Percy Nicklin

Percy Nicklin holds a unique place in British ice hockey history as the only man to coach them to an Olympic title.

Having successfully coached Moncton Hawks to Canada’s Allen Cup in 1933 and 1934, Nicklin moved across the Atlantic to England and became head coach of the Richmond Hawks in 1935. He guided them to second place in the English National League in his first season. The following year, Nicklin moved to the Harringay Arena and was head coach of their two teams, the Racers and Greyhounds. He led the Greyhounds to the English title in 1939 and 1940, and the Racers to the title in 1938 and 1949. He then led the Racers to win the inaugural British National League title in 1955. Sadly Harringay Arena closed in 1958 and, after 22 years, Nicklin’s association with Harringay having been head coach, rink manager and general manager also came to an end.

Despite his many successes in English club hockey, Nicklin’s finest hour came at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Winter Olympics in 1936 when, as coach of the Great Britain team, he assembled a squad mostly of players with British birth-right who had learned their hockey skills in Canada. Nicklin and his players brought off probably the biggest shock in Olympic ice hockey history when they won the gold medal. Britain also won the European Championships that year and, as the Olympic tournament doubled as the World Championships, they effectively won the Triple Crown. Nicklin guided them to the European title again in 1937 and 1938, when they also won the silver medal at the Worlds in those two years.

Nicklin’s son Jeff played football for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL (Canadian Football League) but was sadly killed in action in 1945 as a member of the First Canadian Parachute Battalion. Percy Nicklin was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.