Although four definitions for the word “icon” appear in the Oxford Dictionary, it was the following that most jumped out at me: “a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol”.

It doesn’t actually say that one need to have served on an executive board for some 60 years or so, remaining as president for more than 35 years to fall within that interpretation – though that would certainly seem to fit the bill.

The simple truth is that few connections within the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (and likely well beyond this, to be honest) were as strong as the bond that linked Ken Creasey to the Copper Cliff Minor Hockey Association.

Sadly, at the age of 88, Creasey passed in late November, but not before leaving behind a legacy in minor sports that few will ever equal.

“The kids, the membership were always his first love – other than Gwen, his wife (passed away in 2005),” noted Leo Verrilli, a man who served alongside Creasey in a whole variety of capacities dating back to his family move to Copper Cliff in 1993.

“He’s such a big part of our community,” added Verrilli, a CCMHA board member for decades on end as well as serving as president of the Northeastern House League for several years as well. “I will miss him. He was my mentor, like a father figure to me.”

An electrician at Inco / Vale, Ken Creasey was an absolute fixture at the McClelland Arena since the facility first opened in the mid-seventies, located more often than not in the CCMHA office in the hallway that thousands of young hockey players have walked in the ensuing half-century.

And it wasn’t just the athletes who would catch a glimpse of Creasey in his comfy chair.

“The first time I met Ken, I was walking through the hall with my son for his first game and Ken is having a spirited chat with someone in the office,” recalled Ron Didone, a fellow inductee in the Sudbury Sports Hall of Fame, having devoted more than thirty years to coaching, administering and largely tackling the association’s finances during much of Creasey’s tenure.

“I said to myself: I had better stay on the good side of this man to stay out of trouble. He had a rough exterior but a heart of gold underneath,” added Didone. “He was there for the kids. There was no question that he was committed to the kids and the program.”

“He would call everyone “Lips” – but I called him “Pretzel”,” laughed Verrilli. “Hard on the outside but soft on the inside.”

“He would remind me constantly that if we can change the life of just one kid, we’ve done our jobs.”

While minor hockey, in general, and the Copper Cliff Minor Hockey Association, more specifically, has undergone a multitude of changes over the years, there remain components that strike a chord with so many of us that experienced at least one season of donning the colours of the NHL teams, the concept a CCMHA cornerstone for a very long time.

“Everything has grown: ice costs, membership, the rep program – but we still pride ourselves on being house league first and foremost,” said Verrilli. “Our brand was Ken’s pride. We’re known for that and he was a big part of building that.”

For as much as Creasey could lead with a tough façade, those who knew him well suggested that he had his own particular way of building consensus. “He was a good guy to work with, receptive to suggestions and how to change,” said Didone. “Everybody had their jobs to do and he was the general who made sure everyone did their jobs.”

“Ken was always willing to take ideas from all of us; he always did,” added Verrilli. “He had a lot of trust in the people around him, going to back to folks like Rolly Wing (CCMHA president prior to the Creasey reign), Alex Miglioranza, Rick O’Brien.”

“The number of people that went through this association is unbelievable,” Verrilli continued. “There were always pictures in the office and they were all Copper Cliff guys.”

Ken Creasey, however, was larger than life.

In April, the CCMHA will host the 30th annual Ken Creasey House League Tournament.

Consider, just for a moment, the number of years one would have to devote to an association to be bestowed the honour of having a tournament in your name – and then remaining involved with the association and the tournament for nearly as many years after said naming takes place.

This is far too long-winded to constitute a reasonable “definition”, by any standard, but the words just scream of “icon” – a fitting moniker for Ken Creasey, a man who truly will be missed.