Alan Hunt's Linklog

Three Innisfil teenagers are charged with second-degree murder after a Collingwood man was killed at a glow-in-the-dark mini-putt course Saturday night in Barrie.

According to the victim’s 20-year-old son, Dustin, two girls aged 7 and 4 complained to their father about three rowdy teenagers who were “breaking stuff and being jerks,” according to Hubbard’s oldest son, Dustin, 20. Hubbard told the teens to stop messing around, Dustin Hubbard said, “then things got out of hand and someone stabbed my dad in the neck with a broken putter.”

Cierra thought it was some sort of trick. Jayla didn’t know what was going on and Hubbard’s girlfriend, Stephanie Reed, was hysterical. Police swarmed the indoor course around 9:30 p.m. and paramedics rushed Hubbard, 42, to Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, where he was pronounced dead.

Hubbard was a big family man: big in size at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds and big in family with seven children from three women. “He loved to party,” said Tammy Hussey, Hubbard’s ex-wife and Dustin’s mother. She has two other children with Hubbard, Hailey, 16, and Brodie, 14.

“Hailey is taking it really hard,” Hussey said, “So tonight I’m going to give her the engagement ring Brad gave me.” Sunday would have been the couple’s 18th anniversary — but they split up 14 years ago. “He was a bit of a hard ass, but he was a big softie inside,” Dustin Hubbard said. When Dustin was 12, Hubbard gave him a bull mastiff mix as a Christmas present. Like Hubbard, Igor, now 8, is huge at 130 pounds.

“Igor’s my buddy, just like my dad was — more of a friend than a dad,” Dustin Hubbard said. But life was difficult for Hubbard, despite the partying. “He had a hard time making money because he had so many kids to take care of,” Dustin Hubbard said. “But he always came out on top.” Hubbard had two other sons, Connor, 7, and Tyler, 6. He oscillated between Reed’s place in Collingwood and his mother’s place in Elmvale, where he was born to Joan and Dennis. His true passion was his motorcycle, a custom chopper he built from scratch. “It was his pride and joy,” Dustin Hubbard said. “I hope I get it. It will be a great way to remember him.”

Nicole Hubbard (no relation), who lives in Elmvale and used to babysit Dustin, Hailey and Brodie, recalls Hubbard’s sense of humour. “He was so fun and funny — he could make people laugh, even at a funeral,” said Nicole Hubbard. She also recalled his focus. “He once stayed up for three straight days playing World of Warcraft,” she said. “He was pretty fried after that, but that’s who he was, dedicated to whatever he was doing.” It has been a trying weekend for Hussey and Hubbard’s three children with Hussey. They lost their aunt to ovarian and brain cancer on Sunday. But Dustin said the family stay strong, just like their father was in life. Dustin said not only did he lose a father, he lost a friend. “We used to go drinking at the bars and have a good time,” he said. “Guess I won’t be doing that with him anymore.”