Father
David Bauer was an hockey player, builder, and hockey pioneer who later
was ordained in 1953 as a Catholic priest in the Congregation of St.
Basil.
Believed the virtues of hockey and education could better equip young
people for success in life. Pioneered the concept of a National Team of
top amateurs from across Canada in hockey originally based at UBC.
Father Bauer, Chaplin at St. Marks College at UBC from 1961 until 1988,
was described by the Canadian press as, "The kindly Roman Catholic
priest who brought a reluctant Canadian hockey fraternity into the
modern age of international play with his concept of a national
team" was the pioneer of the notion that education and hockey could
go hand in hand, a philosophy that has endured in the institutions and
the young men he influenced. Bauer felt "if you can improve the boy
as a person through virtues of hockey – courage, judgement, prudence,
fortitude, teamwork and fair play he will improve as a hockey player.
Father Bauer twice won the championship title of Canadian Junior ice
hockey: as a player in 1944 with Oshawa and 1961 as a coach and teacher
with St. Mike’s College developing many players who went on to the
Toronto Maple Leafs including Frank Mahovlich and Dave Keon. In 1961 he
began building a National Team and represented his country with this
team made up of amateurs and former junior stars at the Olympic Winter
Games 1964 in Innsbruck, finishing fourth.
He guided Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in 1964 (bronze
medal), 1966 (bronze medal) and 1967 (bronze medal) and at the Olympic
Winter Games in 1968 in Grenoble as manager when Jackie McLeod coached
the team (bronze medal). Between 1969 and 1979, Canada withdrew from
International Hockey damaged the program for much of the 1970’s
returning to the Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980, Bauer worked as the
squad’s managing director.
In the years just before his passing in 1988, Father Bauer was
accorded a multitude of honours reflecting his importance to the game.
These include Order of Canada in (1967) Sports Hall of Fame in (1967),
Waterloo County Hall of Fame in (1972).
Father Bauer was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in )1989) and
the Olympic Hall of Fame in (1992).
