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1950 - 1969, 1980 - 1989, All, Baseball, Hockey, Male

CHARLES FRYER

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In Collingwood, Charlie Fryer was known as an all-round athlete, but he was best known in baseball and hockey.

The only position Charlie played on a baseball field was pitcher, and later in the fifties after pitching spectacularly with the Collingwood Chev-Olds baseball club, Charlie would continue to show his excellence by being invited to the spring training camp of the St. Thomasclub in the Inter-County baseball league, not making the club due to injuries.

As a hockey player, Charlie was no stranger to championships, having been a defenseman on six all-Ontario championship teams.

Charlie eventually worked his way up to be captain of the Collingwood Greenshirts that won three consecutive all-Ontario Junior “C” titles in 1952-53-54.

As well as playing for the Greenshirts, Charlie while still junior age, was called up to play on the intermediate Shipbuilders team.  Again, his play and leadership style helped win two more Ontario championships.

Charlie has been a referee of minor and recreational hockey for 30 years.  He is carded to referee CMHA finals, OMHA, the Central Ontario Hockey League and Western Ontario Hockey League.

When he finished playing hockey and baseball, Charlie returned to Collingwood where he was assessor for the town form 1960 -1987, leaving that position due to health reasons.  During that time, Charlie stayed involved in the Collingwood Minor Hockey Association coaching Midget and Juvenile teams.

1980 - 1989, All, Builder, Male

DON JEFFERY

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Big Don Jeffery, long time manager of the Collingwood Community Arena, was a born
diplomat.

He had to be to keep everybody happy in the day to day operation of the town’s
main recreation centre.

For a quarter of a century, Don wrestled with the problems of the Figure Skating
and Adult Skating Clubs, junior, intermediate and senior hockey organization,
community skating and hustling attractions to pay the light bills during the
off season.

On top of that he had to keep the Collingwood Council and the Arena Commission
happy by keeping the budget under control.

Since 1955, until his retirement in 1981, he served under five Mayors and eight Arena
Commissioners. “Jeff” was a police force in himself. It was a familiar sight to watch him elbowing a path through a hockey crowd to get to the scene of a disturbance in the seats. Usually, he managed to smooth things out by appealing to reason but if he was forced to use muscle he had the equipment. Even if the trouble makers were inflamed with the grape, they thought twice before tangling with his 6 feet 1 inch-230 pound frame and the courage to match. Jeff believed in that old adage,” Speak softly but carry a big stick.”

Besides running the rink, he served on the executive of the junior and intermediate teams. Born in Collingwood, Jeff’s own active playing career spanned a decade. He played on Collingwood Junior O.H.A. clubs in 1936 and 1937 and then jumped to the Senior “A” ranks with Amour Mines in 1938. That team was ousted by the famed
Kirkland Lake Blue Devils who went on to win the Allan Cup.

He came back to his old home town in 1939 to help Bern Brophy and the Collingwood
Shipbuilders win the O.H.A. Intermediate “A” title. Jeff was on the move again the following year with St. Catherine’s and that team went to the O.H.A. Senior “A” finals against a strong Toronto Goodyear team.

He returned home in 1941 with the Shipbuilders where his active career came to an end after a serious eye injury in a game with the Orillia Terriers.

Before his appointment to the manager ship of the arena he served as bench manager
under Coach Eddie Bush when the Shipbuilders won the Intermediate “A” title in 1951 and 1952.

Right from the start Jeff made it a point to try to keep the arena open to the public
the year around. The building closed for only two weeks during the early summer
when his staff painted the building from stem to stern.

During his tenure as arena manager he supervised many new additions to the complex and instigated the plan to add blocks of new seats every year. During the last ten years the renovation plans included a new floor and roof, new sideboards and glass backstops.

Don Jeffery is a welcome addition to the Sports Hall of Fame. He earned his induction as an Athlete and  Builder.

1930 - 1949, 1950 - 1969, 1970 - 1979, All, Hockey, Male

BOBBY MORRILL

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One of the greatest stick handlers of his time, Bobby Morrill holds the time record in Collingwood’s long hockey history for goals scored in a single season.

Fifty-three years ago, while playing centre for the Collingwood Juniors, he scored ninety-five goals in twenty-one games.

You would almost think he had some kind of a rubber-to-wood magnet on the blade of his stick. He had a supernatural knack of pulling the puck from the back of the net, pivoting around the post and slipping the puck under the goalie’s skates.

Mike Rodden actually compared Morrill to Howie Morenz when the two centers met in the 1921 O.H.A. Junior semi-finals and by a strange quirk of fate, both players died only a week apart in 1937. Morenz died after he received a broken leg in an N.H.L. game at the Montreal Forum and Morrill met a tragic death in an industrial accident at the International Nickel Plant in Port Colborne.

Rodden was really sweet on Morrill and he induced him to go for a try-out with the Toronto St. Pats. Bobby turned out for one practice, and according to Mike, he was a sensation. But he was convinced that he was not fast enough as a skater to hold his own in the N.H.L. and he never went back.

So Morrill went to Port Colborne where he became the toast of the canal town for many years when the Sailors ruled the roost in the Senior O.H.A. ranks.

We saw a carbon copy of Bobby some thirty years ago when his eldest son, Allan, spearheaded the Collingwood Greenshirts to four straight O.H.A. Junior “C” championships.

The fading art of stickhandle ran in the blood of the Morills. Four of Bobbie’s nephews, Barney and Ab Walmsley and Morrill and Ab Kirby left their marks on the Collingwood hockey scene over the past four decades.

1900 - 1929, 1970 - 1979, All, Athlete, Male, Other

JOHN ROWE

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Jack (aka John) Rowe was not only one of Collingwood’s greatest and best known athletes, at the age of 90, he was still an important cog in this town’s sporting fraternity.

Born of a pioneer Collingwood family in 1885, he was on the active sports scene for
almost three quarters of a century. Apart from numerous team sports, he will be
remembered mostly for his success as a long distance runner. He once defeated
Billy Steel in a ten-mile race at Barrie and Steel represented Canada
in the 1908 Olympics.

Jack and two other outstanding Collingwood runners, Ancil Williamson and Hec Lamont, once ran an exhibition five-mile race against the legendary Tom Longboat, Canada’s greatest distance runner. The race took place sixty-five years ago right here
in Collingwood in the old Pine Street rink. We won’t go into the details, but the
Collingwood trio running as a relay team and with the assistance of a little skull duggery, defeated the peerless Indian runner.

Jack’s best game was lacrosse. We saw him play his last game against Alliston at the
age of forty-eight. To say he held his own that evening would be a bit of an
understatement. Collingwood won the game 5-4 and Mr. Rowe scored four goals,
including the winner.

For forty years he was a landmark on Collingwood ball diamonds as a player,
manager, umpire and as president of the softball league no fewer than six
times.

He played on Collingwood’s first basketball team, re-organized and served as
president of the Town Hockey League. Few people know of his boxing ability but
he has a gold medal to prove it. In 1917, Sergeant Jack Rowe, representing the
157 Battalion, won the Fourth Canadian Division Welterweight title. Ten years
ago, at a testimonial dinner, Bill Akos presented a new trophy to Blue Mountain
Softball League. It was named the Jack Rowe Trophy. Just a small tribute to a
man who played such a major part in Collingwood’s sporting history.

1950 - 1969, 1970 - 1989, 2000 - 2009, All, Hockey, Male

PETE STOUTENBURG

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Ask anyone who saw him skate what kind of hockey talent Peter Stoutenburg had and their answer instead invariably ends with, “he was pretty good, but he was an even better person.”

“The legacy he left was that he was such a decent person that you couldn’t find anyone else who had more integrity,” said Don French, who grew up playing hockey, working with and being the best friend of Stoutenburg. “If someone needed a helping hand, Pete was the first one in the dressing room to stand up and spearhead the effort.”

He played Jr. “C” as an under-aged bantam and soon movedup to the Jr. “A” ranks with Kitchener, Niagara Falls and eventually in the Montreal Metro League in 1964. After two seasons with the New England Amateur Hockey League,  Stoutenburg studied and played hockey at the long-time NCAA Division One program at the University of New Hampshire. In his final year of college hockey, Stoutenburg had five goals and 20 assists in 31 games and set a record for UNH defenders with a goal and four assists in one contest.

The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens came calling and Pete attended training camp with them in 1970.  He was offered a spot on the Muskegon Michigan team in the old Colonial League, but opted to pursue a career in business.

After two seasons with the New England Amateur Hockey League, Stoutenburg studied and played hockey at the long-time NCAA Division One program at the University of New Hampshire. “He always said he wasn’t exactly the best goal scorer but when you saw him skate, you felt a lot more confident about how he played,” said wife Marsha, whom Pete met while at UNH.

Stoutenburg went on to become successful in the insurance industry and was posthumously honoured by Clarica at that company’s recent convention in San Antonio, Texas for his community work.

Hockey was always a passion, however, as he played senior hockey in Barrie and Galt and coached at the Minor, Jr. ‘B’ and University levels St. Catherines, where Marsha resides.

Old-timers’ hockey was a mainstay for Pete and he always returned to the Collingwood area a couple of times a year to play in tourneys with the Legion Vets. That core of players nearly won an all-Ontario title as bantams in 1960-61. Old-timers’ hockey was a mainstay for Pete and he always returned to the Collingwood area a couple of times a year to play in tourneys with the Legion Vets. That core of players nearly won an all-Ontario title as bantams in 1960-61.

Pete took up long-distance cycling with daughter Marlo. She has become a top-flight rower, unable to attend Pete’s induction into the Hall of Fame ceremony as she was in competition at the Boston Marathon of rowing competitions on the Charles River. “If Peter was around he’d say Marlo should go to Boston instead of going to something for him,” Marsha said.
Son Curtis played Jr. ‘B’ in Thorold and at Brock University and had his first child Aug. 27 with wife Vicky. Unfortunately, Stoutenburg is the lone deceased member of the class of 2004 to enter the Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame.

Pete died of a heart attack in 2002 on a trip to his hometown of Collingwood, where he’d just purchased a condo.

1950 - 1969, 1970 - 1989, 1990 - 1999, 1990 - 1999, All, Golf, Hockey, Male

DON COOK

Don Cook has enjoyed success on both the golf course and hockey arena.  At the time of Induction, Cook has played in eight (8) Ontario Amateur Golf Championships and four (4) Canadian amateur tournaments over the years, and qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Rochester, New York’s Oak Hill course in 1994.

Along the way, Cook has won over 25 club championships across Ontario and holds several local course records including his home course – Blue Mountain Golf & Country Club.

During his hockey career, Cook helped the Collingwood Juvenile Cubs win an Ontario title as a defenseman in 1955-56 and went on to play several games for the Jr. “’A” Guelph Biltmores under coach Eddie Bush in 1957.

He went on to captain the Waterloo Jr. ‘B’ Siskins for three seasons (1958, ’59 & ’60) and then played pro in Holland for a couple of years.

Don Cook was inducted into The Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame in May 1996.

In Dec 2022, Don Cook passed away suddenly in Collingwood leaving behind many friends.

1900 - 1929, 1930 - 1949, 1970 - 1979, All, Hockey, Male

ERNIE “RABBI” FRYER

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Back at the turn of the century a Collingwood hockey coach watched a wiry red headed nipper weave back and forth through thirty or forty kids on a west end mill pond.

He wore a pair of beaten up spring skates and he carried a home made hockey stick. With that stick he performed miracles with a wooden puck. He only relinquished possession of that wooden missile when he felt like a rest.

That was the last time Ernie Fryer ever played on a mill pond. He was quickly injected into the line-up of the Collingwood Shipbuilders and for the next three decades he wrote his name across the record books of the Ontario Hockey Association.

He played his entire hockey in Collingwood with the exception of the two-season stint in Northern Ontario and a season with a senior club in Toronto.

He captained and spearheaded the Collingwood Shipbuilders to five Intermediate “A” provincial titles in 1910-13-18-19-20. He and Frank Cook turned down a pro offer from the Montreal Canadians mid-way through the 1920 season.

They said at the time that they could not leave Collingwood with the Shipbuilders on the way to a third straight championship. Of course, the amateur rate of pay was pretty good in those boom days of the early twenties.

The late Lou Marsh once said, “Rabbi Fryer was the greatest amateur player Iever saw. Everything he did in a hockey rink came natural.” Fryer was a legend in his time and he was still good enough to command star rating at forty-eight years of age. I saw him play his last game in Midland in 1934. He scored two goals and drew five penalties. He was his own policeman right to the end. When the final bell sounded, a thousand fans jumped the boards to shake his hand. The rest of the team was dressed and back in the hotel before Fryer left the rink. It was the first time I ever saw anything but fire in his eyes, but there were tears that night. It was the Rabbi’s finest hour.

We have no hesitation in inducting Ernest Fryer as the first member of Collingwood’s Sports Hall of Fame. He died November 15th, 1969. We will never see his like again.

1950 - 1969, 1970 - 1989, 1980 - 1989, All, Hockey, Male

ED KEA

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Ed Kea was born in Weesp, Holland but his family of fourteen relocated to Collingwood, Ontario when he was just four years old. In Canada he was exposed to the game of hockey and took to it very well. Kea never played Junior hockey, nor did he play collegiate hockey but he managed to turn professional in 1969 nonetheless. After two years with the Jersey Devils, and stops with the Seattle Totems and the St. Petersburg Suns, he was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Flames in 1972.

Kea played 583 games over 10 seasons in the NHL, scoring 30 goals and
175 points. He spent his first six seasons with the Atlanta Flames, who signed him as a free-agent on Oct. 6, 1972.

The defenseman made his NHL during the 1973-74 season when he played three games for the Flames, but he was a regular the following season. Kea spent the next five seasons playing his solid, steady game on the Flames blue line before being dealt to St. Louis just prior to the 1979-80 season. With the Blues,  Kea played three and half seasons before being sent to the minors.

During the 1982-83 season, St. Louis shipped him to their farm team in Salt Lake. Unfortunately, while toiling for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles tragedy struck. Kea hit his head on the ice during a game and suffered severe head trauma and was left handicapped as a result. Though a series of operations saved his life, Kea’s hockey career was obviously over and he retired and spent time with his wife and children.

Sadly, this wouldn’t be the only tragedy for Ed Kea and his family. In September 1999, Kea drowned at his family cottage. Kea was just 51 years old.

1980 - 1989, All, Builder, Male

ANDY MORRITT

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There is a popular cliché that goes “Let George Do It”. It is an expression
that is sometime bandied about in a light hearted manner when we are referring
to a person who will take everything you throw at him in the shape of work.

Just change that trite expression to “Let Andy Do It”, and, in the town of
Collingwood, it means only one individual-Andy Morritt of 5 Victory Drive (When you can find him at home).

More suitable addresses for Andy would be the Community Arena or ball park in town.

For almost twenty-five years Andy has been the eye pillar in Collingwood’s Minor
Hockey structure, the Collingwood Kiwanis Minor Softball League and the Blue
Mountain Softball League.

He first became involved in minor hockey in 1958 and since that time had served as
President, Vice-President, Secretary, Collingwood’s representative in the provincial Little N.H.L., equipment manager and the chief organizer for the difficult task of arranging ice time for seven leagues and a hundred or so tournaments.

He was the original organizer of the annual Blue Mountain Pee Wee hockey
Tournament always held during the Christmas school break.

One year the tournament netted fifteen hundred dollars through the sale of programs
and admissions. He was ably assisted by the ladies Auxiliary of the Collingwood Minor Hockey Association.

When he resigned as President, a trophy was dedicated in his honour. This annual
award goes to the person regarded as the most dedicated to Collingwood Minor
Hockey.

Andy, with the assistance of Sam McLeod, founded the Outdoor rink for children on Hurontario Street.

Back in 1957 Andy was a moving force behind the formation of the Collingwood Kiwanis Minor Softball Association under the guidance of Jim Durrant.

It was tough going for Morritt and the Kiwanis Club to keep a couple of dozen
teams in four divisions supplied with coaches, managers and umpires. As the
league grew, the Kiwanis Club found it getting more difficult to keep pace with
the growth and Andy went knocking on the doors for team sponsors. With the help
of the local media and the radio station merchants, service clubs and industries co-operated to keep the association going.

In 1975, a girls’ league was added to the association. Not long ago the  Collingwood Kiwanis Club presented Andy Morritt with and award in appreciation of his devoted efforts in helping the youth of the town.

He was the workhorse behind the Blue Mountain Softball League. On two occasions he rallied support for the league when it was on the verge of folding. He seemed
to be the chairman of every committee. He ran the league canteen, raked the
diamond, dusted off the sears, kept a sharp eye on the treasury and even took
on the duties of a Private Eye to track down the culprits who pilfered a couple
of fifty-dollar home plates.

It was a long time in coming but Andy Morritt is now a member of Collingwood’s
Sports Hall of Fame. No man deserves that honour more.

1900 - 1929, All, Athlete, Builder, Golf, Male, Other

NORM RULE

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Norman Rule qualifies for Collingwood’s Sports Hall of Fame as a competitor and a builder.

This pioneer sportsman passed away in 1973 at the age of ninety-six, a member of Collingwood’s first hockey team organized eighty-nine years ago in 1894.

It was mainly through the organization ability of Mr. Rule that the first team came into being. He borrowed a pair of cricket pads and took over the goalkeeping duties behind such pioneer players as Ed Elworthy, Charlie Norris, a man who later became vice-president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Date Andrews, Reg Brown, later a wealthy business man in British Columbia, Fred Hopkins, who lost his life in Klondike Gold Rush in ’98, and Bill Toner, who had the honor of being elected Collingwood’s first hockey team captain.

Norman Rule could be classed as one of the town’s first all around athletes. He was a better than average ball player, an outstanding golfer and his name is on the Ontario Tankard Curling Trophy won by Collingwood in 1913.

His contribution to hockey alone rates him as a candidate for the Sports Hall of Fame but his real value came in the promotion and organization of sports in general. I have five individual trophies, all won by Norman Rule, stored at my home at the present time.