Rurak, Chris

BORN JULY 1ST 1973 at Innisfail in Alberta, Canada, Chris Rurak arrived in Australia in 1984-5 and attended Pulteney Grammar School in Adelaide. The forward played the 1985 President's Cup and won the Tange Trophy in 1990 and then the Brown Trophy at Blacktown. He was captain of the Australian National Youth Team in 1990 and represented Australia five more times in the senior team in 1992 and 94 to 97. He won three Goodall Cups representing South Australia in 1990, 91 and 95.

At 17, Rurak moved to the United States and played Junior A hockey for the Massena Americans in the CJHL based out of Ottawa, Ontario, the Niagara Scenics in Buffalo, NY and in the NAJHL based in Michigan. In 1996 and 97, he played Tier 2 hockey in Massena New York and was captain of the SUNY-Cortland state hockey team (NCAA III) while completing an Economics Management degree at State University New York (SUNY) at Cortland (1993-97). He played 44 games averaging one point a game, served as a team captain, and was selected to represent SUNY Cortland as member of the All-SUNYAC team.

Later, Rurak graduated with a MBA from Medaille College in Buffalo NY (2006-08) and coached Mites in the Massena minor hockey league. He was the the owner of Breakaway Transport and lived in Cos Cob, Connecticut, with his wife and children in 2016. He moved to Greenwich that year and coached at every level in youth hockey at the Greenwich Skating Club and served as the Head Coach for the Greenwich High School Varsity team. He led the Cardinals to the FCIAC Tournament finals twice and to an appearance in the CIAC Division I final in 2018.

Chris Rurak died at 47 in 2020, survived by his wife, Jennifer Walsh-Rurak, their twin boys, Christopher and Matthew, his parents Don and Shirley Rurak, his brother, Dean Rurak (Barb), his sister, Lisa Rurak (David), his father in law, Michael Walsh, his sister in law, Megan Walsh Hakewill (James), his brother in law, M. Justin Walsh (Katie), and several nieces and nephews. The Chris Rurak Scholarship Fund enables an annual scholarship award to a Greenwich High School Student-Athlete.

Dean Rurak was one of South Australia's first Goodall Cup champions in 1986 and went on to play in the WHL Calgary Wranglers, then the Olds Grizzlies and Hobbema Hawks Tier II Junior Teams. Don and Shirley were long time administrators in Australia's national ice hockey association.