Jimmy Spence was one of ice hockey's finest Scottish born players, skating for various clubs during his 23-year career and appearing in three World Championships for Britain. Only the severe downturn in the sport's fortunes during the Sixties prevented him from going on to claim further honours.
A centreman, he proved to be a natural talent from the start as he scored on his senior debut with the Canadian-dominated Perth Panthers at the tender age of 15. In his five seasons in the semi-pro Scottish National League between 1950 and 1955 he scored 310 points (161 goals) in 245 games and had a measly 66 penalty minutes. In his final Perth campaign he was the club's top scorer with 43 goals and 81 points.
James Davis Spence was born in Edinburgh on 21 March 1935 and moved to Perth with his family a year later when his father was appointed ice master at the newly opened rink. This gave the youngster plenty of opportunity to hone his skating skills. At the age of 11 he joined the pee-wee Panther Cubs before moving to the intermediate Blackhawks and played twice at under-18 level for Scotland against England. When he was 16, he was offered a place with a Canadian junior team on the recommendation of his Canadian coach, Tommy Forgie, but his parents felt he was too young to go.
After the demise of the SNL, Jimmy moved south to another Panthers' side in Nottingham where his 71 points helped them to the double of Autumn Cup and British National League titles in 1955-56. When his two-year spell of national service ended in 1958 he returned to the now amateur sport in Perth and then enjoyed spells with Glasgow Flyers and Paisley Mohawks. In the winter of 1961-62 he came south again, this time joining the newly formed Altrincham Aces where he spent two seasons.
With few rinks left in ice hockey, he played just a handful of games for Fife Flyers in 1963-66 when the ‘Perth Line’ of Spence, Ian Forbes and Sammy MacDonald was the main factor in the club’s successes. In 1971 he was persuaded out of retirement by Forbes who was then coaching Dundee Rockets. There he was reunited with MacDonald on a ‘Golden Oldie’ line along with Mike Mazur, another Perth-based player. Though by now in his late thirties, Spence was runner-up in Northern League scoring for the next two seasons and won the Earl Carlson Trophy in 1972-73 with most points from all league competitions.
He was first selected to play for his country in 1961 when Britain won promotion to Pool A of the World Championships. While he missed out the next year against the top nations in Colorado, USA, he turned out for the national team again in 1965 and in 1973, when he was just short of his 38th birthday. His GB record stands at 13 goals and 16 points. His defenceman brother, Laurie Spence, played for Britain in 1953.
A fine all-round sportsman who was a swimming champ and played football and cricket, Jimmy was respected as a gentleman on and off the ice. In his working life he was a senior electrician at Dewar's of Perth. He died suddenly at his home in Perth on 9 September 2004, aged 69, leaving a wife, Margaret, and four daughters.
Compiled with research, provided by David Gordon and Martin C.Harris April 2006.
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