Warren Grant Munro (August 7, 1936 – December 30, 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

who was an All-American for

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and helped the team win consecutive

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

in the early-1960s.

Career

Munro grew up in Regina and played for his home town junior team, the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * R ...

. He helped the club win consecutive

Abbott Cup The Abbott Memorial Cup, commonly referred to as the Abbott Cup, was awarded annually from 1919 through 1999 to the Junior "A" ice hockey Champion for Western Canada. The Cup was named after Captain E.L. (Hick) Abbott who was a noted hockey pl ...

s in 1955 and 1956. In 1957, he followed his former junior coach

Murray Armstrong Murray Alexander Armstrong (January 1, 1916 – December 8, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ice hockey Head Coach. Playing career Armstrong played junior hockey with the Re ...

to the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

and began playing for the Pioneers. He joined the varsity squad in 1958. Munro helped the team win championships in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

and

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

and was an All-American in his senior season. In the 1961 championship, he recorded four points in Denver's 12–2 win, setting a record for defensemen in a title match. Munro earned a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Career

After graduating from college, Munro briefly played professional hockey for the

Omaha Knights The Omaha Knights was the name of three minor league professional ice hockey teams from 1959 to 1965 and from 1966 to 1975, based in Omaha, Nebraska, at the Ak-Sar-Ben (arena), Ak-Sar-Ben Arena. The Knights were founded in 1959 as members of the ...

Toledo Mercurys The Toledo Mercurys is a discontinued International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League franchise from Toledo, Ohio. The Toledo Franchise was the first IHL franchise to be granted outside of the Windsor-Detroit area, for the c ...

in the International Hockey League, but retired after the 1962 season. Munro worked as a hockey coach at

North Yarmouth Academy North Yarmouth Academy (also known as "NYA") is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day school serving students from early childhood education to postgraduate. NYA was founded in 1814, in what was then North Yarmouth, Maine, prior to the 184 ...

in the 1980s and founded co-founded the Casco Bay Hockey Association. He was also a linesman for the

Maine Mariners Maine Mariners may refer to: * Maine Mariners (AHL), an ice hockey team in Portland, Maine, which operated from 1977 to 1992 * Maine Mariners (ECHL) The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018 ...

Personal life

Munro and his wife, Ileen, moved to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

in 1967 and remained there until his death due to complications from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in 2019.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Grant 1936 births 2019 deaths AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Canadian ice hockey defencemen Deaths from Parkinson's disease Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions Neurological disease deaths in Maine Omaha Knights (IHL) players Regina Pats players Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan Toledo Mercurys players Sportspeople from Brunswick, Maine Ice hockey people from Maine University of Denver alumni