On August 31, 2024, John Devaney hung up his skates, put away his golf clubs and turned off his computer. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family after a battle with cancer.

He is survived by his loving wife, Josée; daughter, Laura (Jan-Niklas); sons, Marc (Sarah) and David (Mikayla); grandchildren, Oliver John, Amélia and more to come; brothers, Bob (Betsey) and Tom (Linda); sister, Cathy (Pat); and many nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends.

He was predeceased by his parents, Thomas and Aileen; and his brother, Jim (survived by Joanne).

A life long Edmontonian, John followed in his family's tradition of involvement in all aspects of minor sports in the City of Edmonton. John's minor hockey career began on the outdoor rinks and continued on through all levels of the KC minor hockey program. 

Coming out of minor hockey, he was recruited by several schools in both Canada and the United States, but the outstanding quality and tradition of the Golden Bears Hockey program made it an easy decision for him to follow his three older brothers to the University of Alberta.

John began his collegiate career with the Golden Bears in 1976-77 and during three seasons wearing the green and gold he helped Alberta win two CIAU University Cup national championships and three Canada West conference crowns.

In his freshman season, the Golden Bears hosted the 1977 University Cup Final at Varsity Arena and fell 4-1 to the Toronto Varsity Blues before a sell-out crowd. The next two seasons would see th Golden Bears return to the University Cup Final winning the national title in 1978 with a 6-5 win over Toronto in Moncton and successfully defending their title in 1979 with a 5-1 win over Dalhousie University Tigers in Montreal. John led the tournament in scoring that season with 3 goals and 8 points as the Golden Bears played to a perfect 3-0 record. In his three University Cup appearances, John scored 8-8-16 in 8 games to rank seventh on the tournament's all-time scoring list.

John's outstanding leadership qualities saw him named as he golden Bears' assistant captain in 1977-78 and the teams' co-captain in 1978-79. In his final season, John dominated as the teams' outstanding player and scoring leader (26-38-66 points in 38 games). He was voted the Bears' MVP, won a berth on the Canada West 2nd All-Star Team, as well as on the CIAU University Cup All-Tournament Team. Outstanding attributes for an outstanding player.

1980 was an Olympic year and Father David Bauer invited a number of highly regarded young players to join his Olympic Team Selection Program. John Devaney, together with four other Golden Bears and Coach Drake, was selected to the 1980 Olympic team as Canada returned to the international stage for the first time since 1968.

His deceptive speed, "heads-up" team play, superb hand-eye coordination and fierce competitiveness not only won him a spot on Canada's 1980 Olympic hockey team, it also help to make him Canada's second highest scorer in pre-Olympic play. John went on to lead the Canadian team in scoring in Olympic Tournament play including games against the powerful USSR and the eventual Olympic gold medalists, the USA.

Following his play with the Canadian Olympic Team, John played professionally in Switizerland with EHC Visp. in1980-81. At the end of that year John returned to Canada and the Golden Bears as an assistant coach for two seasons (1982-83 and 1983-84). In 1986-87 John continued as a coach with the AJHL's Fort Saskatchewan Traders.