Vale Craig Keegan 1968-2023
Published Tue 21 Feb 2023
VALE CRAIG KEEGAN
Hockey Tasmania sends our condolences to the family and friends of Craig Keegan, who passed away last week at the age of 54.
Born and raised in Burnie, Craig was a genuine national hockey star as a player, and a global star as a hockey coach.
He represented Tasmania at junior and senior level, most notably as a member of the first ever Tassie Tigers team in 1992 at the National Hockey League. A skilful forward who was brilliant inside the circle, he amassed 68 games for the Tigers between 1992 and 2000, which included two seasons topping the competition goalscoring charts in 1999 and 2000, and ended his senior career with 53 goals.
He split much of his club playing time between the UK and Hobart, but when in Tasmania he turned out for Canterbury and Derwent in the A-Grade competition - topping the goalscoring charts in three consecutive seasons from 1995-97.
Craig lived in the UK from his early 20s and forged a brilliant off-field career as a high-performance coach, culminating in the GB Women's Rio Olympics Gold Medal triumph in 2016 as an Assistant Coach.
In 2021 he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.
A legend who was loved by so many people and made a significant contribution to the game of hockey in Tasmania and globally, Craig Keegan will be missed.
Vale Craig Keegan, 1968-2023.
