BUILDER – HOCKEY – INDUCTED IN 2014
In 1976, Dave Kentner gathered five prominent hockey people to discuss ways to preserve Georgetown’s hockey history.
They decided to hold a dinner each year to honour one person for their outstanding contributions to the game. Kentner chaired the newly formed Georgetown Hockey Heritage Council for the next 37 years.
Under Kentner, Hockey Heritage expanded to include an oldtimers hockey tournament, Citation Awards, the Murray Ezard Award and led initiatives such as hanging banners for Georgetown’s championship teams.
Hockey Heritage has raised more than $600,000 for local charities. It also gained a reputation for hosting successful events. When Hamilton hosted the 1986 World Junior Championships, Kentner spearheaded the effort to bring a game between Sweden and Germany to Georgetown. Hockey Heritage also led Georgetown’s efforts to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup in 2005.
Kentner has been a big part of the hockey history he sought to preserve. He joined the Georgetown Intermediate Raiders in 1972, selling raffle tickets. Within six years, he worked his way up to general manager. The teams Kentner assembled won three Ontario Hockey Association titles in five years, capped by a Hardy Cup championship in 1982.
Kentner stepped down following the victory but wasn’t inactive long. He became the first president of the Georgetown Minor Hockey Association after chairing a committee to oversee the merger between the rep and house league associations.
He returned to the Raiders, now in Senior A, in 1983 as general manager. The Raiders folded in 1986 as the league shrunk to just three teams, but Kentner quickly took the reins of the Georgetown Jr. B Gemini, serving as president. Kentner, a founding member of the Halton Hills Sports Museum and Resource Centre, was named the recipient of the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Award in 2001 as the organization celebrated its 25th year.