For Joe Aiello, working as a team trainer in small-town arenas in Eastern Ontario, was never about recognition. Instead, his volunteerism was driven by passion and an undying love for the sport
By – David McPherson
(Amy Deroche/ OJHL Images)
Cambridge, ON – “I love hockey and I just wanted to find a way to get involved in the game,” says the 2015-2016 OJHL Trainer-of-the-Year.
Joe’s father was a mining engineer, so throughout this award-winning trainer’s childhood, he moved frequently. His formative years were spent in Elliot Lake where Joe enjoyed playing house-league hockey. Joe spent his professional career in sales and marketing with General Motors Canada. As retirement neared, he looked for new activities and ways to keep busy and also give back to the community. The volunteer role of a hockey trainer was the perfect fit.
Joe embodies the characteristics of what the OHA looks for in its volunteers: he is selfless, hardworking, a good listener, inquisitive and believes in lifelong learning. His career as a hockey trainer began during the 2001-02 season. First, he volunteered with his hometown Junior A team, the Port Hope Predators (now the Trenton Golden Hawks). Joe was a quick study. He learned in the classroom — earning his Level 1 and Level II OHA Trainers Certifications — and on the bench, via mentoring from the Predators’ two other trainers: Mike Bryant and Ken Johnston.
When the Predators moved to Trenton, Joe worked as a trainer for two years with the Junior C’s Port Hope Panthers. Then, prior to the 2011-2012 season, Todd Diminie — a former scout Joe knew from his time with the Predators — became the general manager of the Cobourg Cougars and offered Joe the trainer’s job. It turned out to be a wise decision. Brent Tully would eventually be hired as general manager of the Cougars and by that time Joe was a fixture with the organization. In 2017 the team captured the RBC Cup (the National Junior A Championship – renamed to the Centennial Cup in 2020). An experience Joe calls ‘the most rewarding event in his hockey journey.’
Joe eventually earned his Level III Trainers Certification, the highest level the OHA offers and surpassed 1,000 games on the bench. One of the highlights of his career came in 2015 when Joe was named one of the trainers for Team Canada East at the World Junior A Challenge. Even after reaching the highest level of certification, his informal education never stopped. Joe constantly learned from the chiropractors, physiotherapists and other athletic trainers that supported the teams for whom he worked.
The trainer’s greatest two local supporters, who helped accelerate his learning, were: Dr. Hillary Allen and Jeffrey Crowley, co-owners of Cobourg Orthopaedic & Sports Injury Clinic.
“They taught me a lot of treatments over the years — outside of the basics — like taping and wound management,” Joe says.
(Photo by Amy Deroche / OJHL Images)
Turning a Passion into a Small Business
Before Joe retired from GM, around 2005, he knew that beyond his volunteer work as a trainer, he needed to keep busy. So, he started a small business: Sport Supply Company dedicated to athletes’ health and performance. Initially, Joe sold mainly laundry loops, a product to manage the washing and drying of sports equipment, to individuals and to a few hockey teams. Over time, Joe added sports medicine and training room supplies to his vast product offerings. The small business is now a one-stop online shop for everything from CPR masks and cutting instruments to splints, mouth guards and heating pads, and is constantly adding new clients.
Joe’s clients include most junior league hockey teams in Canada, along with a few AHL and NHL teams. Outside of hockey, Soccer Canada and university athletic departments also use the services of Sport Supply Company.
“It’s a constantly growing business, but we are not huge by any stretch of the imagination,” Joe says. “It’s basically me running everything except at peak sales periods of the year when I hire someone to help me fulfill orders. It’s been fun! I enjoy doing it and I’ve met a ton of people.”
Joe retired as a trainer following the 2024-25 Cougars’ season to focus on Sport Supply Company and to enjoy more time watching his grandkids play hockey.
“I need to stay busy in order to stay relevant and current,” he concludes. “Retirement doesn’t mean you need to sit around. I just find that running this business keeps me engaged, keeps me current. It also gives me something that I love to do and I get to meet a lot of interesting people.
“Some of the people I meet have their own stories as they progressed in whatever league or sport they’re in,” Joe adds. “I always love to learn about the sacrifices that they make to achieve what they want and to succeed in the work that they love.”
About the Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) was founded on November 27, 1890, and is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior hockey in the Province of Ontario. It is comprised of three Junior hockey leagues and two Senior hockey leagues:Junior A – Ontario Junior Hockey League; Junior B – Greater Ontario Hockey League; Junior C – Provincial Junior Hockey League, Senior –Allan Cup Hockey (AAA) and Ontario Elite Hockey League (AA). For the 2025-2026 season, these five leagues encompass 132 teams. 3100 players, and about 6,000 games each hockey season. The majority of our players are 16 to 21 years of age.
The objectives of the OHA are to foster and encourage the sport of amateur hockey, to conduct competition in the various categories established, to determine teams for entry into the inter-branch competitions that may be provided by Hockey Canada, and to provide for the affiliation of other hockey organizations.
The OHA provides administrative resources, coordinates programs, services and events for hockey participants and provides support to various Development Programs for coaches, officials, trainers and players, Safety and Risk Management Issues and offers resources for Harassment and Abuse education.
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For more information or to set up an interview, please contact:
Chris McCleary
General Manager, Operations & Marketing
Ontario Hockey Association
by – David McPherson
A Trio of OHA Officials Named to the 2026 Olympic Roster
(L to R) Laura Gutauskas, Justine Todd, and Erin Zach
Cambridge, ON – In sports, few honours are greater than the chance to represent your country on the world stage at the Olympics. For a trio of Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) officials that lofty goal is now a reality with the recent announcement of Hockey Canada’s 10-person roster for Milano 2026.
Justine Todd, a veteran of two previous Olympic Games (2018 and 2022), is joined by a pair of her OHA colleagues—Brampton’s Laura Gutauskas and Elmira’s Erin Zach—to represent Canada as linespersons on the 2026 Winter Olympics officiating roster.
The International Ice Hockey Federation announced this trio along with the other seven members of the 10-person Hockey Canada roster (five referees and five linespersons) who will form our country’s officiating team at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy next February. Joining the three Ontario-based officials are referees: Mike Campbell, Cianna Murray, Elizabeth Mantha, Michelle McKenna, Shauna Neary and linespersons: Alex Clarke and Tarrington Wyonzek.
“Officiating at the Olympic Games is the pinnacle of an amateur official’s career,” Dan Hanoomansingh, officiating manager, said in the press release announcing the final Hockey Canada crew. “These officials have been working tirelessly towards this goal for the last four years, and it is a credit to their determination and skill that they have made it a reality.”
For Gutauskas—who makes her Olympics debut—getting named to the Milan Winter Games 2026 is a dream come true. It’s also apropos that Todd joins her on the roster.
“It’s truly an honour to be selected to officiate in the Olympics,” she says. “It was never something I dreamed possible for myself when I began officiating. Sharing this experience with Justine will be somewhat of a full circle moment for me. She was one of the very first people to see something more in me as an official and push me onto this path.”
The selected officials participated in a lengthy evaluation process beginning in 2023 as part of the IIHF’s “Road to Milano.” Officials were evaluated in domestic competition, professional hockey and multiple IIHF tournaments prior to their final selection.
The officials for the men’s tournament will gather for a preparation camp in August in Buffalo, New York. The officials for the women’s tournament will attend a preparation camp in December in Europe.
