Legendary Guelph referee Bill Devorski leaves huge legacy
By Paul Osborne, Guelph Tribune
Every city has certain families that become well known and respected, and the Devorski clan is one of those families in Guelph. Bill and Bernadette Devorski had a boisterous household filled with eight children – four boys and four girls. It was a house filled with love, rules that were to be followed, and grace before every meal. Bill passed away last week after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 85.
On the exterior Bill could appear a little gruff, but inside he had a huge heart and nothing gave him more pleasure than helping others. His passion was sports, and while he played many it wasn’t until he stopped playing that he really forged his legacy. He was an official. He wasn’t afraid to be in charge — in fact he loved it. Tough but fair, he was one of the officials coaches loved seeing step onto the soccer field or hockey rink, because they knew the referee wouldn’t be a problem that night.
He was one of the founding members of the Guelph Hockey Referees Association and rose to become an outstanding official. He refereed for 35 years in the Ontario Hockey Association, but more importantly, he left his mark on the game by mentoring others. Guelph became known as a breeding ground for NHL officials, and Devorski touched the lives of every one of them at some point along the way.
Two of his sons would follow in his footsteps. Paul was a referee in the NHL and handled almost 1,600 regular season games and 200 playoff games, as well as working two Olympic Games. Greg is still patrolling the lines in the NHL, getting very close to his 1,500th game. It is those two boys that brought a little hockey fame to the family, but Bill who was behind it all.
Bill and Bernadette suffered the heartache of losing a child when son Mark died nearly 25 years ago, but their other children brought them joy and happiness and dulled some of that pain.
My first introduction to the Devorski clan was back in 1983 when I worked with daughter Mary at my first job in radio. We were just two kids trying to figure out our way in life working in small town radio in Simcoe, Ont., and having a blast along the way. Little did I know I would get to know her father well working with him on the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame committee.
Earlier I had the honour of reading his accomplishments as he was inducted into the Guelph Hall in 1994.
As I age I begin to appreciate the huge legacy that some people leave behind as they depart this earth. Bill Devorski is one of those men that gave more than he received. I will miss him at Storm games and at Hall of Fame dinners. His family will ache quietly at family dinners, but I know they will also count their blessings and be proud of what their father accomplished. He was a good man.
From the Land of Oz….Congratulations to Guelph’s Scott Driscoll, who officiated his 1,500th NHL game Nov. 14. He has been a linesman since 1993. His wife Colleen is the Guelph Storm’s academic adviser at Lourdes high school…Former Stormers Garrett Sparks (Toronto) and Andrey Pedan (Vancouver) made their NHL debuts recently…The Storm lost both games of their eastern swing, 3-1 to Kingston and 4-1 to Ottawa over the weekend.
The Storm remain dead last in the OHL with a 2-21-1-0 record…The Storm acquired overage forward Jacob Harris from Sudbury last week for an eighth-round draft pick.
