Jim Fowler died doing what he loved to do.

The 73-year-old Yukoner was skating under the stars on Marsh Lake Sunday night when he hit open water and drowned.

Fowler was found Monday morning near 10 a.m.

The longtime hockey coach and member of the Sport Yukon Hall of Fame leaves behind his wife, Jacquelin, and children Jamie and Kyle. He was also a grandfather of four.

While Fowler’s untimely death came as a shock to the community, his contributions to sport in the territory will live on forever, said 77-year-old Al Fedoriak, who coached in Fowler’s era.

“His life ended doing what he loved,” he said this morning.

“What Jim left behind, we will always remember. It’s unfortunate, but he made his contribution to the community.

“Jim was always a class act,” Fedoriak recalled. “On the ice, off the ice, whether he played or coached, he always transferred the same attitude to anybody that he dealt with.”

Fedoriak said his counterpart was a key pillar in making the local hockey system what it is today.

Born in small-town Kirkland Lake, Ont., Fowler moved to Whitehorse in his 20s, driving his Jaguar convertible across the country.

While working as a teacher at Christ the King High School – and later Jeckell Junior High School and F.H. Collins Secondary School – Fowler spent his post-work hours overhauling the city’s hockey program.

A graduate of Toronto’s St. Mike’s hockey system, Fowler went to work as a coach, and also helped a slew of referees become certified.

Local sports historian John Firth likened Fowler to late cross-country ski coach Father Jean-Marie Mouchet in terms of contribution to sport.

“The groundwork that he laid was invaluable in what does go on with the different sports here in the territory,” said Firth. “The influence that he exerted has in many ways contributed directly to the calibre of sport that we have in the Yukon.

“He would definitely rank up there with people like Father Mouchet as having one of those impacts that goes well beyond the sport he was involved with.”

When Fowler arrived in the Yukon capital, there were very few certified coaches or coaching programs, said Firth.

“Through his example with minor hockey, he was also influential in motivating other sports to become more systematic and take a more disciplined approach,” Firth noted. “His influence actually went beyond the sport he was involved with.”

Fowler’s contributions to hockey may be best graded by the fact that two of his early pupils – Jarrett Deuling and Bobby House – were drafted into the NHL.

Alongside his coaching skills, Fowler was also a founding member of the Yukon Amateur Hockey Association in 1979.

Rick Griffiths sat on the board with Fowler during those early years. He recalled Fowler’s ability to relate with his young players.

“He had the touch. It was really an impressive thing,” said Griffiths, 85.

“Jim was such an asset to our board. He could handle children and he could play the game better than any of us.

“He was just marvelous – one of the best that I’ve ever seen.”

Fowler always stressed skating, even bringing a figure skating coach to town to help his players gain an edge, Griffiths added.

Griffiths and Fowler began taking teams to Outside tournaments, including a memorable one in Saskatoon where the opposing coaches decided to swap players to even out the talent.

Fellow Hall of Famer Bud Arnold kicked off his referee career in the ’70s when Fowler was a well-recognized face behind the bench of the midget hockey team of that era.

“He was always friendly, win or lose,” Arnold recalled. “If he had to question an official’s call, he would do it in a respectful manner. ... He was a gentleman, but all business.

“The only time he would really give the referee fits was when he knew they were wrong. And the referee knew it as well. But he’d get his point across and then the game would continue on happily. He was very well-respected by all the referees.”

Fowler was inducted into the local Hall of Fame in 1990 for his significant contributions to the game.

“There’s a reason for that of course,” said Arnold. “He had a passion for the sport.”