WILLIAM (BILL) BYRN'S ROBINSON

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WILLIAM (BILL) BYRN'S ROBINSON On Wednesday, June 25, 2008, Bill passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer at the Seven Oaks Hospital at the age of 86 years. Remaining to forever cherish Bill's memory are his wife Beryl; brother George (Loretta); sisters Dorothy Thompson of Edmonton and Margery Manners; as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters Josephine Funk and Margaret Cooper; brothers Lawrence, Desmond, Garfield, Kingsley and Robert; as well as his father Jack Robinson and mother Pearl. Bill was born in Cartwright, Manitoba on August 31, 1921. He was a lover of hockey ever since he was a boy. He began playing Playground hockey at the age of 12. At the age of 13, Bill played on the teams formed by the late Father Levesque, travelling through Europe. The teams were named after the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. He was an outstanding centreman and played Junior Hockey with the Winnipeg Rangers and played on the 1941 Memorial Cup team. After winning the Memorial Cup, Bill joined the Navy and played alongside Billy Mosienko with the Quebec Aces. He also won 2 Allan Cups with the Quebec Aces and another with the Ottawa Senators. He subsequently went to England and played for the Harringay Racers in London. Bill then returned to Winnipeg and played with and coached the Winnipeg Maroons. He also coached the Winnipeg Warriors in 1960-61. From 1957 to 1970, he coached the University of Manitoba Bisons, which team, in 1965, won the Canadian Collegiate Championship. In 1972 Bill became the Director of Player Personnel of the original Winnipeg Jets Hockey Team. He was directly involved in the negotiations and signing of all hockey players during the formative years of the World Hockey Association, including such greats as Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, who, together with Bobby Hull, formed the Million Dollar Line. He later sought out and signed the late Lars-Erik Sjoberg, an all-star defenceman from the Swedish National team, who was later known as The Little General. Bill remained with the Jets until his retirement. He was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 3 at 11:00 a.m. in Westwood Community Church, 401 Westwood Drive. Pallbearers will be Telly Mercury, Bill Lesuk, Joe Daly, Ab McDonald, Lawrence Robinson, and Casey Bresch. Honourary pallbearers will be Reg Bresch and Gavin Spears. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Seven Oaks Hospital and a special thanks to Dr. Reynolds and the wonderful care given to Bill during the last three weeks. Donations may be made in Bill's memory to CancerCare Manitoba, 675 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0V9.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 02, 2008