Many longtime residents are mourning the death of lifelong Royal City resident Mac Tyler.
Tyler, 73, played with the New Westminster Senior Salmonbellies from 1964 to 1973, serving as its captain from 1971 to 1973 and winning Mann Cups in 1965, 1970 (when he was named playoff MVP) and 1972, and winning a World Championship in 1968 at Queen’s Park Arena. He was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006 as a veteran player.
“Mac played with all of the Bellies’ greats – Sepka, Bionda, the Goss brothers, Parnell, Lewthwaite. These guys were local icons,” said Tony Glavin, chair of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. “Mac was the playoff MVP in 1980 which is quite an achievement given the cast of players surrounding him.”
A highlight of Tyler’s career was when lacrosse went professional in 1968, and he played with the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the west division of the National Lacrosse League.
“They hosted Detroit in the best of seven finals in Queen’s Park Arena. Mac slotted the winner in game five and the Bellies took the championship in Game 6,” Glavin wrote in an email to the Record. “Apparently 5,000 fans jammed Queen’s Park Arena for that last game. It is told that Bellies GM Bill Armstrong could not even get a seat and had to stand on a ladder in the tunnel to watch the game.”
Tyler, who grew up in the Hume Park neighbourhood and lived his entire life in New West, was a lawyer and worked his entire legal career at McQuarrie Hunter.
Glavin said Tyler was a family man who gave back to his community.
“I recall fondly being a member of the advisory planning commission when Mac was chair. He had an incredibly disarming side to him,” Glavin said. “He was a gentleman, a decent guy and had a great sense of humour, even in his later years when he suffered poor health.”
Tyler passed away on Nov. 23. A celebration of life is planned for the new year.
