Christie, Jim Frederick

IN 1967, THE COMMITTEE of Victoria's oldest surviving ice hockey club had a couple of B-grade trophies to show for 21 years of competition, but no A-grade premiership. At the helm were Bruce Charman, Kevin Gronow, and Laurie Luxmore who together that season took a decision that was to turn the tides of fortune. The young Canadian they enticed away from the Blackhawks to be their senior coach had only just arrived the year before, but he had been playing hockey back home since he was age 3 or 4.

Born June 27th 1943 in Belleville ON Canada, [3] to Marion and Baron Christie [2] he grew up in Gosport Ontario [2] with his brother Eric who was also a hockey player. He played 2 years of peewee hockey in the house league in Brighton Ontario then moved to Whitby Ontario in 1956. There he played Triple AAA hockey for 13 to 14 year-olds winning several tournaments over 2 years. Then came 2 years of AAA Midget hockey for 15 to 16 year-olds, more tournament victories, and a year of Juvenile hockey. His team made the Ontario final but lost to Bowmanville. He played one year of Junior B in Bowanville as a defenceman, then 2 years of Industrial hockey in Whitby before moving to Melbourne Australia. [3]

He was 23 years-old when he commenced a 5-year term as Head Coach of the Demons in the Victorian league, 1967 to 1971. The Club's best player of his time, four times Highest Point Scorer and four times MVP, he introduced a handful of younger players to the A-Grade along with a new training regimen. He shaped them into a growing force, set-off on four-year quest as playing coach, and returned home in 1970 bathed in the glory of that elusive A-grade grail. "This was one of the most satisfying goals for me," he said. "I was able to mold a young squad of several Australian-born players to win the A-grade championship."

He won the Spot Lloyd Trophy that year, the league's top goal scorer, and the President's Medal, Victoria's highest award, for the third time in succession — 1968, 1969 and 1970. He said he was State MVP 4 times and won the State scoring title twice. In 1972, he moved to a new home nearby Iceland Ringwood in Melbourne's outer-east, and married Jillian Mavis Willoughby (Sep 2nd 1940 - August 18th 2014). The couple had a daughter named Laura on March 21st 1973, and a son named Blair on May 15th 1975. He transferred to the Pirates where he became a committeeman and won that club's highest goal-scorer award.

He made his State's Goodall Cup team for each of the 10 years he played in Melbourne, 1967 to 1977, [3] and was Goodall Cup MVP (John Nichols Trophy) twice in 1968 and 1974. He won five Goodall Cups representing Victoria — 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973 and 1976. He became Alternate Captain of Australia in 1974 when the nation returned to the world stage after a decade away. The practice games in Holland and Germany in the lead-up to these Worlds at Grenoble in France had sharpened the squad's performance, and he was one of its notable players at the age of 31. He played 4 games on defence and 3 games as a center, scoring a goal against both Hungary and Bulgaria and the opening goal in the defeat of South Korea, to finish 7th of 8 in C-Pool. It was Australia's only win in the Championship at a time when the nation ranked 21st in the world.

He also represented Australia in the 3-match series against West Germany (Jnr U21) Olympia 80 at Iceland Ringwood in 1977 and also Victoria in another series against the tourists. He played local Cricket with Bayswater Cricket Club from the 1980s to early-90s and worked as a warehouse manager with Cadbury In Ringwood for many years. Later, he worked at Wattyl paint for a few years then became a warehouse manager at Nu Color Vu productions, a souvenir company. [2] In 1977 at the age of 34 he retired from playing hockey. He was Goodall Cup MVP that season and left the game on a high note. [3] "My time of 10 years as a player and coach is something that I am very proud of and will always cherish," he said in 2017.

After he divorced, his wife and children moved to Croydon North in Melbourne, and Jim Christie returned to Canada in 1993, leaving his Australian National Team blazer for his son, who kept it like it was his own. [2] He was reunited with his high school sweetheart, Marina Cimbuls. They live in Dunsford  Ontario, part of the City of Kawartha Lakes. After a 34-year absence, his wife suggested he play old timers hockey in a 60-and-over league. He returned at 69 and still plays 3 times per week at a rink in Bobcaygeon Ontario. [3]