Duluth’s Mark Sertich, World’s Oldest Hockey Player Dies at 99

Hubbards sister station WDIO reports, Duluth’s Mark Sertich, dubbed the "World’s Oldest Hockey Player," has passed away at the age of 99.

Sertich’s sister, Katherine Gasman, confirmed the news with WDIO. She recalled watching him skate on his birthday every year.

His 99th birthday celebration looked a little different this July as family and friends celebrated with a drive-by parade. An ambulance, trucks from the Duluth fire department, Duluth police officers, friends and family drove past his Duluth house.

For his past birthdays, Sertich has skated with family and friends at the Essentia Duluth Heritage Center.

At the age of 95, the Guinness Book of World Records deemed Sertich the oldest hockey player in the world. He’s broken his own mark before. The Guinness World Records required Seritch to skate in an actual competition, so he became a frequent participant in the Snoopy Senior Tournament in Santa Rosa, California.

Birthdays or not, Sertich often played hockey multiple times a week in the Duluth Firefighter’s morning games. He was often seen wearing his grandson Andy Sertich’s pro hockey jersey from a team in Austria.

He helped raise seven kids with his late wife Virginia, had a long career in the grain business with Peavey Elevator and served in World War II.