Our tournament is named in honour of Earl and Ken Gaukel.
Earl and his wife Helen raised their family of 7 in St George. While Coaching School Boy Hockey on natural ice in Lynden, his commitment to bringing the opportunity for children to play hockey in the community of St George began.
When Earl recognized there were no options for kids to play locally after elementary school he played a major role in organizing bantam, midget and juvenile teams to play at the Ayr Arena and St George Minor Hockey was born!
He became involved on the executive of the Grand Valley Hockey League to ensure the future of hockey for our St. George youth. However, it soon became evident that the community would need its own arena to ice their teams, and fundraising began. Earl became the first President of St. George Minor Hockey.
Ironically, his involvement with the arena fundraising and minor hockey led to a construction job and building of South Dumfries Community Centre. When the arena was complete Earl was hired on as an Assistant manager and eventually became Manger, a position he held for 22 years.
His son Ken was also the Arena Manager, retiring in 2013. Ken worked at the County of Brant for 43 years and was beloved by staff and the community for his quiet and respectful demeanor. He left a huge legacy and big boots to fill. His kindness and strength made him the kind of person we all hope to be. They both set the bar very high for standards around the cleanliness and organization of the arena we still see today.
Earl received lifetime memberships in St. George Minor Hockey & the Grand Valley Minor Hockey association. In 1987, he received the Ontario Government Certificate of Recognition for his contribution to Amateur Sports in the Community.
In 2022, Council voted in favour of changing the South Dumfries Community Centre name to the Gaukel Memorial Community Centre in honour of the Gaukel family including the late Earl Gaukel and the late Ken Gaukel who were former employees of the community centre. The renaming honours the Gaukel family’s contributions to the community and specifically their contribution to the construction and ongoing care of the Community Centre.“It’s quite an honour,” said Mary Gaukel, Ken’s wife. “I’m sure everyone in the family is very happy with this recognition. Ken and Earl worked at the arena for years. They gave everything they had, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to the centre and the community. Anything they could do to help, they would be there. This is really amazing to have them honoured in this way.”
Thank you Earl, Ken and the Gaukel Family for everything you have done for hockey in St George.
