Editor’s note: All images below courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
Written by: Michael Gourlie, Government Records Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta
From his start playing hockey on the northside rinks of Edmonton to winning a gold medal the 1980 Winter Olympics, John Utendale had a remarkable career as an athlete and coach, but his achievements during his career as educator were no less distinguished.
Born in Edmonton in 1937, Utendale played rugby, baseball and hockey while attending Victoria Composite High School. He continued to play softball at the provincial level while also playing hockey for the Edmonton Oil Kings. It was his skill as a hockey player that landed him a contract in 1957 with the Detroit Red Wings organization as a member of the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League. Utendale would become the first Black hockey player to sign a contract with an NHL team.
He later played for the Quebec Aces, joining Willie O’Ree, who broke the National Hockey League’s colour barrier, and Stan Maxwell for an all-Black line. He also played for the Windsor Bulldogs and for teams in Sudbury and Windsor.
Utendale returned to Edmonton and played hockey for the Edmonton Monarchs, but he gradually shifted his focus from hockey to academics. He attended the University of British Columbia from 1959 to 1960 to obtain a teaching certificate and then earned a degree in physical education from the University of Alberta in 1963. He joined the staff of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1965 as its first Director of Physical Education. After competing his Master’s Degree in Education from Eastern Washington College, he joined the staff of Washington State University in 1969 as the Assistant Dean of Students.
Moving to Washington State was the beginning of a distinguished academic career. He earned a PhD in Education from Western Washington College (now University), served as the president of the State Higher Education Personnel Board, and became the first Black faculty member of the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University.
But he never truly left the hockey rink. According to his obituary in the Edmonton Journal, he helped form the Bellingham Minor League Hockey Association, coached the hockey team of Western Washington University, and served as an assistant training coach to the U.S. hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He also coached Little League baseball, a nod to his early years on the playgrounds of Edmonton.
He retired from Western Washington University in 2001 and died in Bellingham, Washington in 2006, survived by his wife Maryan and sons Richard and Robert.
RETROactive 