Keeping up with Bobby Jones
He may not be a high-profile guy but Bobby Jones is building up quite the record for longevity as an Ontario Hockey League coach.
A Sault Ste. Marie native, Jones is only in his second season as an OHL head coach — and first with the Oshawa Generals — but surely he owns some sort of record for time served as a full-time assistant.
Almost incredibly, the 45-year old Jones has been coaching in the OHL for 20 years — including 18 seasons as an assistant with the Soo Greyhounds, Brampton Battalion, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors, Sudbury Wolves and Windsor Spitfires.
Jones was part of two Memorial Cup championship teams in Windsor as an assistant with the Spitfires. He was also a head coach in Windsor for one season, taking the Spitfires into the third round of the playoffs.
In this, his first season as a bench boss in Oshawa, Jones is the head guy of the reigning Memorial Cup champion Generals, who are young and in a rebuilding phase.
His association with the OHL goes back even further, Jones having spent his entire five-year playing career as a defenseman with the hometown Greyhounds.
A solid, down-to-earth guy from a good family, Jones is known as one of the nicer guys in hockey — an honest individual who genuinely cares about this players.
A former Greyhound captain, Jones is one of a number of former players with the Soo OHLers who are now coaching in the league.
Others include Drew Bannister, who is the head coach of the Greyhound team that he used to star for, David Matsos, who is the head coach of the Sudbury Wolves, John Goodwin, who is an assistant with the Kingston Frontenacs, Brad Tiley, who is an assistant with the Owen Sound Attack and Brad Staubitz, who is the strength and conditioning coach for the Sarnia Sting.
PHOTO: Bobby Jones is now in his 20th year as an OHL coach — and with his sixth team.
This guy is so dedicated and committed to this world of “hockey.” From very early in his career he held hard work, drive, positive thinking, friendship and team spirit very high. We watched him as a mentor to so many. Helping them believe and focus on their dreams. 20 years of directing and leading his team to do their best. You are a leader like no other. Your family is very proud. He is a “big name guy” in our world.