Former Flyers player dies fighting Pennsylvania fire

By C. Scott Holland

For many in the world of junior hockey, it was a shock to learn on Monday, July 5 of the passing of former Flyers player and Spitfires video coach, Sean DeMuynck.

DeMuynck died serving the Pennsylvania community of Penn Wynne/Overbrook after he responded to a fire call around 10:30 pm on Sunday, July 4. He was found unresponsive on the third floor of a house where the fire department was battling a blaze, about 30 minutes after arriving on the scene.

Penn Wynne/Overbrook is a suburb of Philadelphia and Sean had been a volunteer for the fire department since August 2019. It was to be his last day with the department as he and his wife were set to return to Canada on Monday, July 5.

SEAN DeMUYNCK

Sean played two Junior B seasons as an AP for the Strathroy Rockets (2001-03) then full-time for Petrolia in 2005-06 and finally was a captain for the Leamington Flyers in 2006-07.

In his final season he scored 13 goals with nine coming on the powerplay. After that, he played two seasons for the University of Western Ontario. His career Jr. B totals were 77 games played, 18 goals, 32 assists for 50 pts.

In 2012-13 he became an assistant coach for the Belle River Jr. C Canadiens and then joined the Windsor Spitfires where he was a video coach from 2013 through 2018 and won a Memorial Cup as part of the Spits’ 2017-18 team.

“Sean was an awesome person to be around,” said Windsor Spitfires GM Bill Bowler. “He always came to the rink prepared. He will be greatly missed by everyone.”

To the Penn Wynne/Overbrook community, DeMuynck died a “true hero.”

DeMuynck was 36.