King's alumnus inducted into Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame

King’s alumnus Ryan McKie, BA ’03 Economics, was inducted into the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame as part of the induction dinner held at the RBC Convention Centre in London on September 22. McKie was captain of the Western Mustangs National Championship hockey team in 2002.

McKie says he was both surprised and humbled by the induction. He says he was very fortunate to have had a group of great teammates while playing for the Western Mustangs. He adds that his induction into the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame is a reflection of those teammates.

Born in Kenora, Ontario, McKie came to King’s after playing for the London Knights and Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League. He was looking to stay in Ontario and knew that King’s had a great reputation. After being out of high school for several years, McKie says the smaller setting King’s offered made it easier to fit in.

McKie says he has many great memories of King’s, especially the support he and his teammates received from Robin Ellis, now Coordinator, Admissions and Recruitment. “Robin Ellis was fantastic. She’s an amazing person,” says McKie. He explains that Ellis helped him and many of his teammates with things like putting together their class schedules. “I owe her a ton of gratitude, as do many of my teammates,” he adds.

As a defenseman, McKie played 101 regular season games for the Mustangs from 1999-2003, scoring 14 goals and 55 assists. In each of his four years with the Mustangs, McKie was named an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) All-Star and was recognized as an All-Canadian for his final two years while serving as team captain. He helped the Mustangs to three straight Queen’s Cup appearances between 2000 and 2002, including the 2002 championship. In 2018, McKie was inducted into the Western Mustangs Men’s Hockey Wall of Champions.

“The relationships are what stand out when I look back at my time at King’s,” McKie says. He remains in touch and is still good friends with many of his Mustang teammates. “Without King’s, I would not have those relationships,” he adds.

McKie had what he calls “a cup of coffee” as a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League before heading to Norway to play for Trondheim. In May 2004, however, he decided to leave hockey behind. “It was time to turn the page,” he says.

McKie worked at CIBC for three summers while attending King’s, and is now a Senior Associate Wealth Advisor for CIBC Private Wealth. “Taking Economics translated into what I do today; the skills I use today, I can trace back to my time at King’s,” he says. “King’s did a great job of opening doors for me and providing that one-on-one, more personal approach in the classroom.”

He adds, “No two days are ever the same. I’m happy to come to work every day. These are all good things.”

Congratulations, Ryan!