ORLANDO, FL – In the days since former SPHL player Connor MacDonald was struck and killed by a car on U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, Florida, his friends and family have been trying to come to grips with the accident and its tragic aftermath. Although his stats didn’t show it, he made an impact in ways that numbers on a score sheet can’t record.
From teammates to staff members, owners to fans, Connor MacDonald left an impression that lasted long after he had moved on to a new city or away from the game. Several members of the hockey family who proudly call Connor a friend shared their thoughts with ProHockeyNews. Some highlighted a young man who loved life. Others spoke to his fierce loyalty and drive. All of them expressed a deep sadness for a life that ended much too soon.
“Connor and I were rookies together in Columbus and roommates that year as well. I will remember him as a fierce competitor, a tough kid and a great teammate. He played hard every night. Playing against him, he was even tougher. 
I always seemed to think that he saved his best games for us after he moved on to Jacksonville. Off the ice, he was a great guy. He taught me a lot about his life back home (in Grand Tracadie, PEI) and he was very proud of that. Connor would always back a friend in a pinch, qualities he displayed both on and off the ice. This (his passing) is very sad news.” – Andrew Dwyer, teammate with Columbus 2006-07.
“I remember a guy who’d come to the rink every day and work his tail off. He was a rough, rugged kind of a guy to play against. I hated playing against him when he went to Jacksonville. I’m saddened and shocked about what happened. All my prayers are with his family and I wish them well.” – Orrin Hergott, Columbus teammate.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he is gone. Connor was a great guy that’s for sure. I’m going to miss that heavy PEI accent.” – Lorne Misita, Columbus teammate.
“He was a good kid and a hard worker. He was always willing to do whatever we asked of him. He was a good person. I always knew that he rode motorcycles and that’s the first thing that came to my mind, him riding his motorcycle.” – Wanda Amos, Columbus Cottonmouths owner.
“I had the opportunity to play with Connor in Jacksonville. Playing against him and playing with him, he was one of those guys. He was a hard working guy both on and off the ice. He was always one of those guys you knew was going to give you everything night in and night out on the ice. He’d do anything for a teammate. He’d stick up for anybody. He knew his role and did it well. He had the same mentality off the ice. He was big into bikes. When I went down to Jacksonville, he was one of the first guys to make his way over and introduce himself. He had a big smile with no teeth and was always a happy guy. He had a love for Harleys. When he’d go home over the summer, he worked on a potato farm. He was a work horse. He worked hard on whatever he did.” – Craig Geerlinks, teammate with Jacksonville (2007-08) and Fayetteville (2009-10).
“Connor MacDonald and I hung around a lot together during the year we played in Florida. We went to the boxing gym, checked out things around the city – including the bars – and we had each other’s back on the ice. Connor was a free spirit. He loved living life to the fullest. I had the pleasure to meet his family, whom I send my condolences to. I am really sad that I will never get the opportunity to stop in someday to see the potato farm and him with a family.” – Jason Bone, Jacksonville teammate.
“The first thing that I think of is how Connor always stood up for his boys. He was always there on the ice to help defend them. He may not have won every scrap but he put his heart into every one of them. At the Christmas party and when the Booster Club went to the apartment complex to feed the team before the playoffs,
Connor MacDonald away from the rink (photo courtesy of Karen Peluso Strandberg)
“Connor was a great teammate and an even better friend. He was the guy on the team that never complained about points or ice time. He just played the role he was given and did a great job at it. He actually played both forward and defense and did a great job at both. I can remember him a few times waking us up as a joke around 1 a.m. or so with his Harley Davidson. He would just hit the throttle until someone came out. When you walked out and saw that it was him, he would just be laughing saying “is that too loud for you?”. What a beauty he was. He will be missed by many.” – Frank Furdero, Jacksonville teammate.
“Connor was always such a great person. He might not have been afraid to drop the gloves on the ice but off the ice he was as sweet and genuine as could be. He will be missed by a lot of people.” – Michelle Rahilly, Jacksonville front office staff person.
“He was my roommate (in Jacksonville). He was always a quiet guy but he likes the house nice and cold like I did. One thing I’ll never forget is how much he liked ketchup. He pretty much drank the stuff. He was a great teammate. You knew he would always stick up for you. I’m going to miss him. R.I.P., man.” – Chris Rebernik, Jacksonville teammate.
“On Christmas, my dad, sister and I drove out to the apartments where the boys were staying to give some of the boys we were close to their Christmas gifts. Knowing that Connor loved to ride his motorcycle, I went to the Harley store and bought him a t-shirt and hat. I will never forget the look on his face when I handed him the gift. He didn’t know what to say but I could tell he was grateful for the things the fans did for him. He looked tough but had the heart of a puppy dog, so full of kindness. He was the sweetest guy I knew and I am going to miss him a lot.” – Kim Borders, Jacksonville fan and Booster Club member.
“Mac was a competitor. He was passionate about the game and worked hard all the time. Off the ice, he was a great guy who got along with anyone around him. He is certainly going to be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family in this time of need.” – Jon Lounsbury, former Huntsville Havoc player.
“He was a real close friend of mine. We were instant buddies and got along real well. The guys used to laugh at us because we had the longest hair (on the team). He was a biker and I was a rapper – a weird mix – but he was always up for a good time and so was I. He was the type of guy that would have done anything for you, would have given you the shirt off his back. This is a really tough loss for everyone, especially his family and his girl. He will be missed.” – Brett Williams, Fayetteville teammate.
“The memories I have of Connor are obviously of him starting as a Cottonmouth. He was one of those guys that was hard to play against. He could play forward or defense. We had the opportunity to pick him up last year. He was a first class kid. He was raised with a good family. Connor worked hard every night and was a great team guy.” – Tommy Stewart, Fayetteville coach.
“Connor was here for most of a full season. He definitely looked like a bad-ass hockey player. He had the long hair, the tattoos, missing his front teeth. He looked like a tough hockey player and that’s what he was. He wasn’t afraid to drop the gloves and he was a fan favorite. He did his fair share of dropping the gloves. One of the things I remember the most was when he messed up both of his shoulders while with us. Despite both of them basically hanging by a string, he played most of the year before he had to get surgery. Playing with an injury like that for so long just shows you what kind of character he had.” – Joel Lomurno, Wichita Thunder general manager.
The final tribute comes from Tyrone Garner, who put everything into perspective.
“I have been in touch with a lot of the guys since we all found out. All of us are beside ourselves. This is not an easy thing to talk about. Mac was a character guy on and off the ice. We had a lot of awesome guys on our team our last year (2007-08). I’ve played eleven years of professional hockey and won a couple of championships. They always say you never forget the guys on a championship team, which I agree is true. Even though we never won in Jacksonville, we had a championship team in the fact that it was the only team I had ever played on that it felt like everyone was family. I have lots of memories of Mac. He was my teammate and a family member who I would do anything for, just like everyone else who was a part of that team, and Mac would have done anything for any one of us. Every one who was a part of that team would tell you that we all got along like brothers, every last one of us. We definitely were not a team that had its clicks and groups. We all hung out and did things together. Every day was a memory not just with Mac but with all of us. I know you’re looking for certain memories to be shared but it is hard when there are so many. You know you’ve played on a special team with a special group of guys when something tragic like this happens and we all contact each other to make sure everyone knows and that everyone is OK because you do lose touch with each other, but in the long run, you’re still teammates and still family. You hate for something like this to happen for everyone to come together but it definitely puts things in perspective. I know, on behalf of myself and the rest of Mac’s Barracuda brothers, that he will be missed dearly and we love him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the rest of his family back home.”
In the end, Connor MacDonald’s legacy will be much more than goals and assists, penalty minutes and plus/minus stats. It will live on in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to cross his path.
And for that Connor, we will forever be in debt to you.
Contact the authors at lee.marion@prohockeynews.com and don.money@prohockeynews.com
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