North Central Alberta Baseball League

Long Time Sports Enthusiast Passes

Kevin Hardman’s passage through life saw him touch down on many baseball diamonds, hockey rinks, football fields, and soccer pitches. All along the way, Kevin brought with him his love of the games being played and his appreciation of the athletes so engaged in playing them. Hardman’s appreciation of the sports he most loved translated into a passion for collecting memorabilia and for meeting the greats who played these games at both the amateur and professional levels. Gifted with a razor sharp memory for recollecting sporting events of significance, Kevin was an avid reader of sports memoirs and had an acumen for elevating his conversations with precise statistical data. If one word could adequately describe Kevin, “enthusiasm” would emerge in living colour. That enthusiasm for the “virtues of sport” led him to dedicate countless volunteer hours to the menial tasks which too many of us disregard as unimportant, but which Kevin viewed as a way of respecting the sport and honouring those athletes who played the game. From cutting the outfield grass to carting bags of gear from one baseball park to another, to organizing team socials in his humble holiday trailer, to coaching younger athletes, Kevin gave of himself and brought his enthusiastic demeanour to everyone with whom he was connected. A gentle soul with a kindly spirit hovered over a baseball field today leaving us saddened but appreciative that he had passed our way. God bless you my friend,

Submitted by Paul Riopel

Commissioner, NCABL