McDONALD NAMED VOLUNTEER-OF-THE-YEAR
(pictured presenting Trenton's Brady Wiffen with his OJHL Gongshow Gear North-East Conference Player-of-the-Month Award for January during the club's annual Pink in the Rink game to raise money for cancer research - photo credit: Amy Deroche/OJHL Images)
The Ontario Junior Hockey League today announced that John McDonald, Director of Business Operations and Assistant General Manager of the Trenton Golden Hawks, has been named the recipient of the OJHL Volunteer-of-the-Year Award.
The Toronto, Ontario native has evolved into 'Mr. Everything' for the Golden Hawks during his five-year tenure with the club. Originally the Booster Club President, McDonald has become an instrumental member of the Hawks staff, running their business operations, while also assisting General Manager and Head Coach Jerome Dupont with the hockey operations side. He puts in countless hours, doing whatever it takes to ensure the job gets done, and done well, while completely volunteering his services and time to the team each season.
To say that no job is too small for the 72-year old, is an understatement. McDonald consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty, ensuring that even the most mundane tasks are completed, such as vacuuming and cleaning. He has been instrumental in the club's most recent successes and in turning the club's fortunes around, in particular on the business side, by increasing awareness of the team, which in turn has led to an average attendance increase of more than 300 spectators/night.
Much of the team success has to be attributed to the Golden Hawks community endeavours that once again are spearheaded by McDonald's vision. The numerous events and fundraisers the club and its players take part in stretch throughout the calendar year, raising thousands of dollars for charities and causes, such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Armed Forces, Kinsman Club, Salvation Army, Trenton Youth Centre, Highland Shores Children's AID and local school reading programs. .
McDonald is a long-standing volunteer, whether in his hometown of Toronto or the past eight years in Trenton, has always been a willing contributor to his community. He has spent more than 40 years in the game of hockey as a coach, general manager and evaluator, while also spending time on an Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) coaches selection committee. During that time, McDonald would coach the Junior ‘B’ Streetsville Derbys from 1981-83, followed by the Markham Waxers of the original OPJHL from 1984-86, winning Coach-of-the-Year honours during the 1985-86 season. The following year, he would become a partner in the Aurora Eagles franchise, spending one season with the club before the OPJHL officially disbanded. McDonald was also actively involved in softball and is a member of both the Richmond Hill Sports Hall of Fame (Inducted 1997) and Canadian Softball Hall of Fame (Inducted 1989), being inducted as a member of the 1972 Canadian and World Champion Richmond Hill Dynes squad, while also honoured in 2014 by the Canadian National Exhibition Old Timer Players of the Past.
The OJHL Volunteer-of-the-Year is awarded annually to the person who has volunteered for a club(s) that is adjudged to consistently have gone above & beyond the call of duty for his/her member club throughout the course of the regular season, while past experience and time served will be taken into consideration.
Kim Anderson of the Newmarket Hurricanes was runner-up in the OJHL award selection to McDonald.
The 2011-12 runner-up as Volunteer-of-the-Year has spent the past 10 years as the backbone of the Hurricanes franchise running their Game Day Operations, as well as taking on the role of Billet Co-ordinator. She spends countless hours overseeing virtually all aspects of the club's off-ice operations at the rink and is the glue that keeps everything running smoothly in Newmarket.
The OJHL Coach-of-the-Year and Most Improved Player Award recipients will be announced later this week.
2014-15 OJHL Award Winners
Award Winner Runner-Up
Top Scorer Steve Hladin (GEO) Brady Wiffen (TRE)
Top Goaltender Stefano Durante (COB) Daniel Mannella (OAK)
Executive Rob Campbell (OAK) James Richmond (AUR)
Trainer Drew Laskoski (NEW) Sarah Dittmers (TRE)
Humanitarian Sean Kohler (OAK) Stefano Durante (COB)
Volunteer John McDonald (TRE) Kim Anderson (NEW)
Previous OJHL Volunteer-of-the-Year Recipients
Award Winner Runner-Up
2013-14 Hal Gies (MIL) n/a
2012-13 Mike Johnson (ORA) Katarina French (PIC)
2011-12 Karen Sheppard (PIC/WHI) Kim Anderson (NEW)
