EKBERG, John

BORN 14 OCTOBER 1960, the son of Judith and Vic Ekberg, an ice hockey Olympian who played for the Tigers and the Pirates. A Victorian defenseman like his father, Ekberg first played competitive senior hockey with the Rangers club in 1978, where he remained for four seasons (88 games). He won the 1979 and 81 state premierships, served on the committee when Ron Sullivan was president, and was an alternate captain representing Victoria in the Brown Trophy from 1978 in Queensland or earlier. He partnered David Kille in Adelaide, and Wayne Collier in 1981 at Narrabeen. Collier recalled they were considered unbeatable with Douglas Stevenson, Glenn Lynch and goalie Scott Moreland also making the All Stars.

Ekberg was a Grand Finalist with the Rangers in the inaugural National Ice Hockey League in 1980, and he played in that season’s Victorian Allstars at the grand opening of the Phillip ice rink in Canberra. The Allstars, coached by Elgin Luke, had eight Rangers, including Ron Sullivan and Sandy Gardner, who had played two World Championships, and David Fehily, who had played one. Ekberg scored well with the Rangers in the last NIHL season in 1981.

The blueliner moved to the Monarchs in 1982 on the eve of the merger with the Saints. His father was state president and rink manager of the St Moritz Ice Palais, which closed that year. Ekberg remained with the Saints-Monarchs for more than 100 games over seven seasons. He had joined the middle section of a club dynasty, 1983 to 96 — eleven Kleiner Trophies from thirteen seasons, every one a state record.

Ekberg went into business with his father and Scott Davidson, who moved here from Winnipeg to develop a junior hockey program for Australia and joined the Saints. Davidson was about John’s age, and the trio founded a sportswear and fashion outlet producing team wear for all non-traditional Australian sports. John was also a designer, according to Liz Rintel, and painted the team logo on the side of the team bus at the 1987 D-Pool World Championships.

In a 2020 eulogy for Vic, Davidson said he was proud to have been welcomed into the Ekberg family, sharing Christmases, weddings, children, renovations and funerals for over 35 years.

John Ekberg represented his country in 1979 at the IIHF Group C World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, and in 1987 at the inaugural D-Pool World Championships in Perth, Australia, where the nation went undefeated to win its first International ice hockey medal.

The defenseman competed for the Goodall Cup until his last season in 1989, coached by Scott Davidson, but did not win the coveted trophy. He retired from competition that year, having won five more state premierships, a total of 7 from 12 seasons. He was 29 and the Saints-Monarchs are the most successful senior men’s club in Victoria.

From 1997, Ekberg played for Russell Athletics and the Marauders with his father, the OiHAN club Davidson founded with Paul Doney, Richard Mottram, and others.