The local hockey community lost a valuable volunteer with the death of former Victoria Salsa and Grizzlies trainer and equipment manager Al Gillies, who lost a battle against cancer on Friday.
Gillies, who was 48, was recognized at Saturday’s Grizzlies game against the visiting Merritt Centennials. The team has dedicated the remainder of the season to him and have decals in memory of him on their helmets.
Gillies worked with the team dating back to the Salsa days and also assisted with the Braves organization and went back to the days of the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League, working with his father, Jack, at the old Memorial Arena.
Gillies leaves a wife, Lisa, and twin sons, Matty and Tyler. He and his close friend John Smith owned and operated Pro Stick Repair before selling the company.
“It pains me to say this so early in life and it sucks really bad, but today’s the day I lost my dad,” Matty wrote on a community Facebook post on Friday. “He battled six long hard years against cancer and today’s the day he lost.
“I know my dad affected many lives and loved everyone he met. He was a big part in the hockey community and helped a lot of people that couldn’t afford to play hockey — [through] the ability to play with his business. It’s hard to imagine life without this wonderful guy in my life and it’s gonna be hard, but life goes on. An update on when the service will be will come in the near future.”
Grizzlies staff were grieving the loss on Friday.
“He was a generous man,” said Grizzlies part-owner and VP of hockey operations Don Robinson.
“He was here before me and never really left,” said Vickie MacIlroy, the Grizzlies office manager since 2004. MacIlroy said Gillies had helped with the recent design of the current retro Salsa jersey that the team is wearing at home games this month.
“You know, just as I’m talking to you, I’m packing up equipment and sharpening a few skates, thinking about Al,” former Grizzlies and current Westshore Wolves equipment manager Rick Burke said over the phone on a sunny Friday afternoon. “We all got a text shortly after he passed and I said: ‘Isn’t that neat, the sun came out for a good guy.’
“I worked with him for 10 or 11 years. He was always in the background when you needed something. I was with him through the RBC Cup [in 2009]. Al just showed me everything and when he wasn’t there, I would phone him from the road if something would go wrong.”
Gillies was quoted back at that RBC Cup.
“Guys behind the scenes have to look after the guys behind the scenes,” he said at the time, referring to the brotherhood among trainers. “People don’t do this work for the money — it’s for the love of the game.”
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
Twitter/tc_vicsports
