News

SPECIAL REPORT "COACH NICK BONNAR"

Name: Nick Bonnar
Town: Glace Bay

The name Nick Bonnar, has been a household sports personality for almost five decades. Although Nick has excelled in playing hockey and baseball his biggest and most dominiant contribution in sports has been, coaching our youth. That's exactly why every Glace Bay youngster who has ever played hockey or baseball knows Nicky simply, as "COACH".

Nick Bonnar is a life-long resident of Glace Bay who happily married to his spouse Donna and together they have one daughter Leanne. Leanne and her husband Scott reside in Cold Lake Alta, have two chldren Mhairi and Ryan (Nicky & Donna's pride & joy). 
Local residents here in Glace Bay frequently witness Mr. Bonnar walking the streets on his way to a sports event, meeting, church etc.

What is unique, whatever the event is, Nicky who will be turn 65 in March never held a driver's licence or drove a car despite raising a family and working a full career with DEVCO. Imagine the struggles Nick must have had trying to get around to provide for his family, let alone him trying to manage his extra-curricular sports activities, especially beyond his playing years. 

Past Involvement In Sports:
Played for the Glace Bay Midget "A" Miners, Dominion Juvenile and then made a major jump to the popular Glace Bay-Sydney Junior Metro Junior Bees who captured the Atlantic Junior Championship. Later on he played in the Industrial DEVCO Hockey League where he finished his active playing career. Nick was active in Glace Bay Broomball winning top "defenceman" eight consectutive years and in 1976-77 his team Brodie's Flyers captured a silver medal at the Canadian Broomball Championships. Bonnar also made the All-Canadian ALL-STAR Team as a defenseman. 

Sports Coaching Experience:

Heading into this year Nicky is on record for coaching both hockey and baseball for a combined total of an amazing 48 years. During his hockey coaching tenure he has coached our Glace Bay and area hockey youth ranging from Tots through to Junior "A".  In baseball his resume records him coaching T-Ball through to Cape Breton University Baseball. In Major Little League he lead two Glace Bay teams to National titles while in University Baseball his CAPERS squad won the 2005  Canadian Championship. In total coach Nicky participated in an amazing 18 National Championships. 

Some of Nicky's Coaching Highlights include: 
Coaching the It Store Hawks Bantam "B" team (with his brother-in-law Blair Aucoin) winning 3 consecutive NS Provincial titles that is a record in GBMH in 1985/86/87... To coach Bonnar "those players and their parents were very special to me and still are". Coaching his daughter Leanne with the GB High School Girl's team in grade 11-12 was a thrill and then she helped him coach the team for two later seasons. He readily admits that perhaps his "best personal coaching experience" was up when he got to coach his grand-daughter during one of his winter visits to Cold Lake, Alberta. .... In recent years coaching Nick has made his way back to coaching the younger kids again as he has been coaching the GBMH hockey TOTS and during summers the T-Ball kids which has been great....Speaking about baseball Bonnar has coached the Glace Bay Antonians in Glace Bay Little League, and recently the Mosquito AA team (under 11), capturing the 2016 Nova Scotia Baseball Crown. 

With reference to Nicky's "It-Store-Hawks Team", one of the area's star players during that era was well-known hockey advocate/coach and hockey dad Gerard Shaw, When I asked Gerard to share a few thoughts about coach Bonnar he commented "Nicky is a not only an avid sports fan but a passionate hockey enthusiast. His involvement and  committment to Glace Bay's youth hockey ‎is unending. I had coached with Nick in the 80s and saw the personal sacrifices he had made to ensure the kids he coached had the best possible expereince. Many of those he has coached, as they get older gain a greater apprecaition and respect to the time commitment Nick has made to our local hockey programs. Also to his credit is the continuation of honoring those others in the community who volunteer and exceled in sport".

Perhaps Nicky's biggest "officiating highlight" in sports was being selected to umpire in the 2013 Little League World Series in Pennsylvania USA. One month later he took a heart attack and his gem dream was in jeopardy, however eventually the fiesty umpire would recover and fulfill his biggest dream. In fact during the tournament the Canadian umpire earned international attention for his "Steeeeee" call behind the plate for strikes....Nicky's compassion for his late dad Buddy, was always very special to him he readily acknowledges that he taught me everything that I learned to do by leading me to be by his side in all the sports that he played.... "As I gradually moved on, at the age of 17 after my umpiring career had started one day I found myself behind the plate while my dad was part of the umpire team doing the bases".... Finally in hockey I had the pleasure to be an on-ice official in the Atlantic University Scholastic league during the hockey CAPERS era and also officiated during the 1987 Cape Breton Canada Winter Games.

Other Involvement in Glace Bay Youth Sports include refereeing the Glace Bay and Area Floor hockey 30 years, coordinated the Pre-School Skate Program 18 years, umpired Glace Bay baseball and hockey for a combined 48 years. 

Although Nicky Bonnar's strength, popularity and contribution is in coaching, he should not go un-noticed for his community work. For instance how many hockey parents knew or realized that Nick Bonnar was a past president of the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association and together with his Board of Directors spear-headed the 50th Anniversary Celebrations back in the 1991-92 hockey season. The tireless volunteer compassionately started both the Jason Simmons Hockey and Robbie McDonald Memorial Baseball Tournaments starting their respective scholarship programs as he previously coached both Jason in hockey and Robbie in baseball. In addition to these on-going events, he currently coordinates the Glace Bay Wall of Fame Program which recognizes our community's many sports enthusiasts and volunteers.

Nick Bonnar has earned his mark in Glace Bay Sports history as being our area's sports icon. His dedication, commitment and compassion to impact our community's youth in sports has been superlative. Someone would be hard-pressed to ask any of our youth who could not identify Nicky as "Coach". Whether it is doing high-fives" with kids after a good shift or making a good play on a ball field, Nicky Bonnar is truly a "kids coaching hero" and rightly so.

Bonnar shares..."having the opportunity to teach kids how to skate or the basics of hockey is very close to my heart and is awesome. The smiles on their faces is worth every minute you get to spend with them". He continues, my motto: "Is always do your best and never say I cannot do it always try. Self esteem is a great gift, always stay positive"

Before we close out, Glace Bay residents always know what time of the year or season it is based on how they Coach Nicky dressed. As referenced earlier he basically likes two sports namely hockey and baseball, and you guessed it Boston Bruins and Boston Red Socks. So if you wonder if it is Spring or Winter just check-out Nicky's attire as he wears BRUINS until they get knocked out (usually in April) and then he flips to his BOSTON RED SOCK gear...Did you know about Nick Bonnar being a FANATIC BRUIN FAN ? ...that he was the person who arranged for the Boston Bruins Alumni to take a Hockey Camp to our BAYplex...As a result arranging this event this Big Bruin Fan enticed his guests (Don Sweeney, Steve Leach and Rick Middleton) to visit his home's Boston Bruin Basement... RickMiddleton signed his basement's BRUIN's MUSEUM wall and before departing Middleton & company presented a game worn jersey to Nicky for his personal display (one of a kind)...

Nicky Bonnar's coaching contribution to Glace Bay's youth is worthy of such recognition. To close out Bonnar says he does it for the kids and his love for sports. In his own words Coach Nicky states "I would like to thank all the athletes that I have had the pleasure of  coaching, most importantly I could not coach without the support of the children's parents for which I say - THANK YOU !

GBMH thanks Nick Bonnar for sharing his story and for his coaching contribution with our hockey youth!. 

(Story/Photo: CT Campbell)