WALTER ROBINSON

Born in Streetsville, Walt Robinson came to Collingwood with his parents as a very young boy.
He played hockey, lacrosse and baseball for Collingwood junior teams in the early parts of this century but his mark was made as a coach and trainer.

Walt played and coached to win and he never tired to cover his contempt for laughing losers. He regarded a loss as a team to show it on their faces.

He started coaching Collingwood hockey and lacrosse teams in 1910 but his greatest success came in 1918-19-20 when he guided the Collingwood Shipbuilders to three consecutive O.H.A. Intermediate "A" championships. Newly Lalonde brought him up to the international Hockey League as a trainer with the Niagara Falls Cataracts in 1930. He ended up coaching that team when Newsy quit in mid season.

The Falls club disbanded and Walt went back to the O.H.A. where he brought the Parry Sound Shamrocks to the Junior semi-finals.

For the next three years he was head hockey coach for the R.C.A.F. at Camp Borden and twice brought the Flyers top the semi-finals.

He finished his coaching career with Collingwood in the early thirties.

On Walt's recommendation, Leo Dandurand signed Jack Portland after only one year's experience in Intermediate ranks. Portland starred for ten years in the National Hockey League and was a member of the Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins in 1939.

At the age of 78, Walter Robinson died on June 23rd, 1968.