Donnie Hudson never weighed more than 140 Pounds, but he had the heart of a lion and can be considered as one of the fastest goalkeepers ever developed in Collingwood.

Born in Collingwood’s South End, he came up through the Collingwood Minor Hockey system from atom to juvenile.  When he finished his active career about 25 years ago, he had amassed a total of six OHA championships.

His first provincial title came in 1949 when he shared goalkeeping duties with Murray Blackburn, under the coaching of Porky Young, when the Peerless Collingwood Cubs won the Ontario Juvenile title without losing a game.

Then came four straight Junior “C” OHA championships with the Collingwood Greenshirts.  A feat that has never been duplicated in OHA history.

The Greenshirts finally lost to Welland in the 1954 semi-final round.  Roy Connacher was coaching the Midland team that same year, Midland had qualified for the final against Welland and Connacher, asked for, and got permission to use Hudson after his own goalie was injured.  Midland won the title and Donnie Hudson won his sixth straight provincial championship.

Like most star goalies of that era, Hudson rarely left his feet, but it was his lightening-fast hands that gave him the edge on other goalkeepers.

We can safely say that he made more stops with his gloves than his pads or stick. For this reason he was not bothered by those troublesome rebounds that haunted other goalies.

Hap Emms wanted Donnie for the Barrie Colts in Junior “A” company, but he finally and reluctantly decided that at five-feet five inches he was too small for the major leagues.  He had tryouts with Guelph and Kitchener and played one season with Queens’ University.  He played one year with the Collingwood Shipbuilders in Intermediate “A” hockey before hanging up his skates.

Ill health ended his active career 16years ago, but on his return from Texas continued to assist as a coach in the Collingwood Minor Hockey system.  Donnie was also a better that average baseball player during the fifties.

One month before his induction into the Hall of Fame, Donnie Hudson’s succumbed to cancer after a long battle on May 3, 1986.  He was 52.

They called him the “Hockey Traveler” and for a very good reason. During  the twenty-one years of his active career as an amateur and professional he  performed for no fewer than fourteen teams in six leagues including thee
seasons in the National Hockey League with the old New York Americans.

He was one of the fastest skaters ever turned out of this hockey town of Collingwood. He was 130-pound, five-foot-six, fifteen year-old little rabbit had a tough time making the 1921 Collingwood Junior team, perhaps the greatest junior club to represent Collingwood in O.H.A. competition. That was the year that the
Collingwood Bees almost knocked off the famous Stratford Midget, led by Howie
Morenz. They must have been good. Four members of that team Burmister, Bern
Brophy, Artie Clark and Clyde Dey went on to pro careers.

Roy starred for two more years with Collingwood junior and intermediate teams, went to the Owen Sound Greys in 1925, to Niagara Falls under the late Gene Fraser in the senior ranks in 1926 and that same season Niagara Falls became pat of the newly formed pro International League. He signed for eight hundred dollars and a job.

The New York Americans took him up to the big time from New Havens in 1929 and for the next three years he drew down N.H.L. pay while shuffling between the
Americans and New Haven.

It was a pretty good financial situation for Roy, as he beat a path between New
Haven and New York, but the shuttle service arrangement cost him a couple of
Americans League scoring championships. It seemed that every time he got up
there in the American League scoring lead, the Amerks ran into injuries and
back to the Madison Square Garden went Burmister.

In the succeeding years he played for Boston of the Americans League, London and Windsor in the International, back to the Americans loop with Philadelphia, Galt in the old Ontario pro league, two championship years with St. Louis in 1935 and
1936, then to St. Paul and finally closing off his career with Kansas City.

He came back to the amateur ranks in 1941 and played for Collingwood in the O.H.A.
Senior “B” series. So after two decades and over a thousands hockey games, Roy
finally called it quits.

How many goals did he score in that time? We will never know. Roy never kept track of them and it would take a team of researchers to go back over the books in six leagues.

No Sports Hall of Fame could complete without a special corner for Johnny Burns, one of the most courageous players ever to wear the Gold and Blue colours of the Collingwood Shipbuilders.

He never played for any other club but Collingwood and he was the driving force on the front line of a team that won five O.H.A. Intermediate championships in ten years from 1910 to 1920.

Playing junior hockey for three years before moving up to the intermediates, Burns teamed up on the forward line with Rabbi Fryer, Tom Collins and Jack Belcher in 1907.

That was Collingwood’s first year in the O.H.A. final and they lost to the famed Berlin Union Jacks.

IN 1908 Collingwood lost again in the final round, this time to the ancient rivals,Midland. But in 1910,13,18, 19 and 20 the Shipbuilders lifted the John Ross Robertson Trophy and a major share for the team’s success belongs to Johnny Burns. His deadly shot and playmaking ability was matched only by his dogged courage and his ice generalship.

A total abstainer, Burns kept some of the more exuberant players in line, especially the tempestuous Rabbi Fryer.

His career almost came to an end in 1909 when he was critically injured but Wiarton’ Bill Simmie in the O.H.A. semi-finals round. Burns hovered between life and death for many days. He not only recovered but went to star for twenty more years with the Collingwood Shipbuilders.

During his career he found time to coach ten junior teams, including the great Collingwood team in 1915, captained by Hall of Famer Reg Noble.

He was an artist in the rink corners, which let Bill Cook to remark after the Kingston-Collingwood Intermediate final in 1920. Going into the corner with Jack Burns is something to remembered coming out of the corner that time, with two fractured ribs.

Burns came out of retirement in 1931, with the late Frank Cook and Jack Dance, to help the Oddfellows win the Collingwood Senior League title.

He died in February, 1964.