Tributes paid to Bob Korol, former manager of Fife Ice Arena & Rothes Halls

A former player and coach, Bob also served as manager at Rothes Halls in Glenrothes before returning to North America to be closer to his family back home.

He was remembered as a gentleman by team-mates and fans.

Born in Rosetown, Saskatoon, Bob played most of his career in Europe before coming to the UK to join Telford Tigers in 1988.

He was also part of Basingstoke Beavers and then Birmingham Eagles before taking over as rink manager in Kirkcaldy as Fife Flyers marked their return to the top flight at the start of the 1990s.

Bob set about making many changes off the ice, and bringing in a host of new initiatives to improve the rink and the match night.

Call to Fifers to stay active and get outdoors during festive seasonFife teachers ballot on dispute over Christmas plans for schools

His easy going manner and knowledge of, and deep-rooted enthusiasm for the game made him the perfect analyst for TV coverage as Sky Sports broadcast Super League games in the 1990s.

His stay in the UK also took him to Wales National Ice Rink, and he was assistant coach to the GB team at the 1992-93 world championships.

As well as a hockey CV, Bob brought a strong business kind to the rink’s operations - he had a degree in commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, and completed his MBA at Stirling University.

That then led him to move to Rothes Halls, Glenrothes, where he was manager for 15 years.

He met his wife, Dawn in Fife, and, in 2008, they relocated to Saskatchewan where Bob was CEO of TCU Place, a major convention and arts centre.

Across the many tributes almost everyone described him as a gentleman - a kind man whose passion and support for his community stood out.

“One of the good guys” was a recurring comment.

Heather Stuart, OnFife chief executive. "He was a warm man, easy to talk to and with a great sense of humour. He was a big family man and treated his team as part of that family. They also recall his love of a good get-together, when he would always be the first to arrive and last to leave."

Bob is survived by Dawn and their children, Michael and Sophie.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FFP/V