Our local hockey historian, Tom Rockey, was born Jan. 27, 1926, in Winnipeg on Morley Avenue. His older brother Jack and younger brother Ron never got that hockey bug Tom was bitten with — which probably made life much easier for their parents, Ellen and George.
Tom’s association with hockey began in his early days playing defence, as he was an exceptional skater. Starting with a Winnipeg outdoor team in 1938-39 at just 12 years old, he became a city champion. The following year, he was a Bantam B city champ, then joined the Bantam A St. James Canadians, reaching the finals twice more and capturing another title. Leaving school after Grade 10, Tom was on the road.
At 17, he split the 1942-43 winter between the Buffalo AHL and Philadelphia Falcons EHL (with a young goalie named Emile Francis), amassing 47 points in 56 games. “Dad told me he rode the train to Toronto then hitchhiked to Philly to play,” his son Martin laughs. “But then it was off to war.”
Tom spent 2½ years in the army stationed at Shilo but still found time to play his sport with the Winnipeg Grenades of the Winnipeg Inter-Services League. They finished third, with winger Jim McFadden racking up tons of points.
After being discharged, Tom signed with the Winnipeg Monarchs in the MJHL — one of five teams sponsored by NHL clubs, along with the Winnipeg Rangers, Winnipeg Canadians, Brandon Wheat Kings and Portage Terriers. Tom was “owned” by Montreal.
Those 1946 Monarchs went on to win the Turnbull Junior Cup, advancing to capture the Memorial Cup title at Maple Leaf Gardens. The final drew 142,000 fans, and after posting 10 points in seven games, Tom was named an all-star defenceman.
Finding work in Carman after that busy winter, he helped Hav Sylvester farm but still had time to catch a glimpse of Marjorie Doyle, whom he would marry on June 2, 1947.
Owned by Montreal, his pro career began in the USHL with the Houston Skippers and Dallas Texans for two seasons, followed by the Victoria Cougars (PCHL), Moncton Hawks and Sydney Millionaires of the Maritimes, and finally the New Haven Nutmegs of the EHL.
“After Dallas, Dad was told by Lester Patrick he’d be playing as a Montreal Canadien the next winter. He even played a couple of exhibition games but was sent to Victoria to help Patrick’s new team,” says Martin. “Upon arrival with his new bride, he was told to get rid of the women! He didn’t — the team was awful, and he quit. Mom said that was his biggest mistake.”
After a few more stops and a son on the way, Tom regained his amateur status and returned to Carman and a life away from hockey — for now.
In 1951, the Rutherford Pool Room was destroyed by fire, leaving an empty lot on Fournier Street (1st Street SW). Tom had plans for a liquor outlet there but faced many challenges, so he decided to return billiards to Carman in 1953.
His new building included a second-floor living quarters, five tables, a concession stand and a barber shop run by Bill Smith and Jack McKay. Tom later sold the business to Geordie Harrison — known for years as Geordie’s Pool Hall, now The Price Is Rite — and moved the family (including children Martin and Elaine) to Pilot Mound.
A buddy, Jim Moore, who had played with him in Dallas, convinced Tom to buy the locker plant there in 1961. He and Jim then added an abattoir, offering freezer-ready meat as well as curing and smoking. But a player of his calibre wasn’t left alone for long — the Minnedosa Jets of the Big Six Intermediate League came calling. They went on to be league and Manitoba A champs, and Tom was named first all-star at 30.
He would later play for the Pilot Mound Pilots (no individual stats before 1959) from 1959–62, scoring 98 points in 68 games and winning one title before turning his interests to coaching. He led Pilot Mound, Miami, Carman and Altona to SEMHL titles, and a Winkler club to a provincial championship. Perhaps his proudest moments were being selected to the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Back in Carman, Tom took on a new challenge in 1975 as recreation director while also publishing a weekly sports column, One Man’s Opinion, in The Leader — where he name-dropped so well.
It was also in Pilot Mound that Tom became interested in harness racing. He took to racetracks as he did to ice rinks — driving, owning, raising and training horses. He later served as a presiding judge, running races across Canada and the U.S. with the Canadian Trotting Association, and became a director of the Manitoba Great Western Racing Circuit. As Martin says, “It paid the bills.”
After spending winters at the Jim Grundy Stables in San Diego, Tom was appointed presiding judge in 1989 at the new $45-million entertainment complex in Des Moines, Iowa. He continued in the industry he loved until he developed macular degeneration around 1995 and was legally blind by 2007.
Tom passed in 2019 and Marg in 2018. Their son Martin worked with the Department of Highways for 33 years, married Diane Johnston, and moved to Kamloops where they both eventually retired. Elaine married Ken McMahon and was an EA and librarian at Roland, where they reside.
