2003

Connie Blaney | Michel Boisvenue | Brian Fillion | Hubert Hay | Cameron McDonald

Connie (Kippen) Blaney

Connie (Kippen) Blaney has called Maxville her home for most of her life. She attended Maxville Public School and Maxville High School. She enjoyed playing sports, especially softball, where pitching was her forté, and hockey. She was also a high school pipe major. She has since taught and played the bagpipes as well as worked with the Glengarry Highland Games.

Over the years, Connie has become a very accomplished piper, learning first from her father, and later taking more formal lessons from Steve MacKinnon. Connie, who had natural talent for playing the bagpipes, won many awards as a teenager and later became known as the First Lady Piper in North America. She taught piping in Maxville for thirteen years and thus many of her students were prepared to play for the new-found Glengarry Highlanders Pipe Band formed in 1961.
Connie later joined the Glengarry Highland games committee and has held a number of positions over the years and she remains a director on the Highland Games committee today.

Michel Boisvenue

Michel Boisvenue was born on November 11, 1951 and attended the local schools in Alexandria. As a youngster, winters were spent playing hockey and summers playing baseball. When in high school, Michel played full back for three years with the Glengarry District High School Jr. Gaels, with a few games in the senior team. He also competed in the track and field meets held at the school. In 1969 Michel won the Jim McCaffrey Memorial Trophy as Glengarry’s top athlete.

After moving through the minor hockey system, Michel joined the Cornwall Royals as a player on the defensive line for the 1969-1970 and 1970-1971 seasons with and against some of hockey’s best players. In two years he recorded seasons of 22 and 31 points respectively and won the award as the Royals’ Outstanding Defenceman for the 1969-1970 season. After spending three years in Timmins where he was involved in hockey,
Michel returned to Alexandria in 1980, where he coached and held different posts in the Alexandria Minor Hockey Association for over seventeen years. Michel has enjoyed teaching and coaching many local youngsters and his hope is that he was able to instill in them the love of competition, sportsmanship and fair play.

Brian Filion

Brian Filion was born September 29, 1956 and spent all of his life in Glengarry County, with the exception of his years away at school. After graduating from Glengarry District High School, Brian attended Waterloo University and graduated with a BSc in Kinesiology. He later added to his education with a B.ed from Queen’s University. These credentials helped him become a well-respected teacher and coach for GDHS.

As a young boy, and then a teenager, Brian was a sports enthusiast, participating in track and field, basketball, volleyball, football, hockey and soccer. As captain and MVP in hockey for the 1974 Junior B Glens, Brian wore the jersey #3, which has been retired in his honor. He was also awarded the Jim McCaffrey Memorial Trophy at the Lion’s Club Banquet in 1973 as Glengarry’s top Athlete. Brian excelled at soccer early on. In 1973, at age 16, he was named rookie of the year as a member of the Senior Men’s Greenfield Soccer Club. In addition to many other honors, Brian led Greenfield to seven championships in ten years.
Many would agree that Brian’s greatest contribution to sports in Glengarry was his years as coach at GDHS. In 1989, he started out coaching the Gaels Junior Boys soccer team, leading them to five SD&G championships and one EOSSA Championship. In 1994, Brian became coach of the Gaels Senior Boys soccer team. During these years, the senior boys won five SD&G championships and three EOSSA championships. In 1999 they made it as far as the provincial championships at EOSSA where they won the silver medal.

Unfortunately, Brian encountered various health problems throughout his life and he passed away in August of 2000. His leadership and guidance to his students will not be forgotten and his contributions to Glengarry sports and community life will be forever remembered in the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame.

Hubert Hay

Hubert Hay was born February 27, 1928 and resides on Lot 33, Concession 4 of Lochiel where he was born. Soccer was Hubert’s main sports interest and talent. He quickly established himself as a leader on the Lochiel Men’s team beginning in 1946, continuing to be the backbone of the team until 1968. Hubert and the team had much success winning several championships and trophies including the Glengarry Soccer League cup eleven of the years he played.

After hanging up his cleats, Hubert tried his hand at coaching the team at which he also proved to be very successful. He was named Coach of the Year in 1968 and coached the All-Star Team in 1968. He also served as President and as an executive for the GSL.
Hubert Hay’s sporting talents also include broomball, bowling and curling. Hubert has contributed to Glengarry’s sports community as a competitor, supporter and builder of sporting activities.

Cameron McDonald

Cameron McDonald was born at the Century Farm, Lot 37, 7th Concession of Lancaster on February 3rd, 1920 and spent his entire life there. His love of everything in nature developed from growing up on the farm. His experiences as hunter, fisherman, trapper and tracker led to a thorough knowledge of field and stream.

His lifelong interest in hockey began on local ponds and outdoor rinks. He was involved in hockey as a player for the Alexandria Maroons and the Border Hockey League, as well as coaching several teams.

In the mid-40’s, he played softball for the Glengarry Aces. In a 1971 invitational tournament he hit his final home run at age 51 and won the game trophy for St. Raphael’s. Cameron also played Box Lacrosse from 1946-1950 with the Alexandria Maroons, and later coached the Green Valley Rockets.
Cameron McDonald’s involvement in sports included more than coaching and playing, as he was a charter member of the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame and a director for 22 years. Cameron is being inducted posthumously as he passed away on June 25, 2002. He will be remembered as an upstanding citizen, for his sporting contributions and dedication to coaching many young Glengarry athletes.