Men's Hockey | 2/19/2026 2:00:00 PM

York University Athletics & Recreation is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Yeomen men's hockey coach and 1984 York Sport Hall of Fame inductee Bill Purcell.

"I join our men's hockey program in extending my deepest sympathies to Bill's family, friends and many former players," said York Executive Director Steven Chuang. "York men's hockey was made possible because of Bill, and his impact on the history of the program is profound.

"Even a half-century after his tenure as head coach, his legacy lives on within the current team and the department as a whole."

Purcell, 91, was born in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on August 25, 1934, and coached at several levels throughout an illustrious career. He was the first intercollegiate head coach of the York Yeomen men's hockey team from 1965-72. He won the program's first OIAA (now OUA) gold medal in 1969-70, guiding the program to the CIAU (now U SPORTS) bronze medal. That gold began a stretch of three straight appearances in the OIAA championship, with the other two resulting in silver medals.

Over his seven years as Yeomen bench boss, Purcell led the program to a 57-23-3 regular season record and an overall record of 63-26-3. In addition to being inducted into the York Sport Hall of Fame individually in 1984, he was inducted a second time as part of the 1969-70 OIAA gold medal-winning team, which was enshrined in 2018.

"Bill provided mentorship to many young coaches in the GTA, including myself," said current York men's hockey head coach Russ Herrington. "He was a great example to emulate as he was the consummate professional, a passionate competitor and a true sportsman. Bill had great respect for the game, for his players and for those they would compete against.

"He had an enormous impact on hockey in the Toronto area, and of course specifically at York University."

Since 2018, the Lions men's hockey program has given out the Bill Purcell Community Service Award in honour of the program's inaugural intercollegiate coach. The award is presented annually to the men's hockey player who, in the opinion of his teammates, showed the greatest level of involvement in the York community. A complete list of award winners can be found here.

Away from the rink, Purcell, who played at the semi-pro level with the Toronto All-Stars during the 1966-67 season, was also a full-time firefighter. He worked out of the Toronto Fire Department's Dundas and Parliament Hall station, spending two decades on the job including all seven while also coaching the Yeomen.

Purcell's long-time and wide-ranging contributions to the game of hockey, not only as a coach of the fundamentals of the game but as a teacher of model citizenship, were further recognized by his home province when he was inducted into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.