Tom Gory – the oldest hockey player on the Sunshine Coast – dropped the puck at the Rusty Cranks Senior Men’s Hockey Club annual Tom Gory Cup game on March 21 at the Sechelt Arena.
“I don’t know how many years ago but somebody called it the Gory Cup – it’s just for bragging rights – but this year we wanted to have him come out and drop the puck,” Rusty Cranks president Chris Nicholls said.
Gory is 92 years old. He’s been playing hockey for 47 years – he started at 45 – and only retired from the game about a year ago.
“He’d come home from work and we’d drive up into the mountains at night and go skating on the lakes up here,” Gory’s son Dan said. “There was no rink yet. We’d go up on weekends and play hockey on the ice. He was always around for that type of thing.”
Gory helped to build the Sechelt arena ice rink. He’s also one of the founding members of the Rusty Cranks and the Sechelt Fire Department.
“Everybody’s dream is when they get up to that age to be able to do what he’s done,” Nicholls said.
Cliff Betts is a long-time friend of Gory’s through the Rusty Cranks. Betts said he was amazed that Gory was still playing hockey into his 90s.
“He’s a very impressive man,” Betts said. “It’s amazing for his age – he just dropped out last year from playing – and he would be there every time.”
Owen Gillstrom also plays with the Rusty Cranks. He said he always appreciated having Gory at their games.
“He was always the first one there and the last one after. He loved to talk to people,” Gillstrom said.
“I miss him being there. It’s drop-in hockey – you never know who’s going to show up – but when he was playing, he always showed up. Whenever I played with him, I would say, ‘I want him on my wing.’”
Gory was soft spoken and modest as he left the ice after dropping the puck.
“I just did what I could to help out, that’s all,” Gory said.
