Mirl "Red" McCarthy

Mirl Arthur "Red" McCarthy (March 12, 1930 – 1995), was a Canadian sportsperson and founder and co-inventor of the sport of ringette. Born in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario and raised in Sudbury, he grew up to be a star athlete in baseball, football, track and field, and hockey. His hockey career included stops with Toronto St. Michael's College, Barrie Flyers, Boston Olympics, Nelson B.C. Maple Leafs, and Sudbury Wolves of the Canadian Senior Hockey League.

In 1954, he became recreation director of Espanola, Ontario. He held that position for forty-one years. He became actively involved in all aspects of Espanola's recreational programs. He was instrumental in forming the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) Junior A Hockey League, and the Espanola Eagles Junior A hockey team. He coached the team for 18 years, and then managed it for four more.

McCarthy, a member of the Northern Ontario Recreation Directors Association (NORDA), created the first set of rules and presented them at their meeting at Moose Lake Lodge in Onaping, Ontario, on January 19–20, 1964.

McCarthy also set up the first on-ice activity, or "game", of ringette, which took place at the Espanola Arena in the fall of 1963 between Espanola high school girls. Today, Espanola is recognized as the "Official Home of Ringette".

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