Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire. ”
People are like snowflakes; no two are exactly the same.
Having said that, there are some characters in life that are truly unique, one of a kind.
The late Jim Nixon would certainly fit that description.
I first saw Jim in the 1980’s when he was the head coach of the Hanover Barons in the Grey-Bruce cum Western Junior C Hockey League.
The Barons were perpetual champions, winning the league title 9 consecutive years beginning in 1985, advancing to the 1989 Schmalz Cup before losing to Bradford.
Two years later, Hanover claimed the Ontario Junior C Championship stopping the Orangeville Crushers winning the title in an eventful 7 game set.
The Barons would come onto the ice surface at the old Hanover Coliseum to the Peter Gunn Theme and Coach Nixon would take his place behind the bench, sometimes yelling, sometimes seething, sometimes exploding into rage, but always keenly aware of what was happening on the ice.
I spoke to Bruce Angel who played defence for those Baron teams and I asked him if it was possible to sum up Jim Nixon.
Angel said succinctly; if you played against him, you didn’t like him, and if you played for him, you loved him.
And Jimmy Nixon was loved.
I remember when he was inducted into the Owen Sound Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, there was a huge entourage of Nixons on hand, and he was beaming.
Revenue from tickets sales and beverage consumption were sky high that night and the organizers immediately tried to figure how they could induct Jim again at some point in the future.
More than 2 decades after his induction night, Owen Sound Sports Hall of Famer Jim Nixon has passed away, but those who played with him, played for him or played against him, will always remember Ace, Jim Nixon.
I’m Fred Wallace