Sport: Hockey

David was born in Etobicoke on May 15, 1964, and lived there with his parents and two brothers until 1981 when he was drafted by the Peterborough Petes of the O.H.L. He played there for 3 seasons enjoying a successful junior career.

In 1982, David was drafted 60th overall by the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. In December of 1983 he played his first game with the Boston Bruins and from 1984 to 1988 David continued to play with the Bruins organization. He signed in 1988 as a free agent with the team he idolized as a child, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He wore the blue and white for 3 years, and in the ’90-’91 season led the NHL with 8 shorthanded goals. A feat which tied Dave Keons’ 21 year old Maple Leaf record. David moved back to Boston as a free agent and played the next 5 seasons with the Bruins.

In 1996, David signed as a Free Agent with the Dallas Stars where he played for 3 seasons. As a member of the Stars organization, he won his first Stanley Cup in the spring of 1999. In the fall of that year he signed with the Colorado Avalanche and played his final two seasons in the NHL.

In David’s final game of his career in June 2001 he lifted the Stanley Cup for the second time. At the conclusions of 18 seasons in the National Hockey League, David had played 961 regular season games and 118 playoff games.

David is grateful to all of the coaches and volunteers who made his Minor Hockey days so enjoyable. From his first days outdoors at the West Mall Arena with the Eringate Minor Hockey Association, through the West End AC’s to his three best years of minor hockey with the Royal York Rangers of the Etobicoke Hockey Association a passion for the game was fostered in David that remains with him to this day. He attributes his desire to help in Minor Hockey in his community to the wonderful start he had in Etobicoke.

Upon retirement from playing in 200 I, David began a new career as a Hockey Analyst with the NHL Network and TSN. David resides in Ennismore, Ontario with his wife of 18 years, Kathy and their two children, Jessica and Alec.

Colin Patterson, although most people know him as a truly remarkable hockey player, was equally skilled at lacrosse. He represented Canada in the world championships in Baltimore, winning a bronze medal. Lacrosse made him, he says, “a better hockey player”, since the game requires similar skills, hand/eye coordination and conditioning. But when the lacrosse season ended, he turned to hockey.

Colin was born in Rexdale, and played his minor hockey with the MTHL. He left organized hockey to play for his high school, Thistletown Collegiate Institute (T.C.I.) – the year of the teachers’ strike. Sports programs were suspended. While sitting at home with nothing to do, he was visited by the coach and the manager of the Etobicoke Canucks Midget A team, who talked him into playing with them. The best decision he made, he claims. The Etobicoke Hockey Association pulled him back into the game.

During his second year with the Royal York Royals Provincial Jr. A team, he was scouted by Clarkson University. In spite of offers from many other American universities, he chose Clarkson, a small and appealing school with interesting programs and excellent coaching. There he sharpened his skills and was welcomed by the town with open arms.

At Clarkson he was spotted by scouts from the Calgary Flames, who had come over to recruit a teammate. The Flames wanted him to sign with them, foregoing his final year of university, but he was reluctant to do that. They finally worked an agreement – he signed for the coming season, and they would pay for his final year. He completed it over three summers, earning a degree in marketing and management. At Calgary, the skills he perfected in lacrosse made him a superb defensive forward.

In 1989, Colin played on a line with Doug Gilmore and Joe Mullen, and won the Stanley Cup. That same year, he was a finalist for the Selke Trophy. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991, and played with them for two seasons, followed by a year with HK Olimpija in Ljubjana, Slovenia, before retiring from hockey.

He was inducted into the Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Colin is president of Just-In Case Ltd, a firm that designs and manufactures eco-friendly portable fire suppression equipment, to safeguard people who live or work more than ten minutes from emergency response. He lives in Calgary with his wife Sherri, daughters Stephanie and Michelle, and son Derek.

Bob Pulford has excelled at every aspect of hockey: Player, Coach, and General Manager.

Growing up in Weston he played a variety of sports – football for Weston Collegiate, lacrosse and hockey, as part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He also found time to graduate from McMaster University. From 1956 on when his playing career began, he collected 643 points (281 goals, 362 assists) in 1,079 games. During the Leaf’s glory-days in the sixties, Pulford earned four Stanley Cup rings. He was an outstanding penalty killer, registered four 20-or-more goal seasons and was an NHL All-Star six times. He ranks in the Maple Leafs’ Top Ten in goals, assists, points, and games played.

When he retired as a player, Pulford became Head Coach with the Los Angeles Kings. The team developed rapidly under his direction, and in the 1974-1975 season, posted a 42-17-21 record for 105 points. Pulford was named NHL “Coach of the Year.”

After five successful seasons in L.A., Pulford joined the Chicago Blackhawks as Head Coach and General Manager. He led the Blackhawks to a first place finish in the Division and was again named “Coach of the Year.” Twice he relinquished his coaching position to concentrate on management, only to assume it again in mid-season to revive a struggling Hawk team. Under Pulford the Blackhawks won eight division titles and made the Playoffs in 20 consecutive seasons. He posted a 361-325-136 record as an NHL Coach.

In 1990 the Blackhawks’ President, William Wirtz, appointed Bob Pulford Senior Vice President, giving him more input into the crucial areas of team business and marketing. Noted for his meticulous attention to detail, he has said that if he hadn’t had a hockey career, “I probably would have been a lawyer.” Then two seasons later, Pulford was once more called on to take over as General Manager.

Pulford played an extensive role in developing the National Hockey League’s early collective bargaining agreements. In 1967, he became the NHL’s first Player Union President. Today, he plays a key role as Alternate Governor for the team and sitting on the advisory committee to league ownership.

His accomplishments earned him election into the Hockey Hall of Fame on June 21, 1991.

Pulford is also credited with bringing more respect to hockey in the United States as Head Coach of Team USA during the 1976 Canada Cup.

In 1997, after 20 successful seasons in which the Blackhawks always made the playoffs, Pulford stepped down as General Manager. He stepped back twice more, however, between then and June, 2005, always returning to his role as Senior Vice President.

“Pully,” as he is often called, and his wife Roslyn have four children – Wanda, Rob, Lindsay and Jennifer and eight grandchildren. When he’s not involved with hockey, he can be found restoring old automobiles, a long-time hobby, playing golf or fishing.

Born in 1911, David Murray Dryden was the eldest of eight children raised on a Manitoba farm. He has been a sports lover all his life, starting with skating over ice-covered pastures of his family’s farm while dreaming of athletic glories. In those days, his skates were old rusty blades clamped to shoes or boots.

Murray and his wife Margaret moved to Etobicoke in 1948. With their three children, Dave, Ken and Judy, the family was active in both community and church life. Murray believed strongly in the importance of sports in the development of a child.

His company sponsored one of Dave’s hockey teams, and he and Dave coached and managed several of Ken’s teams in the Humber Valley League and Kingsway Baseball League.

Both Ken and Dave went on to successful goaltending careers in the National Hockey League. Murray wrote a weekly baseball update for the Etobicoke Guardian and later wrote three books including one about hockey entitled “Playing the Shots at Both Ends”.

In 1970, Murray and Margaret founded a unique, non-governmental organization for children – Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW). The $12.8 million raised by the organization has helped 522,600 children, their families, and the economies of 31 developing countries.

Murray and Margaret were inducted into the Etobicoke Hall of Fame in 1987. Murray has received many other honours including being made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Fifty-two years after arriving, Murray still lives in Etobicoke with his wife, Theda. Murray Dryden is a great believer in the importance of sports in Etobicoke.

Born April 15, 1929 in Toronto, Hugh Bolton was a gifted athlete excelling at baseball, football and hockey.

While attending Queen’s University, Bolton was enticed to join the Toronto Marlboros junior squad which, at the time was coached by Syl Apps. Bolton left Queen’s on the premise that he would be paid $5,000. Over time to help finance his education.

In 1950, he helped the Marlboros win an Allan Cup under the direction of Joe Primeau. After making the cut for the Toronto Maple Leafs he went to win a Stanley Cup in 1951 and was named to the NHL All Star team in 1956.

Bolton played all of his eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs for a total of 235 games from 1949-1957. Once retired from the NHL, Bolton played for the NHL Old Timers travelling to rural communities where he continued to show the love he had for the game of hockey. After his hockey career, Hugh became an educator teaching Physics and coaching football at Scarlett Heights Collegiate.

Hugh Bolton passed away October 17, 1999 but not without having a massive impact on many young people’s lives through his dedication to sports, education and Etobicoke.

Born in Kirkland Lake and now an Etobicoke resident, Dave Poulin held the Philadelphia Flyers record for a rookie season with 76 points and named Captain in the 1984/85 season.

During his thirteen year career in the NHL, Poulin made it to the Stanley Cup finals three times (85/86, 87/88 with the Flyers 89/90 with the Bruins). He was awarded the Frank J. Selke trophy for outstanding play in 1986 and named to the NHL All Star team in 1986 and 1988. Poulin also won the King Clancy Trophy in the 1992/1993 season which is given to a player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.

He is a Notre Dame alumnus where he coached from 1995-2004 before being hired by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment as the General Manager of the Toronto Marlies for two years. From there, he was hired as VP of Hockey Operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dave is highly regarded for his wealth of knowledge for hockey at many different levels as player, scout, coach, general manager, VP of hockey operations and is now a renowned sports analyst for TSN and Sportsnet.

A nine-year veteran of the National Hockey League, Lewicki is a winner of the Stanley Cup, Allan Cup, and Memorial Cup. He pulled off hockey’s “Triple Crown” while still a junior-aged player between the years of 1948 and 1951. Lewicki is the only player in hockey history to achieve such a feat.

In 1948, he was on the Memorial Cup-winning Port Arthur Bruins and led his team in scoring throughout the playdowns, and even notched the winning goal in overtime of the championship game against the Barrie Flyers in Maple Leaf Gardens.

As a member of the senior league Toronto Marlboroughs, Lewicki was the leading scorer for the playdowns as the team won the Allan Cup in 1950. The next year, 1951, Lewicki was a member of the Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leafs.

Born in Fort William, Ontario in 1931, Lewicki played most of his minor and junior hockey near his hometown before joining the senior Toronto Marlboroughs.

In the NHL, he played four seasons with the Leafs, four with the New York Rangers and one with the Chicago Blackhawks. In the 1954 season, he scored 29 goals with the Rangers and was named to the NHL All-Star team as a left-winger. He was also second in the voting for the Lady Byng Trophy that season. During his 457 NHL game career, Lewicki recorded 115 goals and 153 assists.

Lewicki lived in Etobicoke for 10 years and was very involved with sports in the community at that time. He was the first coach of the Etobicoke Indians Junior B team in the 1960s which included such players as Ken Dryden.

Lewicki continued his coaching career with the Hamilton Junior A Red Wings of the Ontario Hockey Association. He then went on to a business career while becoming involved with a number of charities including the “Emmy” gold tournament for research into myelin disease.

“Gentleman” Joe Primeau had a distinguished career as both a hockey player and coach. From 1932 to 1936, Primeau centred the famous “Kid Line” of the Toronto Maple Leafs with wingers Charlie Conacher and Harvey “Busher” Jackson.

He finished second in National Hockey League scoring in the 1932 season by three points to his linemate Jackson, and second in the 1934 season by six points to his linemate Conacher.

The production of the Kid Line helped lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to their first Stanley Cup in 1932. Primeau won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1932 and was named to the 1934 NHL All Star team.

Born in Lindsay, Ontario, Primeau began his NHL Career in 1927. Along with his success on the ice, Primeau was also an outstanding coach. He is the only man to have coached Memorial Cup, Allan Cup and Stanley Cup teams.

Primeau won the Memorial Cup while coach of the Toronto St. Michael’s Juniors, the senior men’s Allan Cup while with the Toronto Marlboroughs and the Stanley Cup as coach of the Leafs in 1951.

Primeau began his coaching career while still an NHL player by taking the bench for the West Toronto Juniors in 1932.

He was a longtime resident of the Ripplewood Road area of Etobicoke, living in the community from 1957 until his death at age 83 in 1989. Primeau is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

A product of Etobicoke’s minor hockey system, Mike Pelyk was born in 1947 and grew up on Grand Avenue in the former town of Mimico. His mother still lives in the same south Etobicoke house.

Mike showed great skill as a young athlete, excelling in both hockey and baseball with the Queensway minor associations. At age 11, he joined the Toronto Marlborough hockey club, where he played for the next six years through pee wee up to midget.

In 1961, Mike entered Michael Power high school where he took part in hockey, football and track. During his high school summers he played junior baseball at Christie Pits. In his final year of high school, he played Junior B in the Metro league.

In 1966 Mike joined the Toronto Marlboroughs of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), now the OHL, where he won the Memorial Cup with the team in the spring of 1967.

Mike turned professional in 1967 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After seven successful NHL seasons he was lured to the World Hockey Association where he played four seasons with Vancouver and Cincinnati before returning to Toronto to finish his pro career. He played thirteen years of pro hockey, nine with the Maple Leafs.

After his pro career ended he continued to play with the NHL Old-timers squad raising money for charities. He also coached hockey in Humber Valley and baseball in the Kingsway – Islington league. He still lives in Etobicoke with his wife Donna and their three children, Kimberley, Christopher and Leah.