Billy Brennan
Encyclopedia
William Patrick Brennan (born January 13, 1934 in Paisley
, Scotland
, United Kingdom
) is a retired ice hockey
player who played in Scotland and for the Great Britain national ice hockey team. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
for the Ayr Raiders on 21 November 1951 against the Paisley Pirates
in the Canadian
import dominated Scottish National League
. Brennan played in ten games for the Raiders in the 1951–52 season, scoring one assist
and one minor penalty
, and helping them to win the league.
The following season, Brennan followed his coach
, Keith Kewley, to Paisley. It was at Paisley that Kewley helped to convert Brennan into a winger
and to establish himself in the team. Brennan helped Paisley to win the league in 1953–54.
When professional ice hockey collapsed in Scotland in 1960, Brennan went the amateur Paisley Mohawks in 1961 as player-coach
. Brennan moulded the team into a major force of British ice hockey of the 1960s in the Northern League
. Brennan introduced off-ice fitness programmes for the team in order to allow the best use of ice time for skills and tactical development. He took the team on short Europe
an tours during the 1960s, playing against teams from the Canadian Air Force
. A number of the players from developed at Paisley during this time went on to achieve international recognition with the GB national team, such as his younger brother, Alastair Brennan, Billy Miller, Jackson McBride and Alistair McRae.
By 1971, Brennan was playing with the Glasgow Dynamos. He retired from ice hockey in 1973 when his employment took him to Birmingham
.
in Basle
and Zurich
. He went on to play for the team as a defenceman at the 1961 tournament in Switzerland
, winning a silver medal. Brennan was again selected as a defenceman for the 1962 Pool A
tournament in Colorado Springs
in the U.S.
, where he also captained the team.
Brennan became the player-coach of the GB team for the 1965 and 1966 Pool B tournaments, held in Finland
and Yugoslavia
respectively. Brennan again appeared as player, and returned as a winger, for the GB team at the 1971 Pool C tournament.
. In 1975, he moved back to Scotland to Aberdeen
to take a job as a Projects Manager with a Norwegian
engineering company. He retired in 1999 as their UK Managing Director.
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) is a retired ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played in Scotland and for the Great Britain national ice hockey team. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Club
Brennan made his senior ice hockey debut as a 17-year-old defenderDefenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
for the Ayr Raiders on 21 November 1951 against the Paisley Pirates
Paisley Pirates
The Paisley Pirates were founded in 1946 and are one of the oldest ice hockey clubs in Scotland and the UK . The Pirates were the epitome of the game in Scotland during the 1950s...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
import dominated Scottish National League
Scottish National League (1932 - 1954)
The Scottish National League was the first ice hockey league in Scotland. It was founded in 1932 by five teams from a single ice rink in Glasgow. The league gradually expanded to encompass teams from many areas of Scotland. It was suspended during the Second World War, but returned in 1946, and...
. Brennan played in ten games for the Raiders in the 1951–52 season, scoring one assist
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
and one minor penalty
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...
, and helping them to win the league.
The following season, Brennan followed his coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, Keith Kewley, to Paisley. It was at Paisley that Kewley helped to convert Brennan into a winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
and to establish himself in the team. Brennan helped Paisley to win the league in 1953–54.
When professional ice hockey collapsed in Scotland in 1960, Brennan went the amateur Paisley Mohawks in 1961 as player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
. Brennan moulded the team into a major force of British ice hockey of the 1960s in the Northern League
Northern League (ice hockey, 1967)
The Northern League was the top-flight ice hockey league in Scotland and initially northern England, from 1966. In 1982 it merged with the Inter-City League and the English League North to form the British Hockey League....
. Brennan introduced off-ice fitness programmes for the team in order to allow the best use of ice time for skills and tactical development. He took the team on short Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tours during the 1960s, playing against teams from the Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
. A number of the players from developed at Paisley during this time went on to achieve international recognition with the GB national team, such as his younger brother, Alastair Brennan, Billy Miller, Jackson McBride and Alistair McRae.
By 1971, Brennan was playing with the Glasgow Dynamos. He retired from ice hockey in 1973 when his employment took him to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
International
Brennan was first selected to play for the GB national team as a winger in 1953 when he was 19-years-old in Pool B of the Ice Hockey World ChampionshipsIce Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
in Basle
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. He went on to play for the team as a defenceman at the 1961 tournament in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, winning a silver medal. Brennan was again selected as a defenceman for the 1962 Pool A
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
tournament in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he also captained the team.
Brennan became the player-coach of the GB team for the 1965 and 1966 Pool B tournaments, held in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
respectively. Brennan again appeared as player, and returned as a winger, for the GB team at the 1971 Pool C tournament.
Retirement
Brennan retired from ice hockey in 1973 when he 39-years-old and he moved to BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. In 1975, he moved back to Scotland to Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
to take a job as a Projects Manager with a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
engineering company. He retired in 1999 as their UK Managing Director.
Awards
- Named as a player to the All-star B Team in 1962 and 1964.
- Named as a player to the All-star A Team in 1965, 1968 and 1969.
- Named as coach to the All-star A Team in 1965.
- Named as coach to the All-star B Team in 1968 and 1969.
- Inducted the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.