New SHC award honours the memory of community champion Murray Knight

by Stephen Dafoe

Morinville resident and lifelong community volunteer Murray Knight was no stranger to rolling up his sleeves in the community, whether at the museum, organizing the placement of Canadian flags on lawns, or helping at area hockey rinks.

Knight, who passed away on Nov. 8, 2022, first got involved with the [then] Morinville Minor Hockey Association in 1981. Over the years, he held various roles, including head coach, assistant coach, goalie coach, and club president for five years.

Sturgeon Hockey Club (SHC) is now paying tribute to Knight’s legacy of volunteerism with a new annual award, The Murray Knight Memorial Future Leader Award, available to U18 graduating players across all SHC programs.

Sturgeon Hockey Club President Gene Connors said the award came about after working with Knight’s son Jason and his Grandson Kade, who serve as SHC’s Sting and Mustangs/Fillies goalie consultants, respectively.

Connors said he has been impressed with and admired Jason and Kade’s work ethic and ability to resonate with the kids, getting the players to work hard and still leave smiling.

“While discussing the Knight family with some others, I learned that these qualities Jason and Kade exhibit are a direct result of Murray,” Connors said. “Knowing the dedication Murray had for this community and now that his legacy is continuing on with Jason and Kade giving back to the kids of the community, the club felt it was very important to honour Murray in the best way we can.”

The award is open to graduating SHC Fillies, Mustangs, or Sting players entering their first year of post-secondary education who have demonstrated a strong desire to make a difference in their community and who have demonstrated skills to show their future leadership potential.

President Connors said SHC sees minor hockey for more than just the physical aspect of the game. The dedication extends to the community, something Knight was known for.

“Murray recognized that as a volunteer to the youth of the community, he could make a positive impact on them that not only stuck with them through their minor hockey days but into adulthood as well,” Connors said, noting that parents he has spoken to who were coached by Knight spoke to the high character, dedication, and leadership skills he taught them.

“The volunteers in our club believe that although hockey provides a variety of physical health benefits, it builds so much more socially, mentally, and emotionally. Minor sports provide an avenue for kids to escape from the real stressors of life, such as homework, chores, and personal relationships.”

Connors feels valuable lessons, including teamwork, leadership, discipline, perseverance, resilience, and respect for players and opposition, extend to coaches and parents alike.

“Ultimately, our goal at Sturgeon Hockey Club is to work with children, hoping we can develop them into fantastic human beings like Murray Knight,” Connors said.

With the deadline for nominations coming up at noon on Saturday, Mar. 30, SHC hopes to see many nominations to choose from. Players are asked to submit a written application of no more than 1000 words explaining how they meet the criteria to the President of the Sturgeon Hockey Club at president@sturgeonhockeyclub.com. Supporting reference letters are encouraged.

Connors encouraged individuals to review the award criteria carefully. After reflecting on whether they feel they embody Murray’s values and have positively impacted their community, they should consider applying to become future leaders.

“I know we have many young children in our community that take the time to give back and are passionate about making a positive impact and we might not know about them,” Connors said. “This is their chance to let the Knight family, Sturgeon Hockey and the entire community know what great things they are doing to make the world a better place.”

The Sturgeon Hockey Club Executive, in consultation with the Knight family, will select the recipient, who will receive $1000 towards their post-secondary studies.

The award will be presented at the SHC awards night at the Morinville Community Cultural Center on Apr. 15.

More information on the award is available at https://www.sturgeonhockeyclub.com/content/memorial-awards—players-goalies-and-volunteers.