I had a delightful chat with Rob Holody last week.
Rob was among the inductees when Guelph staged their Sports Hall of Fame Induction Night on June 18th, and while he hasn’t been in these parts for more than a decade, Rob Holody still has the ability to make me smile and laugh out loud.
Inducted as a builder for Guelph sports, I have no doubt this honour is richly deserved, highlighted by his role as the General Manager of the 1986 Memorial Cup Champion Guelph Platers.
I was most pleased to hear there was an Owen Sound connection at the function last week with Jerry Harrigan, Don Maltby, Rick Mancini & Brian O’Leary among others on hand for the ceremony.
I doubt the Holodys, Rob or his father, Joe, will be inducted into the Owen Sound Sports Hall of Fame, and they’re certainly not seeking that distinction.
But in my mind, they definitely deserve recognition.
A quarter of a century ago, in June of 1989, the Holody’s took an incredible risk with a valuable sports property, and shifted it from their hometown of Guelph to Owen Sound.
Rob Holody called it a ” challenge “. I’d think it was almost a gamble.
Furthermore, moving the club was one thing, operating it and planting the seeds for what is a vibrant operation 25 years later was quite another.
When asked about Owen Sound highlights, Rob Holody easily cites the first ever playoff series with Sudbury, the Plater fan with the stuffed wolf for Game 6 at the Bayshore, and then Jeff Perry’s game winner the following night in Game 7 at Sudbury.
It gave me a great chill.
Both Rob & Joe Holody are in the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame, where they truly belong.
However, their greatest legacy in sports exists in Owen Sound and for that, this city should be forever grateful.
I’m Fred Wallace