On Sept. 27, 2008, Darcy Robinson died doing what he loved –– playing hockey.

He wasn’t the most skilled player on the ice. He wasn’t the best skater. But he was the one who put his teammates first.

He was fun-loving and kind.

He was a true sportsman and, on Friday, he will be honoured with the first annual Darcy Robinson Memorial Peewee Tournament at Memorial Arena –– the rink where he played most of his minor hockey and honed his skills.

Darcy’s parents, Ernie and Dave, along with his brothers Danny and Ryan, will be on hand as the tournament gets underway.

Ernie said when the family was first approached by the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, she felt honoured.

“We’re thrilled about it. We’re very proud. I was very pleased that they had proposed these things,” she said.

“It’s such a tragedy when your child dies. But when he’s made such an impact, you realize that he was such a special person. And I used to think how am I so lucky to end up with a child like this? It’s heartwarming.”

Along with the tournament, a trophy will be awarded, at the end of the season, to one minor hockey player who shows commitment, dedication and hard work –– three things that were prominent in Robinson’s success in hockey.

“That’s what he was about. Darcy wasn’t a player who was born as a fast skater. He really had to persevere and work really hard,” Ernie said.

“He was big boy and he always had to prove himself. He was the kind of kid who you wouldn’t have thought was going to make it to the NHL or the minors or whatever.”

The winning team of the tournament will receive baseball caps –– after all Robinson was a collector of them.

Whenever he’d be in a new place, Robinson would add to his collection. If he attended a baseball game, he’d get one. If he visited a new city, another would be added. His baseball camps were a timeline of where hockey took him through the years.

When Robinson was four years old, his parents put him in CanSkate to learn how to skate.

During that year, Canadian national figure skating champion Brian Orser performed in a show in the River City. Robinson was one of the members of the local club who skated during that event.

“It was easy to pick him out. He was the biggest one out there,” Ernie said.

Growing up, Ernie said, Darcy and his brothers were close and did everything together. In their childhood home, their dad would build an ice rink in the backyard and they would spend hours playing outside.

“Darcy was good-natured. He was a real role model for his brothers. He was always a responsible kid. He always seemed like he was older than he was.”

As the boys grew up they continued to spend time together. They bought a boat and spent weekends camping in the Shuswap and outside in their parents’ backyard, hanging out with friends.

“He just loved the outdoors,” Ernie said. “He loved most of all being with friends and family. He cherished when he came home. They used to have a volleyball net up and have tournaments. They are all like one big family.”

“It was great. That’s what he loved the best –– just hanging out in our backyard and I’m glad he had that opportunity.”

After four years in the Western Hockey League with the Saskatoon Blades and the Red Deer Rebels, with whom he won a Memorial Cup, Robinson signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins –– the team that drafted him in 1999.

He would spend the next four years dividing his time between the East Coast Hockey League’s Wheeling Nailers and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

In the summer of 2005, knowing he wouldn’t be offered a contract by the Penguins, Robinson decided to give playing in Europe a shot. He signed with Asiago HC in Italy, where his mother was born.

“I was afraid of whether he would like it or not. But he really enjoyed Italy,” Ernie said. “When he got there, it was like he belonged. He loved his Italian culture. He was really happy to be playing there.

“He was very adventurous and went off on his own.”

During his first year in Italy, his brother, Ryan, joined him and they played together for the season.

Being away from home, Darcy spent a lot of time on the Internet and phone keeping in contact with his family.

Darcy and Ryan rang in the New Year in 2006 in Italy.

“When he went to Italy, we bought a webcam. I bought one for him and one for us. And he would call and say go on your webcam.

Ernie recounted : “They called on New Year’s Eve and they told me to go on the webcam and lo and behold, there was two bald people. They had shaved their heads. They had Mohawks, but they managed to shave it off. All I could say to them is, ‘Italians are very fashionable. They are just going to think these guys are crazy Canucks.’”

Playing hockey gave Robinson opportunities and, for that reason, he gave back. He would attend community events when his team asked. In Wilkes-Barre, the team has Robo’s Readers.

Growing up Robinson battled dyslexia and proceeds from the program go to the De Paul School in Scranton. The school has 35 students who have dyslexia.

“When he went to his appearances he always told them he had dyslexia and school was very difficult for him. He was fortunate enough to have good teachers growing up. The teachers at Aberdeen were wonderful. They gave him so much self-esteem. He just told people how important it was to feel good about yourself,” Ernie said.

“We were very, very proud. I know he did a lot of public appearances. But I didn’t realize how he made his mark on kids who had dyslexia. He really felt he needed to tell people it’s OK to be dyslexic. He wanted to be a high-school PE teacher.”

This year’s Kamloops Jardine peewee tier 1 Blazers associate coach is Peter Doyle. Doyle coached Robinson through his three years of rep hockey in Kamloops.

“It’s really special to me to be able to participate in this tournament in Darcy’s name,” Doyle said.

“I believe it’s well deserved. He was a great inspiration to a lot of younger players. He held himself with high ideals. He was a great team guy. He had a great personality and was easygoing and very competitive. He was a great role model for a lot of the younger players.”

During those three years Robinson wore the captain’s C twice and was an assistant captain the other year.

“He was a fierce competitor on the ice and a big guy. He was highly skilled and a great team player. He had a great sense of humour and a calming effect on his teammates,” Doyle said.

Matt Soneoff had a front row seat to Robinson’s hockey career. Soneoff was his defensive partner through rep hockey.

“He was a good leader and very strong because of his size. Smart with the puck and good to play with,” Soneoff said. “He kept me out of trouble on the ice mostly.”

Soneoff isn’t sure if he’ll be able to able to attend the tournament, but he’s hoping to make a trip into town. He currently lives in Castlegar.

“He cared more about his friends than himself. He was very family-oriented. Overall, we were very good friends because we were very similar people.”