Charlie Macoun
A pioneer in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Charlie Macoun was part of the group that founded the Newmarket 87s (Hurricanes) team in the 1987-88 season. Together, Mr. Macoun and his partners built a model franchise that would go onto much success. Mr. Macoun also lent his expertise to bettering the Ontario Hockey Association and what’s now the OJHL. He held several other positions within the parent OHA through the years, including time as a Director and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the OHA Provincial Junior League, before it was rebranded as the OJHL. Over the years, Mr. Macoun represented the OHA on numerous committees. He played a significant role in the merger of the Metro Junior League with the Provincial League and served on the Ontario Hockey Federation’s (OHF) Junior Council. He was recognized by the OHA back in 2003 with its Gold Stick, which is an order of merit in hockey awarded by the OHA for outstanding service to the game, other than as a player. In the founding group for the 87s/Hurricanes that included Jim Wells Sr., Gerry Ertl, John Burt and Ken Storey, Mr. Macoun was “the hockey face” of the franchise. Mr. Macoun was renowned for his tenacity in putting quality teams on the ice as much as for caring for the players on the team, Newmarket Era-Banner Sports Editor John Cudmore wrote. The franchise was moved to Milton in 2019 and renamed the Menace. To quote his friend, former OHA and Canadian Junior Hockey League president Brent Ladds: “Charlie set a standard for team stability and decorum both on and off the ice. He was a disciplinarian, he possessed a community-first attitude and countless numbers of players became better hockey players, but more importantly, better because of his efforts. He had a tremendous, positive influence on the game and the people around him.” Mr. Macoun and his late wife, Margaret, raised three sons, Jeff, Jamie and Michael. Jamie Macoun played for the Newmarket and Aurora franchises in the OJHL. He’d go on to skate in 1,128 games in the NHL with Calgary, Toronto and Detroit. Charlie Macoun passed away in 2020.