STORY BY JEANYLYN LOPEZ
The temperatures were frigid but the sun was shining when about 285 family and friends of Stephen Paul Blundy gathered at Glad Tidings Church on Monday in Burlington to commemorate his life.
Blundy, commonly known as Moker, was a former Sheridan student, Bruins coach and athletic manager. He died at age 68 after losing his battle with cancer on Jan. 25.
“We’re losing a piece of the fabric of the Bruin family, a very important piece of the fabric of the Bruin family,” said athletic director Jim Flack. “You lose him as a person, but the effect he’s had on other people, the effect he’s had on me, the effect he had on the philosophy on how we approach things here, that’s never lost.”
Blundy worked at Sheridan’s Athletic Department for 35 years and he was a member of Sheridan’s first graduating class, studying Community Planning for two years and Business Administration for three years after.
At the entrance of the church there was a presentation board titled ‘Mokerisms’. It displayed some of Blundy’s favourite quotes in black, white, and, of course double blue.
It was apparent that Blundy loved searching for quotes. On the board one quote read, “My wife has always had my heart, but hockey has my soul.”
During the memorial his daughter, Merritt Blundy Brunton, celebrated the love between her parents.
“Pat and Steve Blundy have been a team like no other,” said Brunton. “Mom has been his partner working at Sheridan College, his building assistant at the cottage, his team manager, his accountant, his chef, his personal event coordinator, and his nurse. But most importantly mom has been his biggest fan and his best friend.”
Blundy worked at Sheridan since 1972 and Pat joined him in 1974. Two years later the Blundys were married and they worked together until retiring from the college’s athletic department in 2007.
“Cancer is a relentless, awful and unfair disease that stole away my father’s strong athletic body,” said Brunton.
She shared a story about Blundy training her for the school cross country races at the age of 10.
“We would go running and chatting about the day, and he would always lead me up to the big hills and I would roll my eyes,” said Brunton. “But he would talk about how to attack the hill, push our way up it. And he would tell me that what I was feeling wasn’t pain, this is the feeling of your body functioning at its best.”
Blundy’s son, Chad, recalled a time in his second year at McGill University when he and his friends were recruiting teammates for a hockey tournament. They needed another defenseman, so they called Blundy who was then in his mid 50s. They ended up winning the tournament.
“’My father tried to discourage me from playing hockey. He felt that my education was more important,’” said Blundy in an interview in 1978. “’My father used to tell me that hockey would never get me anywhere.’”
But hockey gave Blundy an esteemed career at Sheridan.
Blundy was head coach of the Bruins men’s hockey team for 12 years and he coached the women’s team for five years.
Former Bruins hockey player Dave Barrett had a 30-year relationship with his coach.
“What I admired most about Steve is that he didn’t need to be the star player or the head coach,” said Barrett. “He simply wanted to contribute, in a meaningful way to the growth and success to his team.”
Captain of the women’s hockey team, Amy Ramsey, said in 1979 that “’No one can coach like Moker. He drilled into us that skating and shooting are the most important aspects of the game. He’s an incredible coach and an incredibly guy.’”
Blundy showed interest in coaching the women’s hockey team because the girls were just as excited about hockey as the men.
Blundy’s career at Sheridan began when he became equipment manager.
He checked every piece of equipment before every game so the team was guaranteed the utmost safety in protection. He also made sure players’ gear fit properly, took inventories, purchased gear, and assisted coaches and athletes.
“’A lot of coaches and athletes don’t realize how important the proper fitting of equipment is and how it can help avoid injury,’” said Blundy in an interview in 1979.
With files and photos from the Bruins, Ovation, and the Sheridan Sun archives.