Congratulations to HNO’s 2024/2025 Order of Merit recipient, Tim Griffin!
THANK YOU for your dedication and for everything you do in your community, both on and off the ice!
Tim Griffin always says, “If everyone chips in a little, no one has to chip in a lot.” But in his case, Tim has been doing more than his share and has been at the centre of all that happens on the ice and in the community of Longlac. It is our great pleasure to nominate Tim Griffin for the HNO Order of Merit Award as an outstanding example of everything that the small town volunteer/leader needs to be.
Tim Griffin wasn’t born in Longlac, but he was born to be its chief volunteer. When Tim arrived in 1988, he got involved with minor hockey as it was clearly the central passion of the town. The rink was always busy and the stands always filled. In 1990, Tim took his first official role as a coach and worked with groups from U9 all the way to U18 from 1991-2005. Along with coaching, Tim also joined the Longlac Minor Hockey Executive and served as Secretary. In 1992, Tim became President of the Longlac Minor Hockey Association and served two terms, from 1992-2006 and from 2013-2021. Under his care, Longlac Minor Hockey grew and provided innovative programs for all levels of hockey – this included everything from supporting players with developmental needs to raising NHL players!
When it became apparent that Longlac needed more qualified referees, Tim took it upon himself to train up to a Level 4 referee in the mid-1990’s. These qualifications coincided with the establishment of the North Shore Junior B league and Tim served as a referee and the organization’s Referee-in-Chief for the league’s entire existence (1996-2004). This dedication to ensuring that games had referees extended to Longlac Minor Hockey, where Tim served as Referee-in-Chief from 1996-2006 and from 2013 to the present day. Tim has continued his development as a referee, taking a recertification course this summer with Byron Maggrah which allows Tim to do referee supervision. This ongoing commitment to officiating ensures that games can continue to be hosted in our small communities. A highlight for Tim was officiating the Keystone Cup in Thunder Bay in the late 1990’s.
Beyond coaching, administrating, and officiating, Tim also served as a certified trainer for various Longlac Minor Hockey teams since 2013. Tim has a way of putting players at ease and his quick laugh is often part of his success as a trainer. Players who are under Tim’s care know that they are supported and safe and this welcoming environment has benefited many players.
One of the great challenges for small town hockey players is finding the correct level of competition. To that end, Tim was instrumental in the creation of the Northern Selects AA program in 2021. This team takes players from across the eastern zone and creates a team to compete at the AA level. For many players, this opportunity would not exist without the program. Tim has served as trainer and manager for the Northern Selects since 2021. Beyond his official roles, Tim acts as the team’s chauffeur, bringing players from Longlac, Ginoogaming, and Long Lake 58 to practices. The Selects are an important place of reconciliation for our region, and Tim has ensured that Indigenous and non-Indigenous players alike are offered the chance to play at the appropriate level.
Tim has also used the ability to organize and volunteer to make Longlac a connected and thriving community. Tim started Longlac’s biggest winter event – the Moosecalac Hockey Tournament in 1996. For over 30 years, the Moosecalac tournament has brought fans of hockey together from across Northwestern Ontario. In 2006, Tim changed the nature of the tournament to act as a fundraiser for Sick Kids and community events. Since 2006, the Moosecalac Tournament has raised over $310,000 for the families of sick children, to run community events, and to support minor hockey in Longlac and Geraldton. Where hockey and community meet, great things can happen. And in Longlac, those things usually happen under the care of Tim Griffin.
Tim Griffin’s work in Longlac extends far beyond the rink. Tim has served as the Chair of the Longlac Summerfest Committee since 2000, was elected and served as a municipal council member from 2003-2010, served as the Athletic Director at Geraldton Composite High School form 2012-2017, served as Secretary/Treasurer for the Northwestern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (NWOSSA) from 2012-2016, and has been instrumental in running the Kenogamisis Golf Club and the Kenogamisis Junior Golf program. These many volunteer experiences have one thing in common, they show a deep commitment to youth sport and community events.
Tim would be the first to be embarrassed by this list of accomplishments and would point out that nobody is a saint. So, I would like to point out that Tim Griffin is not perfect.
When we would travel to Longlac for hockey tournaments, Tim (when he was not coaching or sharpening skates for the kids) would be in the timekeeper’s box minding the scoresheets and working the clock. He always did a great job of communicating with the referees and the coaches. But let it be known that Tim was also in charge of the music and, much to the chagrin of the players, would often play Stompin’ Tom Connors ‘The Hockey Song’ and some East Coast shanties. Tim has been a coach, trainer, referee, president, secretary, and chauffeur; it is unfair to think that he would be a great DJ as well!
Small towns require volunteers to wear many hats and Tim Griffin is the perfect
example of just such a person. There isn’t much that happens in Longlac that Tim isn’t involved in and as a community crazy about hockey, Tim is Longlac hockey’s greatest champion.
It is with great pride that we nominate Tim Griffin for the HNO Order of Merit Award – a lifetime of work at the rink wearing every hat imaginable deserves just such recognition.
