The local sporting community has suffered another blow.

Toby McDonald, a Newfoundland curler and Olympic gold medal-winning coach, passed away at the age of 75.

McDonald was a member of the Jack MacDuff Newfoundland curling ring that won the MacDonald Brier in 1976. It was the very first Newfoundland curling team ever to win the Brier.

McDonald also coached Team Gushue to Olympic gold at the Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy, in 2006. He was appointed to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador that same year.

Provincial MHA, and a member of the gold medal team, Jamie Korab is expressing his shock and disbelief at McDonald’s passing, while St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen is also expressing his sadness on the passing of a man he calls a “great friend to many” and “a respected lawyer and community leader.”