It’s Official: Brian Broley Way Comes to St. Catharines
The man many called “Mr. Ball Hockey” now has his own street.
The City of St. Catharines has officially designated a section of Pleasant Avenue, between Thomas Street and Haig Street, as Brian Broley Way. The new blue honorary signs are now up along the stretch beside Haig Bowl Arena and Alex McKenzie Park. Anyone heading to the rink will pass a permanent reminder of the man who did so much to build ball hockey in this community.
Brian launched the Barrie Ball Hockey Club in 1994 with a single rink and a big idea. Over the following three decades he grew it into what ballhockey.com is today. He was a true titan of the sport, and his goal was to push ball hockey forward all the way to the Olympic level. For Brian, the wins and the growth were never the main point. The relationships the game built mattered most to him.
His impact went well beyond the floor. Brian was a major supporter of community causes, including Hockey Night in Barrie for the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and Hockey Night in St. Catharines for the United Way. Through his foundation, Growing Up Through Sports, he introduced thousands of kids to ball hockey. Many of them are still playing today.
Brian passed away suddenly in November 2021. Five years later (five years and one day to the date), his name now stands permanently in the neighbourhood where so many players, families and friends gathered because of him.
