Cooper, Charles Tracey

BORN MAY 6TH, 1969, at Saint-Hyacinthe in Quebec, Canada — the small city that produced Martin Brodeur — he played forward for the Saints Monarchs in the Victorian league where he was Senior A-grade MVP in 1985 at the age of sixteen, and also Midget MVP (U21) in both 1985 and '87.

He won the Victorian premiership with the Saints Monarchs (Monarch Saints) in 1986, the first of a league record nine straight Kleiner Cups. An imported player in an emerging dynasty, he competed alongside the likes of Scott Davidson, Sandy Gardner, Dave Fehily, Steve Duncan, John Eckberg, Richard Motteram and Paul Groves.

In 1987, he was a big part of the National Youth Team's (U18) Bronze Medal in China, and he also debuted with the National Men's Team in the Worlds hosted in Perth. At 17, he scored 18 goals, 24 assists, the highest points (42) of the tournament, equal with Saints captain, Scott Davidson. Undefeated, Australia won its first ever international ice hockey medal and set a new IIHF record, defeating New Zealand, 58-0.

Cooper was selected for the 1989 squad but did not play while completing a degree at the University of British Columbia. There he played four seasons for the UBC Thunderbirds in the CIAU (1988, 91 to 93), averaging over a point a game in his last year.

In 1995, Cooper played for the Macquarie Bears in the New South Wales Super League and seven games for the Fresno Falcons in the SuHL when he returned to North America.

He represented Australia at seven World Championships (1987, 93 to 95, 97, 2001 and '02) playing a total of thirty-seven games over sixteen years, and winning Gold (1987) and Bronze Medals (2002). In 2001, in Majadahonda Spain, he again scored Most Points (18), and also Most Assists (11). He set new Australian scoring records — 47 goals and 56 assists, a total of 103 points — which were only broken in recent times by South Australia's Greg Oddy from sixteen appearances over nineteen years.

In 2001 and 2002, Cooper played for the Sydney Bears in the new Australian Ice Hockey League. Victoria's Jon Moses once remarked, "Cooper skates until he can't skate any more and he can do everything on the rink — hit, shoot, deke and pass".