hockeywords.com. January 3, 2022

(Fisg press release) – The  Italian Ice Sports Federation  painfully learns the news of the death  of Tom Milani , which took place on 29 December last, and fondly remembers the former  ice hockey player  with a long militancy both in the Italian championship and in the national team. 

Milani was born in Canada in  Thunder  Bay , and moved to  Italy , the homeland of her family, in the early 1980s. 

In Serie A he wore the shirts of  Bolzano ,  Asiago ,  Brunico ,  Como ,  Merano ,  Varese  and  Fiemme, winning  two  league titles  with Merano and Varese. Moreover, since 1981 he has been a fixed point of the national team, being part of the first “batch” of  natives  who helped Italy to reach positions of absolute prestige on a world level. 

After his debut in blue, dated 11 September 1980 in  Villach  in a friendly match with VSV, Milani played 115 games until 1986, scoring 38 goals and 33 assists. 

“I had the pleasure of playing with him in  Asiago  – remembers the  president of the FISG ,  Andrea Gios  – when I appeared in the first team – together with Dave Tomassoni and Tom Ross he formed what we called” the 3 Toms band”, And contributed decisively to our growth. As an opponent I remember him above all for the defeat in   the 1986 Scudetto final when he played for Merano ”.

Tom Milani (with John Bellio) during the 1981 World Championship in Ortisei (Photo: FISG)

“With the national team jersey   – adds the director of the FISG hockey sector,  Tommaso  Teofoli  – he participated in the  historic World Championship in Ortisei 1981, when Italy returned to the elite of world hockey: in two other group A world championships in 1982 and 1983; at  the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics;  and two other Group B World Championships ”.

Tom Milani passed away in recent days at the age of 69 in Thunder Bay, in the Canadian state of Ontario.