John McDonald

Add another induction into the resume of John McDonald. He has already been welcomed into the sports hall of fame in Trenton.  The Trenton Golden Hawks sent their former director of hockey operations into retirement with a bang in 2024. Duncan McDonald Community Gardens in Trenton was sold out for John McDonald Night.’  In his time with the Golden Hawks, McDonald won an Ontario Junior Hockey League title, two Central Canada Dudley Hewitt Cup titles and was named OJHL Executive of the Year in 2016.  Named the 2014-15 OJHL Volunteer-of-the-Year Award recipient, John McDonald’s 14-year tenure with the Golden Hawks saw him evolve into the franchise’s leader,  spearheading the business operations that consistently rank among the league’s elite, while also helping build a club that captured its second OJHL regular season title in the past four years.  Building the ‘Golden Hawks’ brand within the Quinte West community became a passion for the 83-year old, who was the club’s Director of Hockey Operations, Community Liaison and Media Coordinator, or basically, ‘Mr. Everything.’  With a brand that is extremely well-regarded around the region, sponsorship sales were an integral part of Trenton’s program, which has translated into one of the OJHL’s best attendance marks.  The club’s incredible fan support and leadership has allowed the team to also become one of the leading locations for hosting events.  McDonald and his team were the first to step to the plate and offer to host the new Conference Showcases this season, successfully running the North-East Conference Showcase from January 15-17, 2016.  Prior to the showcase, Trenton hosted a sold-out exhibition game in preparation for the 2015 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge and later, with McDonald leading the charge, the Golden Hawks were awarded the 2017 Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ Championship, Dudley-Hewitt Cup. More recently, McDonald was the chair of the host committee for the 2023 Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge in Trenton.  With more than 45 years of experience in the game, the long-standing volunteer understood the importance of involvement in the community.  His vision saw the Golden Hawks take part in numerous events and fundraisers each year, raising thousands of dollars for charitable endeavours in Quinte West such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Armed Forces, Kinsman Club, Salvation Army, Trenton Youth Centre, Highland Shores Children’s AID and local school reading programs.  McDonald worked with the Streetsville Derbys, Markham Waxers and Aurora Tigers junior teams before moving to Trenton and joining the Golden Hawks in 2011.