Thomas "Red" Imrie (15 July 1937 – 24 August 2020) was a British

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defender who played in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

during the 1950s and 1960s. He also played for the Great Britain national team between 1961 and 1966. He was inducted into the

British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame The British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame was founded in 1948 and is the third oldest ice hockey Hall of Fame in the world, behind the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame (also founded in 1948) and the International Hockey Hall of Fame (founded in 19 ...

in 1987.

Career

Born in

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

, (

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

), Imrie began playing senior ice hockey for the Falkirk Lions in the Scottish National League as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

before he settled on

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

during the first season of the British National League in 1954–55. The following season, the Lions opted to play amateur ice hockey so Imrie joined the Edinburgh Royals for the 1955–56 season. He helped them to win the Northern British League in the 1957–58 season. For the 1959–60 season, Imrie joined the

Paisley Pirates The Paisley Pirates were founded in 1946 and are one of the oldest ice hockey clubs in Scotland and the UK (the oldest being the Fife Flyers). The Pirates were the epitome of the game in Scotland during the 1950s. In season 1953–54 they won t ...

. However, he was posted to southern

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during his

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

and therefore finished the season with

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, helping them to win both the

Autumn Cup The Autumn Cup was an ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom between 1946 and 2000. The competition was originally divided into English and Scottish competitions, known as the English Autumn Cup and the Scottish Autumn Cup between 1946 and 19 ...

and the league title. After Streatham also opted out of ice hockey, Imrie went on to play for the

Brighton Tigers The Brighton Tigers were an English ice hockey club based in Brighton. The team existed from 1935 until 1965 and were one of the United Kingdom's most successful sides during that period. The club was based at the Brighton Sports Stadium (ofte ...

, initially as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and then as

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. With the Tigers, Imrie was named to the

all-star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

teams a total of six times, both as a player and coach. Imrie then joined the

Wembley Lions The Wembley Lions were an English ice hockey team. History The team were founded in 1934 but showed a continuity with the London Lions team which had played at various venues since 1924. The Wembley team were based at the newly built Empire ...

after the Tigers' rink closed in 1965. Imrie retired from playing when the Wembley Lions folded in 1969. When Streatham reformed in 1974 as the Redskins, Imrie became the team

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

and guided them to many playoff finals, including his last season behind the bench in 1985. After his retirement, Imrie continued to work with the Streatham second team, the Bruins, and he became a

colour commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television. Imrie played for the Great Britain national team on three occasions: 1961, 1962 and 1966. At the 1966 tournament in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, he was named the World Championships Pool B Best Defenceman. He has two daughters, one of whom is called Elizabeth Imrie. He died on 24 August 2020 at the age of 83.

Awards and honours

All-star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

A Team Defenceman in 1961–62, 1962–63 and 1964–65. *All-star B Team Defenceman in 1963–64. *All-star B Team Coach in 1963–64 and 1964–65. *Named World Championships Pool B Best Defenceman in 1966. *Inducted to the

in 1987.

Footnotes

References

A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice HockeyIce Hockey Journalists UK

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imrie, Thomas 1937 births 2020 deaths Brighton Tigers players British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Murrayfield Racers players Sportspeople from Falkirk Scottish ice hockey defencemen Wembley Lions players