Owen George was a 21-year-old lacrosse player from Cochrane — a quiet leader, a loyal friend, and remembered by one teammate simply as a brother.
He played offence for the Junior B Rockyview Silvertips in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League and was drafted in 2020, following years in the Rockyview Rage system. The Silvertips are based out of Airdrie after moving from Cochrane in 2024.
George died on Saturday, May 31. The team confirmed it publicly in a social media post published Tuesday, June 3.
"This is a hard one to write," the post began. "Early on Saturday, May 31st the Silvertips family lost one of our own. Owen George, age 21, tragically passed away in an accident."
Although a career opportunity kept him from returning for his final season, the team said he stayed close to the group.
"He did still came out [sic] to see the guys and participated in a few practices – even once in his cowboy boots."
At the team’s next game on Sunday, June 1, the Silvertips held a moment of silence.
"Owen’s jersey will continue to be in the dressing room and on the bench with the team for the remainder of the season."
Remembered as a brother
Stone Dunbar-Korenda played with Owen George on the Silvertips. Their bond, he said, began at training camp.
"The energy he would bring as a rookie into the dressing room, onto the floor — it was unbelievable."
Dunbar-Korenda said George cared deeply about those around him, never himself.
"All he really cared about was how other people were doing. His problems were the last thing on his mind," he said. "If coach wanted to put him in a different role, there was no fight back. It was just, ‘Yes — whatever I can do to better the team.’"
He said George raised the people around him, not for attention, but because that was his nature.
"That's just the guy he was… he picked up everyone around him and raised them up and almost put them on a pedestal."
Grief, he said, has followed him every day since.
"Everything I’m doing right now is just — he’s in the back of my mind and probably will be forever," Dunbar-Korenda said. "I see a truck that looks similar to his truck, or my first thought in the morning is him."
He remembered George as someone who made life feel lighter — and never backed down from an adventure.
"He would come to Calgary, pick me up to drive back to Cochrane. Always up for an adventure. Always saying yes. Always ready for something."
"I admired that of him because I myself [am] not as carefree as him. It’s something I looked up to him for — being very charismatic and very carefree. The thing I miss — the thing that’s stuck in my head — is just how carefree, go-lucky."
Asked what George meant to him, Dunbar-Korenda didn’t hesitate:
"Brother," he said.
On the floor and off it
Nate Shaback also played with George. Together, they shared the left side of the offence.
"He was really kind, and he just seemed very inviting. He was also left like he's a left-handed, offensive guy, so I am as well. So just he's made it really easy to talk to."
George didn’t speak often, he said — but when he did, everyone listened. His leadership wasn’t loud. It was constant.
"It’s just good to have him still, like, respected and commemorated. He was kind of that glue guy, that guy that kind of held everybody together," Shaback said. "He had that kind of leader vibe to him. Even if he didn’t say a whole lot, he showed it. He didn’t need to say much. You just knew who he was."
When asked to describe what George meant to him, Shaback struggled.
"I don’t think I could fit that in little words to describe a guy like Owen," he said.
"It’s gut-wrenching"
Tyler Waycott coached George on the Silvertips and said the news of his death has left not only him but the entire lacrosse community reeling.
"It’s gut-wrenching. Not just for me, but for the organization."
He said the word "family" wasn’t a motto — it was how the team operated.
"In our previous years, we wore the name on the backboard warmup shirts, and it’s actually still in the collar of our jerseys. It says 'family.'"
"We’re proud of the culture that we have, the environment that we have for our players."
He said junior lacrosse is about more than sport. It’s a five-year journey — and George embraced it fully.
"You get to know these young men when we draft them — they’re 16, 17 years old. Then you see them move on to university or trade schools, or start to pursue that next step in their life. You have them for anywhere from one year to all five years of their junior career."
He said George made the decision to step away in 2024 for an apprenticeship — but not without support.
"One was an opportunity to pursue his apprenticeship, which led to him missing his final year of junior lacrosse with us," Waycott said. "We got to be part of those conversations — telling him there’s life after the sport, and there’s opportunities that come around in life that you just can’t pass on. Providing him with that support and reassurance — he was ecstatic."
Waycott recalled one memory in particular.
"One of my most powerful memories was bringing my son on a road trip. Owen sat with him, made him feel part of the team — not just the coach’s kid catching a ride."
He called George “the most welcoming human being.”
"I got to stay in touch a few times, even throughout last year when he wasn’t part of the team. Even after — say, just a couple months ago, maybe a little longer — I shot him a text just to touch base."
His last memory was a game that meant everything.
"The Lethbridge trip that I was speaking about was during our 2023 season," he wrote. "The game that stood out to me was July 27, 2023. Game one of our playoff series against Red Deer in the second period."
"He’ll be deeply missed."
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