Barry’s Bay — A native of the community who devoted almost 20 years to the minor hockey program is being remembered for his ongoing efforts to grow the program by making it more affordable for kids.
William (Bill) Green, president of the Barry’s Bay and Area Minor Hockey Association (BBAMHA) for the past eight years, died suddenly on June 5 at age 55, leaving a big hole the community, the organization and at the Madawaska Valley Association For Community Living (MVACL) where was employed.
Marc Leclerc, treasurer of the BBAMHA, was a longtime friend of Mr. Green through their work with not only the local association but also with the Upper Ottawa Valley Minor Hockey League (UOVMHL) and the district level also.
“He was a very good friend, a very close friend,” Mr. Leclerc said.
He believed Mr. Green had been president for about eight years, noting he had coached, then assumed an executive position and then later became president, likely totalling over 20 years of service.
“And it wasn’t just the BBAMHA. He was the president of the UOVMHL and at the last AGM, just before he died, he became the district chair,” he explained. “Now, everybody is in limbo.”
Mr. Leclerc had known Mr. Green for 15 years, since he moved to the community from Ottawa in 2000.
“I got involved with the association and then Bill became an executive and that’s when I really got to know him better.”
He noted Mr. Green’s commitment to the association was quite amazing considering he had no children in the program.
“We’d travel together to the district meetings most of the times and we talked a lot. And it was always for the kids.
“He wanted to find a way to attract more kids to minor hockey, wanting to lower the fees to get more kids,” he added. “It was always about the kids, their welfare, and having fun. We had to make sure they enjoyed playing hockey.”
Mr. Leclerc said when the BBAMHA was approached about assisting with hosting a tournament when the Heritage Cup was cancelled in 2018, Mr. Green saw it as a great opportunity to raise funds for the association toward his goal of keeping fees affordable. He and the other executive members partnered with community members Chummy Gienow and Dan Conway to host the Reunion Cup that year. He credited his late friend with introducing the idea to showcase the minor hockey teams on the Thursday night of the tournament that year, which was adopted by the Heritage Cup tournament in its return in 2019. The BBAMHA also partnered with the Heritage Cup committee and hosted the bar in 2019.
“It worked well and we made a good profit,” he said of that partnership.
He said Mr. Green was always thinking of ways to fundraise to help the association and he proudly noted the fees had not been raised in several years.
“He was always pushing different kinds of ideas to get the executive involved, get the parents involved, for the kids,” he said.
Mr. Leclerc has started making plans for a possible tournament this fall involving all the levels of the Valley Storm teams as a tribute to Mr. Green and he is hopeful of having some permanent tribute to him established at the arena where he spent so many hours.
When asked what his late friend’s greatest asset was as a member of the association, he said Mr. Green always took the time to think things through and never made any rushed decisions.
“He would always say, ‘Marc, cool down, relax, let’s think about it‘. That was Bill at every level.”
“And Bill couldn’t say anything wrong about anyone,” he added of his personal nature
Dan Conway, one of two members of the Reunion Cup committee to work with Mr. Green, said when he and Chris Gienow contacted the BBAMHA about helping out, he was quick to jump on board.
“And he was so easy to work with. He’d ask what we wanted and do it, quietly, with no questions asked.
“For a guy that didn’t have any kids, I have never seen anybody so dedicated to helping kids,” he added.
Missed By Co-workers
Monica Prymack, executive director of MVACL, said Mr. Green would have been with the association for 10 years in September.
“He was a team leader but he was also our chief union steward,” she said.
She said he was extremely well liked and respected by his colleagues,
“People are having a tough week here,” she told The Leader on Friday. “He had many friends.”
In his role as union steward he would receive lots of calls, both day and night, and was always willing to try to assist anyone. She explained the MVACL has seven homes where they support people and each of these homes has a team leader. Mr. Green held that position.
“They have additional responsibilities to both the people we serve in that house and to the staff team in that house,” she said.
She noted when he started, he had no formal training in the field but managed to work his way up in the association.
“He was just very passionate about his work and he was a tremendous advocate for the people he served, and that helped him move along.”
While his passion for sports was legendary, she said he was equally passionate in his role at MVACL.
“He gave 150 per cent all the time,” she remarked.
The late Mr. Green is survived by his parents, Jerome (Jerry) and Diane, siblings Frank (Jill), Tracey (Clayton Pecarski) and Kelly (Rick) Luckovitch. Visitation was at the Heubner Funeral Home last Wednesday and Thursday morning prior to the funeral service at St. Lawrence O’Toole’s Catholic Church at 10 a.m.