A successful player and coach, with awards from both ends of a career in Britain stretching over 20 years, Jim Lynch holds the unique achievement of coaching play-off championship winners in the Heineken British League and the Sekonda Superleague, with the subsequent award of Coach of the Year on both occasions.
In his first championship triumph, as a player-coach, he led Murrayfield Racers to victory in April 1986, having already lifted the Norwich Union Cup the previous autumn. In that Wembley final he scored the insurance goal, in the 4-2 win over Dundee, on an assist from Paul Heavey - the man who replaced him at Ayr, when in October 2000 ill health forced Jim to stand down from the job he loved.
He first came into contact with William J. Barr in January 1992, after a season and a half playing at Humberside, moving behind the bench to coach the Barr sponsored Ayr Raiders based at the Summit Centre in Glasgow.
He then renewed his connection with Kirkcaldy for three years, taking Flyers to runners-up spot in the British League's Premier Division in 1994. That autumn he surprisingly moved, with his assistant, the late Milan Figala and his stepson Steven, a youngster with promise, to Dumfries.
With the advent of the Superleague the following season he re-newed his acquaintance with Barr, owner of the Ayr Scottish Eagles, the only new club to join the rookie league. Astute recruiting of a mixture of North American's and Europeans immediately paid off with an unbeaten run of 11 matches, although losing in final of the B & H Cup to Cardiff. A respectable third place in the ISL and a play-off semi-final gained Jim the Coach of the Year award.
The next winter saw his greatest coaching triumph with the grand slam of B&H; Cup, The Express Cup, Superleague title and an overtime play-off final victory. A second successive Coach of the Year award acknowledged the skills of hockey's 'quiet man'.
Eagles' success gained them entry to the European Hockey League with outstanding home and away victories, by 4-2 and 3-1 in October 1998 over Russian champions AK Bars Kazan.
Born on 6 June 1953 in Toronto, Lynch came to Scotland to join Fife Flyers with two friends in September 1980, following a junior career as a winger with the local Markham Waxers and later in the Inter Collegiate League.
In his first outing he scored three times for Flyers in a 14-3 Northern League win at Aviemore. By the end of his inaugural campaign he was named joint winner of the NL Overseas Rookie of the Year award and to the All-Star 'A' team. Third highest scorer in the Scottish National League and NL the next winter earned Jim a second successive All-Star 'A' rating.
Returning from holiday in Canada, in the summer of 1983, to find he had been replaced at Kirkcaldy, he contacted Alex Dampier at Murrayfield. He stayed in the Scottish capital for three seasons, taking over from Dampier as player-coach two years later, to mastermind Racers to his first Cup and play-off triumphs.
After a long, but finally successful battle with the BIHA to be reclassified as a non-import, the ambitious Solihull Barons made an approach for his services for the 1989/90 campaign. Appointed coach the next autumn, but always his own man, he quit before the season commenced due to management interference, to join Humberside where his on ice performances assisted Seahawks in gaining promotion to the Premier Division.
Whilst admitting to not being a great skater, as a player Jim was blessed with all round on ice vision, enabling him, during a 12 year playing career in Britain, to amass a total of 927 points from 450 goals and 477 assists in 438 competitive matches whilst serving 545 penalty minutes.
As a coach never afraid to speak his mind, his 59% win average in the Superleague from 141 victories in 261 matches speaks for itself.
Compiled with research, provided by Martin C.Harris – March 2001.
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