The man who came up with the idea of sewing patches on the backs of hockey players uniforms to remind them to avoid injuring others is remembered as a "big burly teddy bear."
Kevin Stubbington has passed away at the age of 64.
The retired security guard at the Windsor Assembly Plant was a former hockey coach and a life-long member of the Windsor Minor Hockey Association.
During a game in 1998, Stubbington watched as a player was checked from behind, and wondered what he could do to prevent injuries. Soon after, he designed the little stop sign patch, and the S.T.O.P. or Safety Towards Other Players program was born.
The local association's website says it was adopted by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and eventually, became mandatory for all minor hockey associations across Canada.
"Kevin had the patent for it. Kevin owned everything, but he wasn't one of those guys that wanted to gain any huge amounts of money from this," says Dean LaPierre, the president of the Windsor Minor Hockey Association. "I think he sold the patent to the OMHA for more or less what he put into it."
Stubbington was awarded the Dr.Tom Pashby Sports Safety Award in 2007 for Canadians who have made a significant contribution to preventing catastrophic injuries in sports.
Family and friends of Stubbington are invited to celebrate his life at 7pm Friday March 4 at Average Joes Banquet Hall.
