Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the legendary hockey coaching career of Brian Kilrea, Ottawa native and head coach of the Ottawa 67's for 32 of the last 34 seasons.
Brian's hockey accomplishments speak for themselves. He coached over 2,000 games, set a hockey record with 1,193 wins, led the 67's to three OHL titles and two Memorial Cup championships, was named coach of the year five times, even had the trophy renamed in his honour in 1996, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
Perhaps even more important, though, a new room at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario will be known as the “Brian Kilrea Teaching Room”, a place where children receiving long-term care can continue their studies. This room will be a lasting legacy to Brian.
I join with all parties in saluting his career, congratulating him and saying, “Way to go”.