Neil Cotton
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At 12:59 p.m. Tuesday (May 1st, 2025) , 25 players gathered around centre ice at the Mold-Masters SportsPlex and began tapping their sticks on the ice.
It continued for a minute and then went quiet as the clock hit 1 p.m. It remained silent for the next minute as friends and former teammates raised their sticks in the air to pay tribute to Neil Cotton, the respected player, teacher and musician who died at the age of 79 Tuesday after a battle with cancer.
A Toronto native, Cotton moved to Georgetown in 1970 to play hockey for the Georgetown Intermediate Raiders and never left. After teaching for a year in Peel Region, he was hired by the Halton District School Board and spent the rest of his career at Georgetown District High School.
“You would go see him play hockey and he was one of the toughest guys on the ice,” said Jim Hall, who taught with Cotton at GDHS. “In front of the kids, he was a big teddy bear. He was an empathetic, genuine, nice person. And he was a really smart guy. He was the head of the science department for a reason. Everybody looked up to him, and not just physically.”
Their 6-foot-4 teacher may have been a teddy bear, but that didn’t mean students took advantage of his good nature. Former student Mike McMenemy said Cotton was strict, but also fair and encouraging.
“He was a mentor to us,” said McMenemy, who was also coached by Cotton in minor hockey. “He was a big man, he had a presence, but he had this calmness. You knew there was no goofing off. That was a class you paid attention. I have great respect for him.”
In the classroom, environmental studies was one of Cotton’s favourite subjects to teach and he enjoyed going on hikes with his wife Wendy.
Cotton organized toy drives at GDHS, taught power skating for the Town, coached minor hockey, was the head on-ice instructor for Halton Sports Camp and coached various sports at GDHS.
In 2002, Cotton led the boys’ hockey team to its first-ever Halton championship by preaching discipline to his players. When the players, who had heard stories from their parents, reminded him he didn’t play that way, Cotton explained why.
“I told them they were absolutely right,” he said in 2012 when he was honoured with the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Award. “Except, there was an expectation by the coach for me to do what I did.”
Former Raider teammate John Boyce saw both sides of Cotton.
On the ice, he was an intense, fierce competitor who used his combination of size, strength and skill to help the Raiders win four Ontario Hockey Association championships.
“He was tough as nails,” Boyce said. “In practice, you would be fighting for a puck and he’d almost take your arm off. I’d say ‘Neil, I’m on your side.’”
But Boyce also saw the other side when Cotton taught his kids.
“I thought my son could be doing a lot better and Neil said, ‘See if he can raise his marks by five (per cent) and when he does that, see if he can raise it by another five.' He had this understanding and appreciation for his students.”
Cotton was also an accomplished musician who wrote more than 1,000 original songs, posting songs to SoundClick as recently as last month. He played around the GTA with the country-rock band Hawk’s Nest.
David Hubert met Cotton in 2001 through hockey and they bonded over their love of music, often getting together to work on songs. When Hawk’s Nest’s lead guitarist moved to Australia in 2005, Cotton asked Hubert to join the band.
“He played rhythm guitar and had this country-twang voice,” Hubert said. “He had this beautiful way of communicating with the crowd, especially with young people. He could get a crowd going. He’d always say ‘And the crowd went wild.’”
Even though it was Cotton’s band, Hubert said everything was split evenly among band members. Cotton even handpicked his replacement, Jim Hachey, when he became too sick to perform.
Cotton attended their show on Apr. 4 at the Lambton House in Toronto and the band invited him up to sing Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash and That’s Alright Mama by Elvis.
“He got a great response,” Hubert said. “I don’t know what happened, but for that hour he was his old self.”
Cotton, who will be inducted into the Halton Hills Sports Hall of Fame next month, was a trusted steady hand throughout his life.
“He had a great sense of humour,” said Hall, who went on golf trips with Cotton. “In the times I needed advice or someone to talk to, Neil would be one of the first people I would go to.”
“He cared for everybody. That was his nature,” Boyce said. “Neil left a pretty strong impression on the community through music, teaching and coaching. He was a pretty special guy.”
Cotton is survived by his wife Wendy, his son Sean, his daughter Kelly.
It continued for a minute and then went quiet as the clock hit 1 p.m. It remained silent for the next minute as friends and former teammates raised their sticks in the air to pay tribute to Neil Cotton, the respected player, teacher and musician who died at the age of 79 Tuesday after a battle with cancer.
A Toronto native, Cotton moved to Georgetown in 1970 to play hockey for the Georgetown Intermediate Raiders and never left. After teaching for a year in Peel Region, he was hired by the Halton District School Board and spent the rest of his career at Georgetown District High School.
“You would go see him play hockey and he was one of the toughest guys on the ice,” said Jim Hall, who taught with Cotton at GDHS. “In front of the kids, he was a big teddy bear. He was an empathetic, genuine, nice person. And he was a really smart guy. He was the head of the science department for a reason. Everybody looked up to him, and not just physically.”
Their 6-foot-4 teacher may have been a teddy bear, but that didn’t mean students took advantage of his good nature. Former student Mike McMenemy said Cotton was strict, but also fair and encouraging.
“He was a mentor to us,” said McMenemy, who was also coached by Cotton in minor hockey. “He was a big man, he had a presence, but he had this calmness. You knew there was no goofing off. That was a class you paid attention. I have great respect for him.”
In the classroom, environmental studies was one of Cotton’s favourite subjects to teach and he enjoyed going on hikes with his wife Wendy.
Cotton organized toy drives at GDHS, taught power skating for the Town, coached minor hockey, was the head on-ice instructor for Halton Sports Camp and coached various sports at GDHS.
In 2002, Cotton led the boys’ hockey team to its first-ever Halton championship by preaching discipline to his players. When the players, who had heard stories from their parents, reminded him he didn’t play that way, Cotton explained why.
“I told them they were absolutely right,” he said in 2012 when he was honoured with the Georgetown Hockey Heritage Award. “Except, there was an expectation by the coach for me to do what I did.”
Former Raider teammate John Boyce saw both sides of Cotton.
On the ice, he was an intense, fierce competitor who used his combination of size, strength and skill to help the Raiders win four Ontario Hockey Association championships.
“He was tough as nails,” Boyce said. “In practice, you would be fighting for a puck and he’d almost take your arm off. I’d say ‘Neil, I’m on your side.’”
But Boyce also saw the other side when Cotton taught his kids.
“I thought my son could be doing a lot better and Neil said, ‘See if he can raise his marks by five (per cent) and when he does that, see if he can raise it by another five.' He had this understanding and appreciation for his students.”
Cotton was also an accomplished musician who wrote more than 1,000 original songs, posting songs to SoundClick as recently as last month. He played around the GTA with the country-rock band Hawk’s Nest.
David Hubert met Cotton in 2001 through hockey and they bonded over their love of music, often getting together to work on songs. When Hawk’s Nest’s lead guitarist moved to Australia in 2005, Cotton asked Hubert to join the band.
“He played rhythm guitar and had this country-twang voice,” Hubert said. “He had this beautiful way of communicating with the crowd, especially with young people. He could get a crowd going. He’d always say ‘And the crowd went wild.’”
Even though it was Cotton’s band, Hubert said everything was split evenly among band members. Cotton even handpicked his replacement, Jim Hachey, when he became too sick to perform.
Cotton attended their show on Apr. 4 at the Lambton House in Toronto and the band invited him up to sing Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash and That’s Alright Mama by Elvis.
“He got a great response,” Hubert said. “I don’t know what happened, but for that hour he was his old self.”
Cotton, who will be inducted into the Halton Hills Sports Hall of Fame next month, was a trusted steady hand throughout his life.
“He had a great sense of humour,” said Hall, who went on golf trips with Cotton. “In the times I needed advice or someone to talk to, Neil would be one of the first people I would go to.”
“He cared for everybody. That was his nature,” Boyce said. “Neil left a pretty strong impression on the community through music, teaching and coaching. He was a pretty special guy.”
Cotton is survived by his wife Wendy, his son Sean, his daughter Kelly.