Though born in Canada, Mike Urquhart has been a loyal servant of the British game as a player, coach or manager at club and national level for over two decades.
Since his career in the UK began in 1983-84 as a defenceman with Nottingham Panthers, he has worked to establish the game in Chelmsford, Livingston and Guildford .
Earlier this season he was head coach of the GB under-20 team that finished at its highest ever level in the World Junior Championships. He is currently working with junior players as the head coach of Nottingham’s National Ice Centre.
Mike was born in Toronto on 9 April 1958 and played junior hockey in the WHL for Kamloops Chiefs. Among his team-mates was future NHLer Rocky Saganiuk who also later played in this country.
After four seasons with Nottingham Panthers, during which he was successively team captain and player-coach, he moved to the Oxford City Stars, where he met his future wife, Laura, who was playing for the men’s B team.
But on the ice, things didn’t work out so he jumped at the chance to join the new Cardiff Devils where he scored 50 points and helped them win the league title.
The following season, 1987-88, he was appointed assistant rink manager of the newly opened rink in Chelmsford. His duties included coaching the senior Chieftains and setting up a junior player system. He put together a talented team, including Canadian Robin Andrew and Brit Phil Adams, which finished as league runners-up while he was the team’s top scorer. The Chieftains won the Autumn Trophy in season 1990-91.
Urquhart spent four seasons with the Tribe, recording 119 goals and 255 points, good enough for tenth place on the team’s all-time scoring list. He won a club record 164 games as coach. Always ready for another challenge, Mike accepted the opportunity to revive the fortunes of flagging Scottish side, Livingston Kings, in season 1991-92. He duly led the former last placed team to the Scottish League title.
He returned south the following season when Barry Dow, the owner of the newly formed Guildford Flames, asked him to organise ice hockey at the Spectrum ice rink. The late opening of the rink caused some difficulties for the new team and its coach, but the Flames lost only six games on their way to winning the English League’s B conference.
After spells with Bracknell Bees and Milton Keynes Kings - he iced in over 40 Kings’ games and was voted the Most Sportsmanlike Player - Mike hung up his skates at the end of the 1995-96 season to concentrate on coaching.
Internationally, Mike has become a highly respected coach. His interest in the women’s game - encouraged by Laura, a long-time GB women’s forward - began when he was at Chelmsford. He persuaded the rink to host the first women’s international staged in this country when GB played the Netherlands in March 1989.
With our junior men’s teams, he has been on the bench at four World Championships, twice as head coach of the under-18s ( Britain topped their group in 2004), and twice with the under-20s, culminating with this season’s unprecedented success in Italy .
Life has now turned full circle for Urquhart as he has returned to his first club at Nottingham. His junior organisation was recognised in 2005 with an award by the English Ice Hockey Association as the best run junior set-up in the region.
Compiled with research, provided by Ivor Hobson April 2007.
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