VERNON — At Vernon’s Kal Tire Place, everybody knows his name.
Jack Gilroy has been watching Vernon junior hockey from the sidelines for more than 40 years.
“I’ve been coming so long I don’t need to bring my pass I know all the staff its pretty good for me,” says Gilroy.
“Jack is at every game, always with a kind word to say. He’s a great guy to have around,” says Vernon Vipers owner, Duncan Wray.
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Gilroy without a question is a diehard fan, but his story doesn’t end there.
His roots run deep with the organization as he once donned a Vernon junior hockey jersey.
Gilroy was a goalie in the late 60’s for the then Vernon Esso’s. He left the valley for a few years to pursue his hockey dreams, but he left his heart in Vernon.
“Wendy and I had been going together since she was 17 years old, we have three kids and Vernon is home,” says Gilroy.
“I married the owners daughter so I’m not a dumb goalie,” he chuckles.
Gilroy says many alumni from the organization have also settled in Vernon and many, just like him, still support the local team.
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