by – David McPherson
Cambridge, ON – Remember when you were five, sitting nervously in the dressing room before your first house-league hockey practice, and the coach asked for volunteers to strap on the pads and guard the net? Marc Mercier does. This simple act of volunteerism began a 56-year journey, first participating in—and later giving back to—a game he loves.
“I put up my hand first,” says Mercier, Chair of the OHA Board of Directors. “I wanted to be a goalie. My dad was a goalie, my grandfather was a goalie, and even my uncle was a goalie, so there was never any intention of being the next Sidney Crosby; rather, it was always about being the next Tony Esposito, Ken Dryden or Rogie Vachon – each of whom went on to have extensive, successful careers in hockey management after their playing days.”
Born in Timmins, Ont., Mercier’s family moved to Etobicoke during his formative years, where he played competitive hockey. Mercier is very quick to remind folks that he was known more for “making average hockey players feel very good about their offensive prowess” during his career between the pipes.
Joking aside, Mercier has made his greatest impact on the game off the ice, where the accolades continue to grow. In 2018, the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) honoured him with the Chairman’s Award, which was permanently renamed the Marc Mercier Chairman’s Award in 2021. The University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law recently honoured him with the 2026 UNB Law Ilsa Greenblatt Shore Distinguished Graduate Award. And earlier this month, the OHA named the executive the 2025–26 recipient of the association’s prestigious Golden Stick Award.
Mercier served with the OJHL for more than a decade in various executive roles and, from 2006 to 2022, was governor of the Cobourg Cougars. It was during this period that his volunteerism and community involvement deepened—and when he made some of his biggest contributions.
“The impetus for all my volunteer work started when I was living in Cobourg,” he says. “It became apparent that the town needed a new hockey rink, as the current one had been built in the 1940s and was an old, dilapidated structure … It reminded me of the rink where I played most of my hockey as a kid, St. Mike’s Arena in Toronto.”
“I wanted Cobourg, which had long-standing connections with hockey as an integral part of the community, to become the ‘St. Mike’s of the East’ and to become a venerable competitive hockey program,” Mercier continues. “So I methodically started to build that, and I was part of a small group that worked with the Ontario government and the federal government to obtain infrastructure funding to build the new state-of-the-art Cobourg Community Centre.”
The hockey highlight of Mercier’s time in Cobourg came in 2017, when the Cougars won the RBC Cup (now the Centennial Cup), bringing national recognition to this town 95 kilometres east of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario.
“That was the high-water mark of my involvement with the Cougars,” he adds. “People within junior hockey were blown away that this little community east of Toronto had become this mecca of hockey in Canada.”
The Lonely End of the Rink
Hanging on Mercier’s office wall is a poster of Toronto Maple Leafs Hall of Fame netminder Johnny Bower with the caption The Puck Stops Here. “That is one of the mottos I’ve used as part of my involvement in the upper echelons of hockey in Ontario,” he says. “It’s like the puck does stop here. And with a high degree of responsibility comes accountability.”
Reflecting on such a lengthy tenure, it is often hard to pick out other milestone moments. But for Mercier, June 20, 2013, definitely stands out: that was the night [The Tragically Hip] performed to a sold-out crowd at the Cobourg Community Centre. “People slept outside the rink overnight to try to get tickets, and the show sold out in seven minutes,” Mercier recalls. “The Hip were there for a couple of days and, as part of their contract, they wanted access to one of the rinks for the band and their crew to play hockey between rehearsals.”
Mercier was fortunate to spend time with legendary Canadian rock singer, songwriter, poet and activist Gord Downie during those days in Cobourg, and the pair bonded over their shared experiences as hockey goalies. That connection helps explain why the OHA Board Chair identifies so strongly with the band’s song “The Lonely End of the Rink,” from its 2006 release World Container.
Growing individuals and communities
During Mercier’s term chairing the OHA Board, he is most proud that the association developed a new strategic plan that paves the path forward, guided by the motto: “We grow individuals and communities through hockey.” Founded in 1890, the OHA is widely recognized as the oldest hockey association in the world, a legacy that made Mercier especially proud to serve as Chair. Just as meaningful to him was the opportunity to work closely with so many outstanding board members, many of whom he now counts among his closest friends.
“The OHA literally covers much of the province of Ontario, and most of the communities found within it,” he explains. “I love the fact that we are very much a hockey-centric organization, but we are also trying to develop individuals both on and off the ice, and we are anchors in the communities we serve. That is very much part of the ethos of today’s OHA.”
Looking further ahead, Mercier believes the OHA is in a good position, but must continue to be agile and willing to evolve while never losing sight of the communities and people it serves across the province—including its unsung heroes: the volunteers.
While Mercier has now retired from the OHA and from hockey more generally to recharge his batteries, the game and the organization remain close to his heart. He looks forward to spending time revisiting his favourite books, including former prime minister Stephen Harper’s A Great Game and Jim Collins’ Good to Great, while watching with pride as the OHA continues to evolve from afar. And, as always, he remains only a phone call or email away.
“This recognition may be presented to one individual, but it stands on the shoulders of the volunteers who are the backbone of the OHA community, and I’m forever indebted to the strength of that volunteer base,” Mercier concludes. “For me, the OHA has really been the heartbeat of the communities it serves across much of Ontario.”
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
Ontario Hockey Association
