PENTICTON, Canada – Kevin Conway, a defenceman for the Penticton Vees that won gold for Canada at the 1955 IIHF World Championship, has died at age 86.

He passed away peacefully on Thursday morning at a hospital in Penticton, British Columbia.

Born in Vankleek Hill, Ontario, in 1927, Conway – not to be confused with the former British national team player of the same name – was a top prospect for the Montreal Canadiens, but after one season with the Jr. Canadiens he moved west and continued his amateur career.

He played two seasons for the Vees, a team that went to the Allan Cup finals in 1953 and won in 1954, resulting in the team’s nomination to represent Canada at the World Championship in West Germany.

Teammates included the Warwick brothers – Dick, Grant, and Bill – and goalie Ivan McLelland.

Conway played in seven of eight games for Canada, including the 5-0 win versus the Soviet Union on the final day of the tournament to clinch gold. It was an enormous victory because the previous year the Soviets had prevailed in the first ever meeting between the teams.

The Vees were inducted into the B.C. (British Columbia) Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in 1976.