John Rost holds a very special place in the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, being the first son of a Hall of Famer to be inducted alongside his father.
Born March 28th, 1944 in London, John learned to skate at the age of ten and took up hockey as a teenager. Among his early teams were the Streatham Maple Leafs, Richmond Ambassadors and London Senators. In 1962, he joined the Brighton Tigers and played for the famous club until the south coast rink closed in 1965. During this period, in the 62/63 season, he was voted the “Most Promising Young Player” of the year.
He went on to play for both the Wembley lions and the Vets, before taking a major role in reintroducing hockey to Streatham after an absence of more than a decade. He was to play for and, at various times, coached and managed the Streatham team, known from 1976 onwards as the Redskins. John Rost was also chairman of the club for sixteen years and did much to encourage the many young players who passed through the junior ranks at the South London rink during the eighties.
Rost joined the sports governing body, the BIHA Council in 1976 and also managed Great Britain teams, at both junior and senior level, in European and World Championship tournaments. In the 1989/90 season, he returned to coaching with the Richmond Flyers of the English League First Division.
After starting out as a forward before switching to a defensive role, John Rost served ice hockey in just about every possible capacity. The family tradition in the sport continued into a third generation as his own son, Warren, played in the Heineken League with Premier Division club Ayr Raiders, before he too returned to the London area spending many years associated with the Slough Jets club.
Compiled with research, provided by Martin C.Harris – April 1991.
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