Wilson, John and Carol

JOHN WILSON GREW UP in Blacktown, Sydney, and he and his wife Carol organised ice hockey at the Blacktown International Ice Arena and later became rink managers. The new rink, built by Dick Groenteman and Warren Pittstock for Tom Brewer, opened in May 1979 and seated 500. Despite initial reservations over the drive west, the state association and the Glebe Lions arranged to relocate to this new rink. Players ran their practices, and overseas players were brought in to help coach and grow the game there. The city's first suburban rink hosted its first ice hockey game with an All-star team against the relocated ice hockey club.

The Wilsons formed the Blacktown City Ice Hockey Club, which the state association affiliated in 1980. John Wilson and Terry Jones set up a development league at Blacktown, providing beginners with a pathway to pick up the sport with rented gear. John and Carol's son, Anthony, started skating at five and playing hockey at eight. Notably, Nathan Walker, the first Australian to play in the NHL, later joined the Blacktown Flyers Bantams as a talented prospect.

In 1981, Steve Green founded the Blacktown Women's Ice Hockey team, the first NSW women's team since the 1920s, and a founding member of the NSW Women's Ice Hockey League. Additionally, the Blacktown City Flyers seniors joined the inaugural New South Wales Superleague. Another senior team, The Brewers, affiliated with the Blacktown Flyers, won back-to-back senior titles with such players as Ron Kuprowsky, Dave Crawford and Steve Shaw. [1] Following financial problems, the Blacktown City club disbanded in 1984, leading to the formation of the Blacktown City Vikings, and several junior clubs, including Warriors, Wolves, Aliens, and then the Blacktown Flyers.

"It is a great honour for Australia to host such a prestigious event as a World Championship," wrote Prime Minister Bob Hawke in his 1989 welcome for the first IIHF C-Pool Worlds hosted outside Europe or Asia at Blacktown Ice Arena. "Australia is proud of the sporting traditions and achievements, and the Australian Government recognises the important goal sport and recreation play in our society". The accolade came with significant funding towards the costs of staging the Championships.

The Warringah Bombers moved to Blacktown after the Warringah Ice Skating Rink closed in the 1990s. Subsequently, the Flyers lost the support of the rink owners, and the Blacktown Bullets, a semi-privately owned team, replaced them. The Bullets won the NSW Superleague Championship in their final season in 1999. In the early 2000s, John and Anthony founded and financed the Western Sydney Ice Dogs from the playing group of the Bullets. John held various roles, including club secretary. The club entered the AIHL in the 2002 expansion and remained at the rink until its closure on 28 October 2007.

The Blacktown arena regularly hosted AIHL matches and the 2002 AIHL Final, where the Sydney Bears became the first AIHL club to win the historic Goodall Cup, defeating the Adelaide Avalanche 5–4 in a shootout. The Cup, previously the prize of the Interstate Series since 1909, was retrospectively awarded to the 2000 and 2001 AIHL Champions. John won the 2004 Goodall Cup as Founder/Owner and GM of the Ice Dogs. Coached by Dion Dunwoodie, the Ice Dogs defeated Newcastle coached by Robert Barnes, 3-1.

John Wilson was vice president of the state association in 1989 and president in 1992. John was elected a Life Member by the state association in 1995 and by the national association in 2007. That same year, a pre-season tournament for New South Wales AIHL clubs was founded and named after John and Carol. The teams competing for the Wilson Cup were the Western Sydney Ice Dogs, Newcastle North Stars, Sydney Bears, and Central Coast Rhinos. Since 2017, the trophy has been contested by the Sydney Ice Dogs and the Sydney Bears.

John and Carol's son, Anthony, played for the Blacktown Bullets, and the Sydney Ice Dogs and the Sydney Bears in the AIHL. Anthony won Goodall Cups in 1996, 2004, and 2013 and represented Australia at the World Championships 14 times, including two stints as Captain of Australia in 2007 and 2008. The Ice Dogs retired Wilson's #3 jersey in 2019.



NSWIHA League Champions
1994, 98 Blacktown Flyers Pee Wee League
1998, 99 Blacktown Flyers Jack Michie Trophy Bantam League
1991, 92, 94, 97 Blacktown Flyers Midget League
1993, 94 Blacktown IHC Streets Ice Cream Trophy Junior League
1992 to 94 Blacktown IHC Junior League Champions
1998 Blacktown Flyers Women’s League
1998 Blacktown Flyers Snr B Trophy
1998 Blacktown Flyers Pat Burley Cup (Minor Premiers Superleague)
1998 Blacktown Bullets CP Air Cup NSW Superleague

National League Champions
2004 Western Sydney Ice Dogs Goodall Cup Champions