2025 Ring of Honor Inductee: Billy McCreary
FPHL Danbury Hat Tricks

2025 Ring of Honor Inductee: Billy McCreary

Published on March 13, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL)
Danbury Hat Tricks News Release


DANBURY - The Danbury Hat Tricks are excited to announce the final member of this year's Danbury Ring of Honor class - former head coach and general manager Billy McCreary.

McCreary, who coached the Hat Tricks for three seasons, in 2019-20 and from 2022 to 2024, won the franchise's first FPHL Commissioner's Cup title in 2023. The Southampton, Ontario, native finished his Hat Tricks coaching tenures with a 106-38-14 record, including a 7-3 ledger in the Commissioner's Cup playoffs.

"It's a completely humbling experience," McCreary said. "For my entire life, I've given myself to the game of hockey and obviously bring a lot of passion and energy to what I do. When you talk about Danbury hockey, obviously passion is at the forefront of the players, the owners, the operators and, certainly, the fans. To be recognized for the passion I bring to the game and the passion I helped bring to Danbury is certainly a tremendous honor."

A former FPHL Coach of the Year in 2019-20, McCreary led Danbury to a 29-12-2-3 record and an Eastern Division title in his first season at the helm. McCreary holds the franchise record in career wins (106) and set a single-season-best in wins (44) in the 2022-23 season.

"What Billy accomplished in his time in Danbury was off the charts," Hat Tricks co-owner and CEO of Diamond Properties Jim Diamond said. "He brought 110 percent every single day. He always put everyone in front of himself and his motivation was always getting the best out of everyone. The 2023 Championship team was the pinnacle of those efforts."

McCreary coached the Hat Tricks in their inaugural season, serving as the bench boss of the NAHL's Hat Tricks in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and returned to the Hat Tricks' bench in 2022-23. Regardless of the different levels of experience and talent, the Hat Tricks' all-time coaching wins leader impacted lives in and beyond hockey.

"Billy has a huge place in Danbury hockey history," general manager Matt Voity said. "Through his leadership, he helped create a destination for hockey fans of all ages. Whether it was guiding the FPHL team to a championship or helping to develop the NAHL team, Billy created a very unique and exciting organization and helped foster a hockey-crazy community that loves their teams."

In the 2021-22 season, McCreary also received the FPHL Founder's Award, an honor given to those who provide outstanding service and commitment to the league. Much of McCreary's devotion to talent development showed in the promotion of numerous players to higher levels of professional hockey.

Following Danbury's Cup season in 2022-23, forward Michael Marchesan moved up to the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL) and defenseman John McDonald signed with the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (SPHL).

"There's a lot of people that have come before me that have laid a particular foundation," McCreary said. "It was an honor to be able to be at the helm for the four or five years I was there and working with all the people I got to work with from Herm Sorcher to the Diamonds to John Krupinsky, Jonny Ruiz, and Kyle Gonzalez. The list goes on and on but I'm sure some of those names, if they're not already up in the rafters, they will be in the future."

McCreary also led Danbury to a first-place finish in the league at 129 points in 2022-23, its second 100-point season in the last three seasons.

"Billy McCreary is part of the Mount Rushmore of Danbury Hockey," Hat Tricks president Herm Sorcher said. "He was the perfect coach for the Hat Tricks and the City of Danbury. He built a team for the city that they absolutely loved and it showed in the results and the passion the fans came with. Billy's success came with a ton of hard work and commitment. There was no doubt he was going to deliver a team that was going to win and put on a show every night."

McCreary is currently in his first season as the assistant coach of the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL). Through 56 games, McCreary has helped guide the Wings to a 25-27-4 record and 54 points.

"What I cherished most about coaching the Hat Tricks was the love that we built in the locker room," McCreary said. "There's so much passion the players played with. They played for each other, they played for the organization, they played for the fans. The love that was built in that dressing room still gives me chills to this day. When you're talking to players that have filtered onto the East Coast Hockey League or the SPHL, or even the real world in real jobs, the one thing they always say is how close the bonds were on that team and the brotherhoods that were created were pretty special ... It was an ultimate dream come true for me and allowed me to springboard my career into an assistant coach in Kalamazoo here in the ECHL."

Added Sorcher, "It's been amazing for me to watch Billy go from one of the most detested opponents in Danbury to now the Ring of Honor in the same building. It is an amazing journey, and I am so happy for him and all his success. He truly over-delivered and it is probably what we all should have expected."

On Alumni Night, the Hat Tricks will raise a banner including the names of this year's honorees next to the team's banners, the previous Danbury Ring of Honor members, and former Whalers winger Corey Fulton's retired number.

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