Ice hockey left winger Paul Conlin spent 1960 through 1962 with the junior Toronto St. Michaels Majors, a tenure that included a victory at the championships for the Memorial Cup, given annually to the Canadian junior men’s ice hockey champions, in 1961. He spent his last season as a junior with the Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons in 1962-1963 prior to joining the newly-founded Canadian National Team in 1963. He skated with them at the 1964 Winter Olympics as a forward, playing in eight games and scoring one goal in the qualifying round, but ended up fourth in tournament after losing a record tie-breaker. The World Championship rules, however, were different, and Canada earned World Championship bronze that year, despite not winning it at the Olympics. His next stop was the 1965 World Championships, where he played in another seven international games without earning a medal. Team Canada’s luck began to improve, however, and they took home bronze medals in the next two editions of the World Championships, as well as the 1968 Winter Olympics. At the latter tournament Conlin skated as a defenseman in seven games, but scored no goals.
Conlin had achieved his bachelor’s degree from the University of Manitoba in 1967 and decided to retire from active competition after the Olympics to focus on earning his law degree, which he did from the University of Ottawa in 1971. He did, however, play one season with the school’s hockey team from 1969 through 1970. He was a partner at Conlin & Chinkiwsky Barristers & Solicitors from 1973 through 1976, prior to becoming senior partner in 1976 in the Conlin & McAlpin firm. From 1973 through 1985 he was on retainer at the Canadian National Sport and Recreation Centre and has acted a counsel for the Canadian Curling Association in 1993 and 2002.
Canada