Cobourg Junior Hockey

Liz Basinger

A lifelong “Cobourger”, Liz Basinger has not only long been a fixture on the local Cobourg sporting scene, but she has also been a driving force whose countless volunteer efforts have fundamentally enriched the sporting life of our community. Liz began volunteering her time and skills with the Cobourg Community Hockey League (CCHL) in the 1970’s. This included coaching, most notably in 1977-78 when she coached the Cobourg Wholesaler Bantams, a team which featured fellow CDSHF inductee Steve Smith. In 1984, Liz made the jump from minor hockey to the Cobourg Junior C Cougars as a member of the community-based Board of Directors. A constant presence at the arena, often “running the gate” on game nights, Liz was a vital part of the Cougars transition to the Tier II Junior A ranks in 1992 and stayed on as the team transferred to being a privately owned entity. Based on her years of experience and involvement with all off-ice aspects of running the team, Liz was appointed head of "Game Day Operations". In addition to her work with the Cougars, Liz became the head statistician for the OHA's Central Jr. C. League in 1988; and the Pointstreak administrator inputting all roster details for the OHA's Central Jr. C. As league convener she traveled and facilitated league meetings, prepared league minutes, authored various reports and press releases; trained Pointstreak operators and maintained the League's web page amongst other duties. At the 2003 Cobourg Civic Awards ceremony, Liz was the recipient of a Distinguished Civic Award for Sports. In 2011, Liz was made a Cobourg Cougars Life Member. In 2015, Liz was awarded the Crystal Puck by the Ontario Hockey Association. This prestigious award recognizes an individual's outstanding achievements or contributions to the OHA. At the 2018 Cobourg Civic Awards ceremony, Liz was recipient of the Sportsmanship Award (currently called the “Leadership in Sport” Award) recognizing her outstanding leadership in contribution to Cobourg's sports and recreational community. Liz’s breadth of knowledge gained over the years from volunteering have made her a valued consultant and adviser to countless local sporting initiatives, most notably, the Dudley Hewitt Cup in 1996, the World Junior A Challenge in 2015 and the RBC Cup in 2017. That same year, Liz was announced as one of the inaugural Board of Directors of the Cobourg & District Sports Hall of Fame.