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Recorder & Times - Ron Smith

The Brockville sports community lost a legendary hockey man this week.

Norm Saunders passed away on Monday at the age of 82 after a brief illness.

The ever-smiling Saunders provided more than five decades of leadership in hockey at not only the local level but on the national and world stage. His involvement in hockey was mind-boggling in its entirety and he did it all by never wavering from his principles of hard work and gentle diplomacy.

Born and raised in Brockville, Saunders played junior hockey for the Brockville Snowmen. That started his lifetime involvement in the sport.

As a human resources manager and production supervisor at Du Pont, Saunders put those work skills to good use as he began his leadership role in hockey by coaching in the Brockville Minor Hockey Association. He was involved in the building of the Centennial Youth Arena in 1967.

He was the president of the BMHA. He coached and managed the Brockville Braves. He was the president of the Brockville Tikis, the president of the Central Junior Hockey League, the president of the Ottawa District Hockey Association (ODHA) and the senior vice-president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.

Saunders was a referee in the ODHA and the refereein-chief of the CJHL. He was the special assistant in the International Ice Hockey Federation and was a representative for Canada at the first-ever Russia-Canada hockey tournament in 1972. He was involved in the Canada Cup hockey tournaments and in the hockey organization for the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

"Hockey was always a big part of his life," said son Dave Saunders. "I just think that's the way he was wired. He felt he had something to give in a leadership role. He loved it.

"He was very unselfish in giving of his time and I think he showed his children that and how to give back," he continued. "I think he had a pretty good idea of what good principles were. He had a good idea of what was right and wrong. He worked hard and he conducted himself well."

Saunders was inducted into the CJHL Hall of Fame in 1990 and deservedly added to the wall at the Memorial Centre for the Brockville Area Sports Hall of Fame in June 2000. After that, he was a key member of the Sports Hall of Fame committee through 2015.

"Norm was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge in hockey, for sure," said Bruce Wylie, chairman of the Brockville and Area Sports Hall of Fame. "He had an extensive knowledge of people in local sports, people that I certainly didn't know of. He was just a great asset and we're certainly going to miss his knowledge."

Saunders was also involved on city of Brockville committees, whether it was for councilor wages or water rates or arena advisory boards. Along with being an avid golfer, he was a volunteer at the Shorty Jenkins Curling Classic at the Brockville Country Club.

In the last several years, Saunders sat alongside Whit Prophet on Cogeco broadcasts for the Brockville Braves, lending his expertise and knowledge of the sport he knew best and loved.

Prophet described Saunders as a statesman, a notable local figure who enjoyed a long and respected career on the national and international stages.

If he thought he could be of help in a positive way, Saunders was always there to lend a hand. He wasn't flashy or argumentative in getting his opinions across that were always based on years of experience and knowhow.

He was always a gentleman, always a diplomat, always looking at situations from all sides. He was serious when it was warranted, but that mischievous smile was never far from appearing in his conversations.

He loved his family. He loved his hockey and he loved his community and its sports. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him.

He is survived by wife Dorothy, children Dave and Vicki and grandchildren Clarke Saunders and Andrew Ellacott. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 29 at 11 a.m. at the Irvine Funeral Home chapel in Brockville.

Original Story at Recorder.ca