Good guy Bobby Jones
If they say that only the good die young, well, in this case that is certainly true. Hailing from Haviland Bay, Ontario — he was proud to refer to it as his home — Bobby Jones has passed away at the young age of 54 after being diagnosed a few years back with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS.)
Five years ago, Bobby realized a dream when he was hired by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League as an assistant coach.
But it was way back when that Bobby began a life journey in the game that he had a love for that was second only to his family.
It is long association with the Ontario Hockey League that was a legacy of his. To be sure, there are not many who have an association to the OHL that can match the longevity of Bobby Jones.
Not only did Jones play in 240 OHL games from 1985 to 1990 as a dependable defenseman with the Soo Greyhounds but he coached in the league from 1995 through 2018 with six different teams and won a pair of Memorial Cup championships behind the bench of the Windsor Spitfires.
Jones has always been a favourite of mine. And not just because of the hockey and that he is a good kid from a good family but that he happened to go to the same elementary school in Sault Ste. Marie — St. Mark — that I, my two kids, and my younger sister did.
I also felt for him, when, barely into his teens, Bobby lost his dad, Sam, to an accident in 1984. And I also liked Bobby and continued to follow his career as a coach because I was fond of his mom, Marilyn, who passed away in 2020 at the good old age of 87.
What was admirable about Jones — other than his dogged determination in sticking it out as an OHL player for five years on below average Greyhound teams and then putting in a 20-plus years apprenticeship as a coach in the league — was his loyalty, dedication and selflessness.
He stayed in the OHL as a coach — mostly as an associate — for as long as he did for family reasons. And even though he coached for six different OHL teams, the moves he made were for family or financial reasons more than personal advancement.
Jones finally put himself first when he got his first pro coaching job in 2018, with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League. And he and wife Paige only made the move from the OHL because their two kids had become young adults.
In 2019, Jones realized his dream of coaching in the NHL when he joined the Ottawa Senators as an assistant coach under D.J. Smith, his former sidekick from Memorial Cup championship fame in Windsor.
Originally from the Sault Ste. Marie area beach town of Haviland Bay, Jones continued to carry a good, solid, honest reputation as someone who has forged such a lengthy hockey career from a game that can be so stressful and unforgiving.
To be sure, Jones is a hallowed member of the OHL honour roll.
As mentioned, he played five seasons, spanning 240 games, as a good, steady defenseman with the Greyhounds — including being team captain — before turning to coaching at age 25 after a few years in the minor pro system of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
Jones then went on to become a highly-regarded assistant, associate and head coach in the OHL for more than 20 years, working for the Greyhounds, Brampton Battalion, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors, Sudbury Wolves, Windsor, and then the Oshawa Generals.
I like writing about the good guys of the game who more than pay their dues to get them where they want to be. Bobby Jones is one of those good guys. And even though he is gone, his spot as a good guy will live on.
Rest In peace, Bobby. Good guy, Bobby.