For his decades of service to the minor hockey community in the Stouffville area, Don Easter has been named the recipient of the 2022 OMHA Honour Award.
YouTube Video 2022 Honour Award Winner
OMHA website articleThe Honour Award was established to recognize a person who has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to minor hockey for a considerable period of time. Easter has dedicated a lifetime of volunteering to hockey and has exemplified outstanding voluntary contribution to minor hockey. His contributions have come in the form of coaching and executive leadership.
Easter began coaching in 1972 before moving to Australia in 1984, where he continued to coach hockey. When he returned to Canada in 1994, Easter resumed his time behind the bench in Stouffville and also coached a young Steven Stamkos with the Markham Waxers. He coached in various positions with teams in the Whitchurch-Stouffville Minor Hockey Association (WSMHA) until 2019.
This isn’t the first time Easter has been honoured. In June of 2010, Don was named the Whitchurch-Stouffville Sports Person of The Year.
“He was kind of like the DNA of the organization,” said Ron Bremner, who coached with Easter for a number of seasons.
A major project that Easter took on within WSMHA was rewriting its outdated constitution.
“Don was the guy who could come in and help. It didn’t matter what aspect of our Association. If we needed an accountant, he would look after that. If we needed a scheduler, he would help there,” said Mike Humphreys, the Past President of WSMHA.
Touted as a resource and mentor for coaches and administrative staff, Easter’s knowledge has been relied upon by many.
“Don was the glue that held the Association together. He knew everything about everything,” said WSMHA Office Administrator Charlene Mason.