From Dave Vernon
OLA Junior B Commissioner
I’m sad to report the passing of one of the Guelph sports greats, Huck O’connell.
Huck was the Guelph Regals President since their inception and until ill health prevented him from making the drive,
He was a regular at the Jr. B Council meetings.
For the West teams that had the chance to see Huck in action, you could find him at every home game in the snack bar selling hot dogs, popcorn and all of those foodstuffs that make an intermission experience at every game.
You could hear Huck’s booming voice all over the arena, as he let the referees know exactly what he and many other fans felt about their calls.
Huck was a terrific individual who was still there for the kids and while his son was on the bench, his grandson was possibly in the net.
At the Founders Tournament this past summer, Huck managed to get to every Guelph game and sat up at the top of the rink, so he could see everything and let those refs know when he thought they made an error in their calls or didn’t make a call that he thought they should.
His visits to the dressing room wasn’t always filled with congratulations either.
If he thought something went wrong during the game, he was just as outspoken about that as well.
The funeral is on Wednesday and the League will make a memorial donation to the Hall-of-Fame in Huck’s name.
