Arlo Goodwin Named Winner of the 2010 Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award

By Darryl Dionne  Published on: Thursday March 04, 2010

(St. Catharines, ON) The Professional Hockey Players’ Association is pleased to announce that Arlo Goodwin has been named the 2010 recipient of the Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award.

The award, named after former PHPA Executive Director, Curt Leichner, is presented annually to a member of the hockey community who has made significant contributions towards the advancement of professional minor league hockey, and has continued to diligently serve the sport. Goodwin will be present at the PHPA’s Annual Meeting of Player Representatives this June in Orlando, Florida to accept the award, and address all Player Representatives in attendance.

Goodwin, who played the majority of his professional hockey career in the now defunct WHL (Western Hockey League), was one of the first PHPA Player Representatives in 1967, and played a major role in the formation of the PHPA, along with Doug Messier and other Portland Buckaroos teammates. He retired from professional hockey the following season, and soon thereafter, became the Insurance Agent for the PHPA, as he understood Canada’s socialized health care system, and was able to integrate it with the US system, benefiting many Canadian-born players who were playing hockey in the US. During his tenure with the PHPA, he played a key role with the unionization of the former International Hockey League (IHL), securing signatures from close to 100% of IHL players, which was a requirement of the National Labor Relations Board.

“Arlo was instrumental in the formative years of the Association as one of the first PHPA Player Representatives while with the Portland Buckaroos of the WHL, and remained involved with the Association for over 25 years after his retirement from hockey,” said PHPA Executive Director Larry Landon. “This is a well-deserved honor for Arlo given everything that he did over his many years for the PHPA, it’s Members, and their families. This was evident by being selected unanimously by the PHPA Executive Committee for this award.”

Previous winners of the Award include Doug Messier (2008) and the tandem of Don Cherry and Ron MacLean (2009).