Huntsville, Madison, RSS Facebook, RSS General, RSS Twitter, Sports
 By  admin Published 
9:03 pm Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Hockey player finds right fit in Alabama

Canadian hockey player Bill McCreary never imagined he would end up playing hockey in the South, much less Alabama.

“Alabama isn’t world renowned for their hockey, so I was a little nervous coming down here,” McCreary said. “But the first turnout was 5,500 people at the VBC,” McCreary said. “It was a great atmosphere, great fans and great people. You can’t ask for anything more.”

McCreary has played five seasons with the Huntsville Havoc, but has been playing hockey since he was two. Originally from Southampton, Ont. McCreary served as a defensive player and a player assistant coach this past year.

McCreary said he started in a junior league when his father was playing minor pro hockey in Madison, Wis.

McCreary earned a scholarship to Providence College and spent three years there.

“I guess I came out with skates on,” McCreary said. “Everyone in my family played, so I knew I was going to play and do something with hockey for the rest of my life.”

McCreary currently has 21 goals and 109 assists in the regular season with the Havoc. He also has 556 penalty minutes during the regular season.

The Huntsville Havoc won the President’s Cup of the Southern Professional Hockey League in the ‘09/’10 season. McCreary said this was one of his favorite moments of his career and memories of being in Alabama.

“I had been here for almost three and a half years,” McCreary said. “It had been a struggling team, but had a good group, good coaches and a good owner. We could just never get over the top and win the hardware. We put a lot of hard work into the year and it was very rewarding.”

McCreary said that it was not only the fans that kept him here, but also the team ownership.

“The Jeffries family is a great family,” McCreary said. “You couldn’t ask to play for better ownership. They really care about all of the players from top to bottom. They’re a very welcoming family and they’ll do anything to help you out.”

McCreary plans to play hockey as long as he can. He said he wants to coach hockey in the future.

“We’ll see where this whole path leads me,” McCreary said. “We’ll see where it takes me from here.”

Also on The Madison Record
City of Madison Update planned for Sept. 10 at VBC
A: Main, Events, Madison County Record, ...
Gregg Parker 
August 27, 2025
MADISON – Mayor Paul Finley will present “City of Madison Update” as a forum to announce current affairs and future projects for the community. The Ch...
MCS scores big in 2025 school rankings
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
Staff Reports 
August 27, 2025
MADISON - Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools once again scored big in the annual U.S. News and World Report “Best High Schools in America” ranki...
City approves hotel market study for historic downtown
Business, Madison County Record, News, ...
Maria Rakoczy 
August 27, 2025
MADISON - The Madison City Council approved a hotel market feasibility study for the downtown area last week. Core Distribution Group, LLC will be con...
Kids to Love celebrates opening of Smith Family Wellness Center
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
Staff Reports 
August 27, 2025
MADISON - Amazing. That’s the word that best captures the night Kids to Love officially opened the doors of its most ambitious initiative yet—the Smit...
ShowerUp Huntsville brings showers and laundry services to those in need
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
By KADIE TAYLOR news@themadisonrecord.com 
August 27, 2025
MADISON - ShowerUp Huntsville provides free showers and laundry services to those in need in Madison, Huntsville and North Alabama. “We don’t require ...
Madison Witches Ride to return on Oct. 19, registration starts next week
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
August 27, 2025
MADISON – Sharpen those broom bristles. Dust off your pointed, black hat. Rehearse your spinetingling cackle. The time is near for the 2025 Madison Wi...
Library schedules films for ‘Mad Movie-A-Thon-O-Rama!’
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
August 27, 2025
MADISON – “Mad Movie- A-Thon-O-Rama!” returns to Madison Public Library with entertaining films – from campy to classic – for the remainder of 2025. T...
West Coast Swing Dance is on the menu every Tuesday at The Electric Belle
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
By KADIE TAYLOR news@themadisonrecord.com 
August 27, 2025
HUNTSVILLE - Everyone starts somewhere, if you have never danced, learn to swing at the Electric Belle. Located at the end of Gas Light Alley at Stove...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *