The Chatham-Kent sports community lost another legend, and friend this week, as Herb Wakabayashi passed away earlier this week. He was 70.

Wakabayashi, known as a hockey player primarily, was inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 in the Athlete-Modern category.

Moving to Chatham, Ontario in 1950, Wakabayashi quickly became an integral part of the Chatham sports community, helping Chatham teams win five OBA baseball titles, and a league title playing for the Chatham Junior Maroons.

He would later go on to play NCAA hockey for Boston University, where he was Athlete of the Year, an All American, and was inducted into the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.

Wakabayashi’s hockey career would reach its pinnacle as he was the flag bearer, and represented Japan three times at the Winter Olympics for ice hockey.

Wakabayashi passed away in Japan, where he had been living.

From CKSN, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Wakabayashi family, and everyone who knew and loved Herb.