South Stormont Sports Hall of Fame

Gilles Crepeau is a member of a select group of hockey players who have been members of back-to-back Memorial Cup Championship teams, a feat he accomplished in 1980 and 1981 with the Cornwall Royals. He began playing hockey in his hometown of Levack, ON (pop. 500), a small mining town, and rose through the minor hockey ranks until he was drafted by the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League, where he played for Coach George Armstrong. The big city was a little overwhelming for a young kid from small-town, northern Ontario, and he was subsequently traded to the North Bay Trappers, and then the Niagara Falls Flyers. He returned home and played local junior hockey until the legendary Gord Woods came calling, asking if he would be interested in joining the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

After joining the Royals late in the 1978-79 season, he made his presence known quickly, with ten goals and 14 assists in the remaining 36 games. In his first full year with the Royals, playing on a line with Rod Willard and Dan Daoust, Gilles led the team in goals with 48, and added another eight in the playoffs as the Royals battled to the Quebec League championship. At the 1980 Memorial Cup in Regina and Brandon, Gilles had a hat-trick in a Royals loss to the Peterborough Petes; however, the Royals eventually went on to win the Cup by beating the Petes 3-2 in overtime. The next year, with most of the team's nucleus still intact and the addition of rookie Doug Gilmour, the Royals were again on their way to another Memorial Cup. Playing on a line with Dale Hawerchuk and John Kirk, Gilles had another great year, scoring 40 goals and collecting 94 points, and chipping in with another 12 goals in the playoffs. The 1981 Memorial Cup in Windsor featured the Royals, the Victoria Cougars, and the Kitchener Rangers. Gilles had a goal in an opening win over the Spitfires, and a pair of goals in the next game, a 3-1 win over Victoria. The Royals went on to become the fourth team to win back-to-back championships when they dumped the Rangers 5-2 in the final.

After junior hockey, Gilles had a stint in the International Hockey League with the Saginaw Gears, then played senior hockey in Newfoundland, where his team came within one win of capturing the Allen Cup. After hockey, Gilles had an accomplished career with the City of Cornwall Fire Department and has most recently accepted the position of Fire Chief with the Township of South Stormont. He and his family have made South Stormont their home since 1987.