felt a thrill to put on the jersey worn by such hockey greats as Red Kelly, Tim Horton, Dick Duff and the Mahovlich brothers.

After graduating from the University of Toronto with a bachelor’s in political science and economics, McCarron began a lifelong career in trucking and transportation. He hadn’t planned on getting back into hockey until Fr. Daniel Zorzi, the Basilian priest in charge of St. Michael’s College School, asked McCarron to share a meal that would change his life.

The Basilians were looking to sell the financially beleaguered Buzzers, and Fr. Zorzi convinced McCarron to help. “I met a guy for dinner and came home owning a hockey team,” McCarron said with a laugh, adding that he was honoured to take over the business side of a franchise that was close to his heart. “I just fell in love with the team, and I felt it was worth hanging onto,” he said. “It became a hobby and a passion.”

McCarron took over in January 2001, and with the support of his business partners from the trucking industry—who loved opportunities to meet famous Buzzers alumni at fundraising dinners and be in the presence of the Stanley Cup – he kept the team afloat. Not long after his arrival, the Buzzers were crowned OJHL champs, winning the Buckland Cup in 2005 and successfully defending their title the following year.

The Buzzers never became a financial windfall, but McCarron wasn’t in it for the money. He says his favourite part of owning the team was seeing his players develop on and off the ice. “Before the championships, it’s the amount of kids we sent to the next level. That’s more important,” he said. “Nothing used to excite me more than having a parent call and say, ‘My kid just signed a deal.’”

One of those kids in particular stuck out for McCarron—his son Patrick. “There’s no question the highlight for me was my third-last year. My son was the captain and they won the championship,” he said of the 2013 season. Twenty-two players from that team went on to play in the NCAA, CIS or OHL, with five ending up in an NHL training camp. Patrick, a defenceman, played for Cornell and recently skated at the Detroit Red Wings prospect camp.

McCarron is also proud of the structural changes he introduced at St. Mike’s that later became adapted throughout the junior hockey community. The Buzzers were known for never making deals with incoming players—no one was paid to play, and no roster spots were up for sale. McCarron says such practices, which were common in junior A at the time, had a negative effect in the dressing room. “(Side deals) absolutely kill the kids. It doesn’t take long for them to figure out who doesn’t belong there.”

The Buzzers stipulated that players had to pay to be on the team. That policy ran counter to Ontario Hockey Association rules, but McCarron believed it would increase the players’ level of commitment. He expected blowback from the league, but says he never heard a word of objection. Today, pay-to-play models are common throughout junior hockey.

The hardworking owner also tackled the problem of the OJHL’s diluted on-ice product. There were 37 teams in the league when McCarron arrived, and just 22 when he left. Through a blind auction process that saw the board of governors buy out teams and then contract them, the talent on the remaining teams increased, while junior B, C and midget hockey became more competitive as former junior A players moved to the lower levels.

McCarron’s bold moves, driven by his desire to make the league credible and fair, paid off. “A lot of the things we were doing were getting noticed by Hockey Canada,” he said. “The league is fully sustainable now.”

His work with the Buzzers led to other opportunities in hockey. In January 2015, McCarron co-ordinated the awards ceremony that saw Team Canada receive their gold medals after winning the world juniors. McCarron called it “the thrill of a lifetime” and a “great honour” to carry the medals onto the ice. Before the ceremony, McCarron himself ironed the championship banner that would hang from the rafters at the Air Canada Centre.

He coached hockey at Humber Valley, leading the undefeated 1994 AA Sharks squad— with Patrick McCarron on the blue line—to All Ontario, North American Silver Stick, GTHL and Carnation Cup championships. “Coach Ace” credits an unusual approach for the team’s success—his Sharks didn’t track stats or name a captain, and coaches rotated the lines equally rather than skating their best players more often.

“It was a really interesting dynamic. We taught them hockey without consequences,” McCarron said, explaining that theirs was the only team that didn’t choose most valuable players after games. “The guys knew we didn’t (name MVPs), because the MVP’s the team.”

McCarron says playing team sports as a child helped him later in life, a pattern he has seen repeated in the lives of kids he’s coached. “You’ve got to work hard, be committed to something, make sacrifices, work and think like a team—all the things that make you a success in business are the same as sports,” he said.

With help from Hockey Hall of Famer and Buzzers alumnus Jim Gregory, McCarron arranged for a CBC Hockey Day in Canada special to be filmed on location in January 2009 to commemorate 100 years of hockey at St. Michael’s College School. “I told them we could get Dave Keon to come up, and we delivered,” McCarron said. “It was a great day—a great celebration of hockey. A lot of work, but a lot of fun.”

Everyone who has donned the uniform—from a legend like Keon to Etobicoke Sports Hall of Famer Mike Walton and highly touted Maple Leafs prospect Connor Brown—shares the same enduring pride in the Buzzers, and is eager to give back. “Everyone’s so good about St. Mike’s,” McCarron said. “The bond is very strong.”

McCarron sold his controlling interest in the Buzzers in August 2015. He was away from the club a fair bit that season, watching his son’s Cornell games and launching a new transportation consulting firm. Having raised their three children—Danielle, Alicia and Patrick—McCarron and his wife Tammy live on the Kingsway and remain active in the Etobicoke community.

Looking back at his life in hockey, McCarron said he had a blast. “It’s been a lot of fun. Met a lot of great people. It was a hell of a ride.”

Ron Hewat

Ron Hewat’s broadcasting career began in 1959 when he joined CKFH in Toronto as a staff announcer. He went on to become a host and colour commentator for Toronto Maple Leafs broadcasts, progressing to play-by-play announcer for all Leafs games over the next sixteen years.

Through his involvement in Maple Leaf games, he has broadcast every Canada Cup series including the memorable 1976 series.

To his credit Ron has broadcast five Grey Cup games, assisted in production of the Bobby Orr Story on video, and did the first ever broadcast on TSN.

Ron started the original network for the Toronto Blue Jays and today is heard on numerous radio and television commercials across Canada.

Thousands of guests have attended the annual Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame induction dinners and have had the pleasure of Ron Hewat as the Master of Ceremonies at the events.