Thurston Cooke was born on July 10, 1892, in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He learned to skate and play hockey on local ponds and on the East River area of New Glasgow. “Cookie,” as he was called during his 23-year hockey career, first played organized hockey in the Old Pictou County League.

Thurston was “built like a Sherman tank and he was famous for his bull-like rushes on the ice.” He was a star defenceman and “because of his great strength he often scored goals from the far end of the ice.” When Thurston lived in Nova Scotia he played for teams in Amherst, Truro, and Halifax. Later he went on to play with a team in Saskatchewan where he then played across the border in the United States.

Thurston moved back to Nova Scotia and was the owner/operator of his own transport company, which operated between Halifax and New Glasgow. He passed away in 1980 in New Glasgow and is an Original Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame Inductee.