Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22
On Monday, a true living hockey legend and extraordinary human being will celebrate his 95th birthday: U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, IIHF Hall of Fame, Lester Patrick Award (1986) and U.S. Army Sports Hall of Fame honoree John Patrick "Jack" Riley Jr.
Jack Riley is one of the oldest living alumni of the U.S. national hockey team, playing for the team and the 1940s and then succeeding my grandfather, Bill Stewart Sr., as the coach. He was the coach of the American team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley.
A Boston area native and graduate of Dartmouth who served as a Navy pilot in World War II, Mr. Riley later coached the Army hockey team at West Point for 36 years (1950-1983). Later, his sons Rob and Brian took over behind the Army bench. Their dad compiled a coaching record of 542-343-20 over the course of his extraordinary career. Twice, he won the Spencer Penrose Award as the NCAA Division I coach of the year.
There is something that I respect more than anything is a person, it's a person who puts it all on the line, regardless of success or failure, the fact that people win or lose is not as important as the fact that they put it on the line. Jack Riley put it on the line as a player, student, Navy Flyer in the Pacific, as a coach for West Point, an Olympic player and coach, as a golfer, husband and parent.
In the movie, The Bridges of Toko Ree, the admiral of the fleet asked, "Where do we get such men?" as he watched a launch of a fighter from his carrier. It makes me wonder: why am I so lucky to have had men like this in my life, working in the game, having gone through all they did, the last of the Greatest Generation?
My son McCauley and I visited with Jack last week, still sharp, still with vitality, only frustrated that he wasn't out driving over to Hyannisport to play 18. As I sat with Jack, I thought about my Dad, who reffed many games that Jack coached.
Today, Mr. Riley lives at the Decatur House in Sandwich, MA. He still loves to receive mail, and I encourage our HockeyBuzz community to let him know how much we all appreciate his many contributions to our great sport. I will be happy to pass along any messages left here, but you can also mail him yourself at the address below.
Decatur House 176 Main St. Sandwich, MA 02563
Oh, and if any of you are in Sandwich, MA, a plain Hershey bar or a Strawberry Frappe brings a smile to a certain hockey legend's face. Happy birthday, Jack.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC.
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.