Being named a BC Hockey Honourary Life Member is the second-best thing to ever happen to Bill Greene.
The first 鈥� as any good husband will tell you 鈥� is being married.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible honour to be awarded a Life Membership with this organization. I can hardly describe my feelings. I鈥檓 humbled by the whole thing," said Greene, who lives in Falkland. "The names associated with the award 鈥� somehow, I never thought my name would be on that list."
The Life Members list includes the likes of Frank Lento, Don Freer, Don Schmaltz and Alan Matthews, Bob Nicholson, Tom Renney 鈥� men who were mentors to Greene through his 44-year-road trip with BC Hockey. And the one thing they all have in common, said Greene, is they're all incredible people.
鈥淚 was looking through the list and I thought, 鈥楪eez, I must have been around too long because I know a lot of those guys,鈥�" he said. "To get my name in with those guys is very humbling and it鈥檚 an honour. The second most important thing to happen to me, after my wife, of course.鈥�
Greene, now retired, began coaching as a teenager in Saint-Bruno, Que. His commitment to hockey has spanned from grassroots minor hockey to junior operations, leaving a lasting impact on players, teams and communities.
He has served in numerous leadership roles, including as a past chair of the board for BC Hockey from 2018-2022. He was instrumental in launching two Junior B franchises in the North Okanagan: the Enderby-based North Okanagan Kings in 1993 (who won the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League's Teck Cup playoff championship in 1994), and the North Okanagan Knights in Armstrong and Enderby in 2009.
There are also his contributions to player safety and education as he served as a master course instructor for BC Hockey鈥檚 Speak Out and Hockey Canada Safety programs.
As a long-time director with the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association, Greene provided guidance and oversight for many years. Today, he remains a passionate promoter of the game, continuing to inspire the hockey community through his lifelong dedication.
鈥淚 was fortunate. I had great people to learn from and they鈥檝e taught me well,鈥� said Greene.
One of those people is Freer, a BC Hockey Life Member, who nominated Greene for this great honour.
鈥淲hat sticks out for me most are two things 鈥� when he was a registrar in the Okanagan, he dealt with me on a daily basis, almost. That鈥檚 how I came to know him. He was a really good guy and I liked him from Day 1, and he believed in teamwork,鈥� said Freer, who spent 28 years as an executive director with BC Hockey.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 about Bill Greene. It was about the team and that, to me, was important. That stuck out for me, from the start, and I鈥檝e known him for about 50 years. Then he became president of the association and I was impressed with the job he did. He was that good.
鈥淗e coached hockey as a teenager; he was referee; a referee-in-chief; president of minor hockey associations; and then became president of the provincial association 鈥� that鈥檚 pretty impressive. His involvement in hockey is 100 per cent and it鈥檚 hard to find someone to commit like that.鈥�
Greene has learned from every step of his journey.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e 17 or 18, it鈥檚 mind-moving stuff getting a chance to work with kids; you have an opportunity to do things for them and with them and to watch them have success is always fantastic as well,鈥� said Greene, who has experiences too numerous to mention.
鈥淚 can bore an entire room in 10 seconds if I sat down and talked about the things that meant so much along the way.鈥�
Written for BC Hockey by Mario Annicchiarico, a freelance writer based in Victoria.
