Kevin Shea
Kevin Shea was born and raised in Windsor, Ont. As a young man, he spent a great deal of time playing road hockey and on the ice in the Riverside Minor Hockey Association where he developed a love for the sport. He attended Riverside Secondary School for three years and then two years at Kennedy Collegiate. Kevin graduated with BA in English and Communications from the University of Windsor in 1977. He immediately found success in the radio industry, working at Windsor radio stations CKWW and CKLW as well as in North Bay, Ottawa and Montreal. Kevin then followed his passion for music by working in promotions and publicity at RCA/BMG, Warner Music Canada, MCA/Universal and Attic Records, dealing with a wide range of artists including Whitney Houston, Hall and Oates, Motley Crue, Robert Plant, The Tragically Hip, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Nirvana and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.
Already established in media and music, Kevin had the opportunity to pursue writing a book about his first love, hockey. This led to Centre Ice being published in 2000. Since then, he has gone on to write 19 more books, including The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club: Official Centennial Publication, 1917-2017, Barilko: Without A Trace, Crossing the Line: The Outrageous Story of a Hockey Original (the Derek Sanderson story), and The Hall: Celebrating Hockey’s Heritage, Heroes and Home.
In 2007, the Society of North American Hockey Historians and Researchers presented Kevin with the SONAHHR Award for excellence in research and writing. His contributions to sports research and writing have also been recognized by the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR), who awarded him with the Brian McFarlane Award for “excellence in research and writing” in 2012 and the Presidents’ Award for “outstanding contributions to advancing hockey research” in 2017.
In 2001, Shea became the Editorial and Education Facilitator for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Among his contributions are serving as the editor of the Hall of Fame’s annual Legends Magazine, created and continuing to teach a hockey course for Ontario colleges and teaching a leadership course using hockey as the platform for Indigenous students in Canada’s remote north.
Along with his previous successes, he has contributed a bi-weekly hockey column for the Toronto Star, has been a consultant on hockey projects for the Royal Canadian Mint, United States Postal Service, the National Hockey League, CIBC and Hockey Helps the Homeless, and has writing credits that span North America. As one of the principals in creating Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer, Kevin contributed to raising over $30 million for cancer research through the 11-year history of the event. He also sits on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Historical Committee with members from MLSE.
Kevin Shea is a Canadian success story. His passion for broadcasting, music and hockey have increased the awareness of the contributions that Canadian sport and entertainment have made in this country.
For more information about Kevin Shea or the books he has published visit https://kevinsheahockey.com/.