VANCOUVER – A UBC Thunderbirds legend is getting one of this country's highest civilian honours.
 
Dr. Bob Hindmarch – a three-sport athlete at UBC, men's hockey coach, and athletic director – has been made a Member of the Order of Canada. His citation reads: "For his contributions to sports as an athlete, coach and educator in his province and beyond."
 
The legacy of "Dr. Bob" is wide and significant, as thousands of people have benefitted as a result of his work as a leader.
 
He arrived at UBC from his hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., in 1948, to commence a career and relationship with the university that is as strong as ever today.
 
Hindmarch competed with the Thunderbirds' football, baseball and basketball teams over the course of his university playing career, which culminated with him earning the Bobby Gaul Memorial Trophy as UBC's Graduating Male Athlete of the Year in 1953. He left the school with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education.
 

Hindmarch came back to campus in the fall of 1955 as an instructor and assistant football coach. He also went on to take on assistant coaching roles with the basketball and baseball teams.
 
He completed a Master of Science degree in 1959 and a PhD in Education in 1962, both from the University of Oregon.
 
Hindmarch earned an assistant professor appointment to the Department of Physical Education at UBC in 1961 and became a full professor in 1974.
 
In 1963, when the Point Grey campus was established as the base for Canada's hockey team for the 1964 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, Dr. Hindmarch was named the general manager and assistant coach of the squad, coached by Rev. Father David Bauer.
 

Hindmarch became the head coach of the UBC men's hockey team for the 1964-65 campaign and became the program's most successful bench boss. In 12 years with Hindmarch at the helm which included the 1970-71 Canada West championship, the Thunderbirds had just one losing season.
 
One of the greatest highlights in the history of the school's varsity program also took place during Hindmarch's tenure as head coach. In December 1973, the Thunderbirds became one of the first Western sports teams to tour China, playing seven contests with a focus on friendship and sharing skills with local players. Two matchups against the Chinese national team were attended by 18,000 fans in Beijing, while another 17,800 watched an outdoor practice in Harbin before this was repeated for an official game the next day.
 

He stopped teaching fulltime in 1980 to become UBC's Director of Athletics and Sport Services, serving until 1991. He oversaw the Thunderbird teams, the intramural and recreational sports offered on campus, plus fostered relationships with athletic alumni while championing the school's athletic history and heritage. Hindmarch helped establish the UBC Sports Hall of Fame, which had its first class of inductees in 1993.
 
The China trip was just one of many international experiences for Hindmarch, who has played a significant role in UBC Athletics' friendship with universities and sporting organizations in Asia and Europe.
 
Among the examples: the Thunderbirds women's hockey team toured Japan in 1982. UBC men's volleyball began its relationship with Sungkyunkwan University (SKK) in 1985 with a trip to South Korea. The schools have continually reciprocated tours since then. In December, SKK travelled to British Columbia for a series of matches. Renowned Soviet Union hockey coach Anatoly Tarasov came to speak at UBC in 1987.
 

There was also much national success for UBC during Hindmarch's time as the leader of the varsity program, with women's field hockey, football, men's soccer, and women's swimming all winning multiple national championships.
 
In 1991, MacLean's magazine proclaimed UBC the top-ranking university in the country in terms of success in intercollegiate sports competition.
 

It wasn't just UBC that benefitted from Hindmarch's work.

Hockey players in this province have him to thank for helping make helmet use mandatory for young players.
 
For 16 years, Hindmarch was also vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Association and was Chef de Mission for the Canadian team at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
 
His service to the Olympic movement in this country was recognized with both an honourary lifetime membership in the Canadian Olympic Association and induction into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (2009).
 
He was vice-president of the Vancouver-Garibaldi bid for the 1976 Olympic Winter Games, and an ambassador for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid.
 

Hindmarch was an important figure in the establishment of the Man in Motion Tour and served as an advisor to Rick Hansen.
 
He has served as director of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, chairman of the sports committee for EXPO 86, president of the B.C. Sports Federation, chairman of the sports committee for EXPO 86, and a trustee of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. He also helped bring the Grizzlies to Vancouver.
 
His professional accomplishments have earned him a place in the UBC Sports Hall of Fame, where he was a member of the inaugural class in 1993, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame (inducted in 2009) and the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame (2012). He was made a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2010.
 

Hindmarch will accept his Order of Canada insignia at a ceremony to be held later this year.

On Friday, Hindmarch will drop the puck in a ceremonial faceoff before UBC's Winter Classic matchup against Calgary at 7 p.m., at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
 
About the Order of Canada
Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of our country's highest honours. Presented by the governor general, the Order honours people whose service shapes our society; whose innovations ignite our imaginations; and whose compassion unites our communities.

Close to 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order of Canada. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and have taken to heart the motto of the Order: DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM ("They desire a better country"). The striking six-point white enamel insignia they wear symbolizes our northern heritage and our diversity, because no two snowflakes are alike.

Appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada. For more information about the Order of Canada or to nominate someone, visit www.gg.ca/en/honours.

ORDER OF CANADA BACKGROUNDER
Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the cornerstone of the Canadian Honours System, and recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country.

Motto and Levels
The Order of Canada's motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM ("They desire a better country"). Her Majesty The Queen is the Sovereign of the Order, and the governor general is the chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order.

Companion – Post-nominal: C.C.
recognizes national pre-eminence or international service or achievement;

Officer – Post-nominal: O.C.
recognizes national service or achievement; and

Member – Post-nominal: C.M.
recognizes outstanding contributions at the local or regional level or in a special field of activity.

Insignia Description
The insignia of the Order is a stylized snowflake of six points, with a red annulus at its centre which bears a stylized maple leaf circumscribed with the motto of the Order, DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM ("They desire a better country"), surmounted by the Royal Crown. It is struck in fine silver and is composed of three individual pieces: the snowflake, annulus and maple leaf. The colour is added by hand through a unique application of opaque and translucent enamel.

The design of the insignia of the Order of Canada dates from 1967, and is credited to Bruce Beatty, C.M., S.O.M., C.D. The technical drawings used by the Royal Canadian Mint in this new generation of the insignia were developed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority at the Chancellery of Honours, part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. The insignia is manufactured by the Mint at its Ottawa facility.

Eligibility
All Canadians are eligible for the Order of Canada, with the exception of federal and provincial politicians and judges while in office. The Order's constitution permits non-Canadians to be considered for honorary appointments. Members of the Royal Family, governors general and their spouses are appointed in the extraordinary category. There are no posthumous appointments. 

Officers and Members may be elevated within the Order in recognition of further achievement, based on continued exceptional or extraordinary service to Canada. Usually, promotions are considered five years after the first appointment.

Nominations
Any person or group is welcome to nominate a deserving individual as a candidate for appointment to the Order of Canada. Appointments are made on the recommendations of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada, an independent council chaired by the chief justice of Canada. Members of the Advisory Council on the Order of Canada reflect the diversity and excellence in Canadian society. Certain members are appointed by virtue of their office; others are appointed for a fixed term to achieve a balanced representation of the various regions of the country.

For more information about the Order of Canada or to nominate someone, visit www.gg.ca/honours.
 
- With files from Fred Hume (UBC Sports Historian), Don Wells (former Sports Information Director), the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Order of British Columbia and The Governor General of Canada