John Loyst

John Loyst brought his “big presence” to North Bay following an outstanding sporting career in Timmins where he not only played, but excelled at every sport he participated in. Hockey was his first love and he brought his talent as a goaltender to North Bay where he was backstop for many teams in the sportsman league from 1980 – 2003. John has coached hockey for over 50 years impacting the lives of literally hundreds of young people with his simple philosophy of combining skill development, inclusion and fun. John has been recognized for his contribution to the sport of hockey: 1985 – Bill Evans Memorial Award for Outstanding Dedication to the sport of hockey 1986 – West Ferris Minor Hockey Order of the Helping Hand – recognizing his contribution to bringing out the best in children through hockey 1989 – Northern Ontario Regional Sports Committee Ontario Coach Recognition Award – outstanding contribution to sport in Northeastern Ontario 2022-2003 – John Dandeneault Award recognizing contribution to fair play and sportsmanship 2003 – West Ferris Minor Hockey Life Membership. From humble beginnings, ball hockey has been a summer activity in North Bay for over 30 years. With John’s leadership, youth, women and men’s league have grown and developed at a constant pace. Loyst’s hands on approach was very evident in his role as Manager of the West Ferris arena which led to eventually overseeing the operation of all three arena facilities. Commitment and passion are the words to best describe John Loyst’s career as a coach, pioneer in the development of ball hockey and as an administrator. For John, it was all about providing opportunities to make life just a little bit better for people of all ages.