This year’s charity hockey game in Stephenville will be held in memory of the late Glenn Tobin.
Mr. Tobin, only 52 years old at the time, had just finished playing in a charity hockey game, which he had helped organize, between employees of the Department of Transportation and Works, like himself, and employees of College of the North Atlantic at the Stephenville Dome on Dec. 21, 2009.
That evening the couple’s youngest son had his cap and gown ceremony for high school, so Mr. Tobin began to get ready. Debbie was upstairs when she heard a noise. She ran to discover her husband had suffered a massive heart attack.
“And that was it,” she said.
An outgoing person who always had time to talk to anyone he met, Mr. Tobin was also known as a hard-working individual who appreciated the simple things in life and was constantly smiling. He had spent time working at the Stephenville Dome and was a recognizable figure driving the zamboni or coaching minor hockey kids. The sport was a lifelong passion of his.
His stature in the community is just one of the many reasons why this year’s charity match between the employees of the same two groups will serve as a tribute — the Glenn Tobin Memorial charity ice hockey game.
The game takes place 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Stephenville Dome, with a $5 admission charge at the door. All proceeds go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“I’m honoured that they continued to do it,” said Debbie, who said the cause was an obvious one, not just due to her own experience, but because so many people in the province have been affected by heart disease and strokes.
“If I could only raise a little bit, at least it’s a little bit they don’t need to raise,” she said.
