Burlington has a long and notable sports history that includes many outstanding athletes, coaches, officials, media, and volunteers. The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame (BSHOF) is dedicated to identifying and honouring the individuals who have created this rich tradition. This year, BSHOF is celebrating its 16th year and is proud to be inducting six new honorees at their 2024 induction ceremony on Tuesday, May 28 at the Burlington Golf and Country Club.
Our next inductee is John Tait. Quite simply, John has a passion for people.
It isn’t just the work that John Tait put into minor hockey in Burlington. It isn’t just the programs and teams that he helped develop to foster great success in Burlington. It was how he did it. Throughout his 40 years of “behind the scenes” and “out front” volunteering, John Tait has been inspiring others to give of their time and has proven to be an extraordinary fixture in the Burlington sporting scene. When one looks at the history of minor hockey in Burlington, John is among the royalty of volunteers who made it all happen.
John first got involved in Burlington hockey in 1982 as his son Stephen’s coach. He quickly became an advocate for kids wishing to play a higher level of hockey, and as a result, the Burlington Wolves rep hockey program came into existence. In 1990, the Wolves became the Burlington City Rep Hockey Club, with John serving as vice president. In 1995, John became president, a position he held until 2020.
Under John’s leadership, the Burlington Eagles were created. As much a marketing plan as a technical program, the Eagles gave Burlington hockey a new identity; players can still be seen around town and arenas everywhere they play in their distinctive navy, red, and gold colours. He made sure that all teams got the same amount of ice time so that all kids had an equal opportunity to excel. In the early years of the Eagles, before the formation of the Burlington Barracudas girls’ program in 1996, John saw to it that girls would be allowed to play on boys’ teams and even made sure they had change facilities available to them. John always took the lead, ensuring that girls had equal access.
He also introduced the idea of a “coach mentor” system, which provided a method whereby coaches can draw upon the knowledge and skills of a head technical coach and other very experienced coaches. Coaches were able to connect with each other and promote ways to engrain each coach as part of the overall technical program. This was a unique system at the time.
John also began the Ron Wilkins Memorial Thanksgiving Tournament, at the time, a very
popular youth tournament, which drew thousands of visitors to Burlington over the years. The
focus of the AA and A tournament was always for families to have fun together.
The Golden Horseshoe Tournament also operated with the assistance of the Eagles. This very
prestigious tournament welcomed teams from all over North America and Europe. Teams
were billeted with local families, creating many international friendships and connections. The tournament also showed Burlington to the world. The Golden Horseshoe is one of the longest-running tournaments in the area.
Always promoting community service, which John saw as a way to foster good citizenship in young people, John started the Gift of Giving Back food drive in 2011, which has become Canada’s largest youth-driven community food drive. The central message of the Gift of Giving Back is about developing our youth to respond to the needs of others. The Eagles have become widely recognized for their enormous gift to the city each year.
Through the tournament and other activities, John built an incredible volunteer base and attracted so many families to minor hockey. John always felt that if everyone had a stake in the club, they would feel part of its success too.
For over 40 years, John Tait has been a committed volunteer for the development of sports and our youth in Burlington. It is because of his leadership that Burlington has become a celebrated centre for hockey development. He also gave back by acting on the executive of both the Burlington Sport Alliance and the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame.
The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame is honoured to induct John Tait into the Builder category.
The May 28 induction ceremony at the Burlington Golf and Country Club is a sold-out event. There will be livestreaming available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJmRHY3Z-Cw Viewers have the option to set a reminder for the event.
