PURCELL, John

BORN NOVEMBER 27TH 1932, John Purcell played A-grade ice hockey even as a schoolboy, [1] making his way at 19 to the first juniors to play interstate. He represented Victoria in the 1952 Goodall Cup team led by Warwick Harrison, against the first state team produced by the newly formed association in Tasmania.

Between 1952 and '54, Purcell played 92 games in defense with Victoria's Golden Bears, then 272 games with the Blackhawks between 1955 and '73 for a total of 364 senior games. [3] A regular on his state's Goodall Cup squad, he won the trophy five times (1962, '65 to '68) after the competition resumed in 1960, following a lapse in the interstate series for five seasons when New South Wales was without an ice rink.

Purcell played in the 1962 World Championship team in Colorado USA, including the game against Denmark where Australia recorded its historic first International win. A member of the 1964 Olympic playoffs team in Tokyo, some considered Purcell among the best of both campaigns.

In 1976, he succeeded Ken Kennedy as president of the national association, serving in the top job until 1980 when Phil Ginsberg took over. In office for the West Germany Olympia 80 tour in 1977, the national association elected Purcell Sportsman of the Year with the 1978 SM and HC Hudson Trophy for ten years unbroken service. On August 4th 1980, he presented a talk on the sport to thirty people who met at the Hughes Community Centre in Canberra to form the first ACT ice hockey association. [2]

Purcell joined the Old timers league, but retired from playing on medical advice, and instead managed the Melbourne Nite Owls' veteran hockey teams on their tournaments and overseas tours. In 1989, a team toured the USA and Canada as the Aussie Nite Owls, and in 1991 another played at the Snoopy Senior Tournament in Santa Rosa, California, hosted by Charles Shultz.

The Melbourne Blackhawks named their MVP trophy in his honour, and since 2005 OiHAN has presented the John Purcell Valuable Participant Award for "best Oldtimer spirit on and off the ice" to players from both the tournament and the Melbourne Nite Owls team.

A Life Member of his state association, John Purcell received the same honour from the national association in 1980. He died in Melbourne on May 11th 2004.