It was mid-afternoon Thursday when I learned the news that Don Gagnon died.
A long-time fixture in the rinks of Sault Ste. Marie, I was fortunate to get to know him over the years.
Naturally, many conversations I had with him over the years revolved around hockey.
On a personal level, he was always great to talk to regardless of whether the conversation was about hockey or anything else.
Gagnon’s impact on the hockey scene on both sides of the St. Mary’s River spanned decades.
His background as a player saw him play a pair of seasons with the Soo Greyhounds before the team joined the Ontario Hockey League, then known as the Ontario Hockey Association.
After two seasons with the Greyhounds from 1970 to 1972, Gagnon split the 1972-73 season between Lake Superior State and the Greyhounds OHA entry.
Following his playing career, Gagnon’s time in the OHL also included scouting with the Saginaw Spirit in the early years of the program.
Behind the bench, Gagnon was a fixture on both sides of the river, having coached the Soo (Mich.) Indians AAA team as well as the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Blind River Beavers in addition to time spent coaching in the Sault Major Hockey Association.
It’s Gagnon’s time around minor hockey locally that sticks out in my mind the most.
Between his time with Sault Major and at the Soo Pee Wee, Gagnon left a mark on a lot of young hockey players in this city.
Ask anyone involved with local hockey and they’ll tell you just how much Gagnon meant to the local hockey scene.
When it comes to minor hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, Gagnon did a lot of good.
Like many who have coached locally, Gagnon was in it for all of the right reasons. Talking to him for even a few minutes, you could always tell just how much he enjoyed being a part of it and it showed.
Youth sports can go a long way in helping shape young people for their lives beyond just the sport and it’s people like Don Gagnon who go a long way in promoting that.
Speak to any of his former players, be it in minor hockey or at the junior level, you’ll hear a lot of good things about him and they’re all well-deserved.
When it comes to being in it for the right reasons, he certainly was, and the impact Don Gagnon had on the hockey community in Sault Ste. Marie won’t be forgotten.