Jul 02, 2009 - 02:36 PM

By Brian McNair

TORONTO -- If Steve Cardwell was permitted to, he likely would have invited many more people to the podium to accept the Ontario Hockey Federation Senior Hockey Award on Saturday.

Although a deserving winner well beyond what he's done as president of the Whitby Dunlops, Cardwell insisted the award would not have been possible without the contributions of so many people within the organization this past season, a particularly difficult one in light of the Don Sanderson tragedy.

"I think this award was more about the Whitby Dunlops as an organization and certainly what we went through last year," said Cardwell, referring to Sanderson's death, which came three weeks after an on-ice fight left him in a coma. "I think everybody in the hockey fraternity took a look at the Dunlops and saw the tragedy of last year and how the team performed on the ice and how we conducted ourselves. I think that was one of the bigger catalysts behind giving out the award."

Those involved with the Dunlops often refer to themselves as a family, something Cardwell has long maintained is imperative at the senior hockey level.

The 58-year-old Whitby resident was one of 30 business people who brought the historic franchise back to the ice in 2004. In five short years, the team has already made three trips to the Allan Cup national championships.

"From the executive to our players to our fans to our volunteers, the combination between those four very important groups is what you have to have in senior hockey," he said of what makes the team tick. "Without that partnership of the four groups, it just doesn't work."

Born and raised in Toronto, Cardwell played for the Oshawa Generals for two seasons prior to a nine-year professional career that included 53 games in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After retiring from pro hockey, Cardwell settled in Whitby and spent several years coaching his sons, capturing two OMHA championships with his youngest, Matt.

The family affair is quite literal with the Cardwells where the Dunlops are concerned, as both Matt and brother Justin have played for the team. Justin, now retired from playing, has just been named the team's general manager to go along with the coaching title he was given last year.

The Dunlops also recently announced that game times for their traditional Saturday games will be switched from 6:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. this season in an attempt to boost attendance.