Hall of Fame Profile: Phil Comtois

When Phil Comtois joined the Gee-Gees in 1992, he had a simple goal. He just wanted to continue playing hockey. Fortunately for Phil and the Gee-Gees teams of 1992-1994, the goaltender was able to play at a Hall of Fame level, lifting the team to historic successes.

Phil Comtois is one of four inductees who will be celebrated as the 2024 Gee-Gees Men's Hockey Hall of Fame Class. The event will take place on September 7, and marks the third induction celebration for the program.

"The opportunity was in front of me and I took it," explains Phil regarding his transition to the Gee-Gees. He says he was an unknown walk-on in Ottawa after an injury followed two seasons at Clarkson University. "I had to earn the back-up duties to Julian Cameron [the starter from 1991-92], and then he suffered an injury in an exhibition tournament early in the year." 

"I am sure there was nervousness from the team and even the coaching staff when I was thrown in the net."

Flash forward to the end of the 1992-93 regular season: Comtois has led the nation in goals against average with a mark of 2.36. He is named the OUAA East Most Valuable Player and an All-Canadian. And the Gee-Gees, after a 17-5-0 first place regular season, have defeated McGill two games to none to open the playoffs, and are playing in the OUA East Final. 

"The start of the game was delayed to allow all the fans into Sandy Hill Arena where it was standing room only," remembers Comtois. "The energy was electric! That's my biggest memory." 

The Gee-Gees were edged by Toronto in that memorable Game Two, setting up the 1993-94 season as a team with something to prove. "We were a highly skilled team my first year, and again in the second year but as we were now seen as one of the best teams."

"Teams brought their best when they played us and Mickey Goulet, our coach, did a great job preparing us for the challenges of the year," recalls Comtois. 

In 1993-94 the Gee-Gees again took first place in the regular season standings with a 16-5-3 record. The rivalries with McGill and UQTR are distinct in Comtois' memories. In the final game of the 1994 regular season, Comtois made 30 saves against the Patriotes in Sandy Hill Arena as Ottawa won 4-3 in overtime to clinch first place. 

The butterfly goalie says he loved to play the puck and help his team move up the ice quickly, and credits two coaches with developing his skills. "I learned my skills as a goalie from my dad who was my goalie coach from Atom Hockey to my days in Central Junior hockey." Then, when he joined the Garnet and Grey, Comtois worked with Dan Berube. "My dad built the base and Dan grew the possibilities. Dan's attention to detail was incredible and we spent hours on the ice before practices. He was the most important person and key to my success in my first year."

Comtois also credits his teammates, the ones he thought were nervous when he stepped in, with building him back up. "The friendships I made were incredible and the defensive core that played in front of me, second to none."

"My Gee-Gees career was an incredible experience; after a set back at Clarkson and the injury I suffered in my sophomore year there, I thought playing hockey was a distant memory. The Gee-Gees allowed me to continue to play, have success I could not have thought possible, and make friendships that were like a brotherhood. It was an honour to play for the University of Ottawa and be called a Gee-Gee."

Those connections remain important to Comtois, and his family. He gave back as a goaltending coach after graduating with an economics degree, and in 2018 alongside his wife, Jodie, and daughter, Kallista, established the Harrison-Comtois Family Admission Scholarship which provides a scholarship to a student from Northern Ontario who is newly admitted into an undergraduate program at the Telfer School of Management.

When Phil Comtois took his opportunity, he made the most of it.