The Stanley Cup comes to Stratford

The very proud Kastner family, with the “Legends of Hockey” Stanley Cup, include, in back, Adam Kastner, John Kastner, Susan Wright, Wesley Dechert, Jon Ingram and Sarah Ingram. In front is Alex Kastner and Samantha Kastner.

There is probably only one man in Stratford who has the ability and know-how to get the much-coveted Stanley Cup to the Festival City without being a member of that year’s champions.

John Kastner is known to everyone who has ever picked up a Stratford Beacon Herald newspaper, been in contact with the Stratford-Perth Museum, or had anything to do with any sport in Stratford, especially hockey and baseball.

Kastner was one of the Stratford Sports Wall of Fame inductees at the annual Stratford Minor Sports Council banquet on April 25. He was instrumental in contacting Phil Pritchard, the curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and inquiry about him being the evening’s guest speaker – and perhaps bringing the NHL’s top trophy as well.

Who else would know the white-gloved keeper of Lord Stanley well enough to have his phone number and contact information?

No one was more humble that evening than Kastner and his fellow inductees, Kevin Aitcheson and Robert Keith “Swede” McCully, who coincidentally all lived on Douglas Street in Stratford at one time.

In his acceptance speech, Kastner reflected on all the accomplishments attributed to him that evening. He felt his biggest contribution was forever reaching out and asking other people to help.

He was always approaching people to coach, convene, join a board, sit on a committee, get auction items, run the bar, sponsor, give money, ask other people for money and, after all that, was surprised when friends would still answer the phone when he called.

He recalled when Pritchard brought the Stanley Cup to Stratford many years ago, when it was called an Evening with Stanley, and ended up raising $75,000 to go toward building the new Rotary Complex on McCarthy Road.

Both Kastner and Martin Ritsma co-chaired that Rotary Complex fundraising campaign at that time. It is still one of the busiest locations in Stratford and Perth County.

Kastner has also been a coach, helped bring Hockey Day in Canada to Stratford, been involved with the Stratford Minor Baseball Association, Rotary Hockey, Ontario Hockey Federation and now Hockey Canada, among other groups.

He said he “was always flattered to be asked and honoured to be involved.”

“I’m very proud to call Stratford home and to take home this award and felt that there’s hundreds of people whose contributions are integral to this ‘Sports Wall of Fame,’ honour.”

Kastner was the 2026 Wall of Fame Builder, joining Aitcheson, McCully and Oren “Lefty” Price (Wall of Fame Athletes), the 1941 Kist Canadians Jr. B Hockey team and the 1978 Bantam Hishon Sports team (Wall of Fame Teams) on the wall, located at the Rotary Complex.