The Essence of Paddy Adair

Courageous ~ Persistent ~ Overcoming

~ Devoted ~ Thankful ~ Athlete

My good friend and hockey historian, Paul Patskou, has been introducing me to several people from the group that meets at the ‘Monthly Hockey Alumni Luncheon’. One such person is hockey phenom Patrick (Paddy) Adair. I didn’t know Paddy at first, but now I have the great honour of considering him a friend and a true fountain of hockey history. It always amazes me to hear people like him and Paul describe something significant in hockey history or mention a player who is one of the forgotten legends. While the top credit above is Naguib Kerba, this article is co-written by Paul Patskou; without his assistance, I would not have even met Paddy.

I visited Paddy‘s home and he immediately took me to his hockey ‘man cave’. It occupied the entire basement and was full of hockey memories. Pictures of Paddy’s former teams and linemates adorned the walls. Shelves were packed with momentos, photos, and pucks. Several hockey sweaters and even a pair of skates were displayed in a closet. After a couple of hours, we went to lunch, where I heard more stories as the two gents regaled me with more of their hockey memories.

Their passion for the sport is what drew me in. Their ability to remember who played with whom and what year is truly a joy to hear. I, on the other hand, don’t remember what I had for supper last night.

PADDY’S STORY

Paddy in 2025 is an 85-year-old hockey player who hung up his skates from playing at age 83. Paul and I recently visited Paddy at his home and went down to his memorabilia room where he has an incredible collection of photos of his hockey teams, his linemates and sweaters. One memorable image was Paddy centering his wingmen Hall of Famers Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull.

Paddy was an extremely talented hockey player who was a natural goal scorer at every level he played. One of the pictures on display is a celebration of Paddy’s one hundredth goal in one season. It was in the Netherlands on a team called Hijs Hokij Den Haag in the Central European Hockey League.

We will double back to the hockey story, but a bigger and more important story to tell is his battle with depression. We never know what the person we are talking with is dealing with, what burden is dragging them down and what baggage they are carrying. Significant issues with depression have accompanied Paddy Adair’s journey for well over fifty years of his hockey career. These issues are now in the past due to proper diagnoses and medication. That wasn’t always the case.

At this stage in his life, having retired his skates at age 83, Paddy is on a mission to assist others to recognize and acknowledge when they have a problem. Reaching out for assistance is not admitting defeat; it is acknowledging that something is indeed out of whack. If the person had a broken leg or any other visible injury, there might be more pity. Mental illness still has a stigma; one of Paddy’s closest friends, after almost fifty years of friendship, finally admitted to having an issue with depression.

Now, at the young age of 85, Paddy is talking about the disorder more freely. Paddy claims that his acknowledgement of his illness and now speaking openly about it has been very therapeutic.

Then and now, what an amazing journey between those two images!

HOCKEY

At age 16, Paddy, a young prospect signed with the Jr. A St. Catharine’s Teepees. But the team was stacked and because of his youth he received little ice time. Or quite possibly, the young Paddy was not playing up to his standard because of his condition. In any event, he moved back and forth for the next three years (1956 to 1959) between St Catherine’s Teepees, Waterloo Siskins and St. Michael’s Majors.

Whether it was the pressure cooker atmosphere, young age or his disorder it all played a significant part of his story. Father David Bauer, a Canadian hockey icon, recognized the 16 year old paddy’s dilemma and advised him to go Waterloo because he couldn’t relegate him to junior B due to the rules involving draft picks. Paddy had been a Maple Leaf prospect.

He eventually stuck with the Waterloo where he came out of his shell and scored 46 goals and had 69 assists for 115 points in 30 games.

While on the St. Catherine’s Teepees, his linemates for a brief time were Hall of Famers, Stan Mikita and Booby Hull. Paddy told us a funny story about Bobby Hull who was famous for his muscular stature and would always wear shirts that were very tight to show off those muscles to impress the young ladies. Paddy and some of the other guys stayed close to him to be noticed by the other girls not chosen by Bobby.

Ultimately, Paddy needed to get away; the pressure and depression were taxing him. He left Canada to play in the Netherlands on a team called Hijs Hokj Den Haag in the Central European Hockey League. The pressure was different. Paddy was the only Canadian in his first year, younger by anywhere from 5 to 29 years than the other players on his team. He was a prolific goal scorer. At nineteen, he started scoring an average of two goals a game, then at 24, three goals a game, he eventually had that 100-goal season mentioned previously.

He then had stints in Italy, returning to Canada to play for the Senior ‘A’ Galt Hornets. Paddy loved the game so much that he skated with the old-timers into his late seventies and early 80’s.

FAMILY

Paddy’s story isn’t just about hockey. During the visit to Paddy’s home, I had the pleasure of meeting his wife, Hilkka. According to Paddy, the true love of his life. They met at a birthday party at the Thousand Islands, and the next day he took her for a canoe ride. The rest is history. They were married in 1967, their hockey moon in Paris had the best of everything provided for them. Hilkka and Paddy have two children –Tom was born in Austria and married Lara, and Allison was born at St Michael’s in Toronto. She married Craig, who is another Maple Leaf fan. The Adairs have four grandchildren–Jake, Nicholas, Teagan and Devon.

He showed off two beer steins and a hint of his sense of humour– he showed me one beautiful beer stein from Queen’s and the other from Western. Paddy said they bought the mugs, and the universities threw in a diploma!

Paddy worked at the Co-operators for 30 years, where he made several friends. What impressed him and me the most was the camaraderie in the hockey world, where friendships that develop on teams, in the “fourth period,” are deeper, more meaningful, and last longer, even for decades.

I knew that teammates had a special connection, but what has impressed me in the year and a half at the hockey luncheons was just how long and enduring those friendships are. The other observation is just how much players are – “dare I say”, even worshiped!