Greg McDonald Memorial

October 12, 2023

Yesterday was a sad day for the Princeton Junior Tigers Organization with the passing of Coach McDonald.

Greg McDonald was big member of our community and honestly represented everything that is good about youth hockey- he was nice, he was positive, he tried to really teach the kids, he made sure they had fun, he thoroughly enjoyed being around the rink, the players and the families. I know not everyone in our club had the opportunity to interact with Greg, but those that did were privy to a pretty unique guy. He was genuinely happy to coach hockey, and he was happy to be out there with his son. Several parents have reached out expressing gratitude for the relationship Greg built with their own kids in recent years, and I know there are plenty of others out there as well. He was just a great guy, and he will be missed.

This weekend we would like to try and pull off a couple things across our organization, and we would appreciate everyone's help to make them happen-

Greg worked for the Eagles, that was a big part of his life. Love them or hate them, if you can get access to a roll of green hockey tape this weekend let's get that on your stick in support.

We have helmet stickers ready to pass along today or tomorrow through coaches, managers, siblings etc. Please affix your GM sticker to the back right corner of your helmet when you get it, so we have some unity across the board there.

There is a gofundme page that was previously setup by Greg's brother Chris. If you would like to contribute to the family, the link is below.

As Bob Casey passed along this week, a Greg saying was to "be where your feet are". Let's make sure we have a special weekend of hockey and appreciate being out there watching our own kids play in honor of a great coach, husband and father.

Sincerely - Ian, Andrew and the Princeton Junior Tigers Hockey Board

Greg was born in Philadelphia, PA. He grew up in the Northeast Philly area where he began impacting every single life he touched. From a young age, it was clear that Greg was a hard-wired leader. His mother passed when he was 10 years old and he instantly became a guiding light to his family, a light so bright that even his shadow shined.

Hockey was a huge part of Greg’s life. He was a talented, skillful player for both the Father Judge Crusaders and the Saint Joseph’s Hawks. Following college, Greg played for various men’s leagues and began coaching children. This is when the magic happened. He soon became a USA Hockey Level 5 Certified coach – leading and impacting children within the Grundy Senators, Princeton Youth and Council Rock Ice Hockey organizations. He was a voracious reader of coaching and leadership books and frankly could’ve written his own. His hockey IQ and love of the game were remarkable.

Many of the children in our organization were lucky enough to have Greg as their coach. The goal of this special event is to celebrate who Greg embodied and what he loved. The annual tournament will focus on having kids play the game that Greg loved and offer an opportunity to gift to the McDonald Family through Greg’s GoFundMe page.