More than just a superfan — a super Canadian

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/09/2016 (3303 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are two kinds of sports fans. There’s the boorish fan, often drunk and always hyper-competitive, who throws beer and hurls profanity at children in a perversion of sports-like conduct.

Then, there’s the fan like Kroppy — 98-year-old Len (Kroppy) Kropioski — who became famous on the national stage for his dogged support for the Winnipeg Jets and his passionate rendition of O Canada. This is the fan Canadians should try to emulate.

Mr. Kropioski died Tuesday in Kenora. He had been ill since last December.

He was more than just a superfan, although he most certainly was that. His love of Winnipeg hockey began in the old days of the WHA in the late 1970s and then morphed into the NHL Jets 1.0. When the Jets left the city, Mr. Kropioski embraced the Manitoba Moose. With the return of the NHL, he once again was a fixture, and his singing of the national anthem captured the eye of True North Sports & Entertainment’s game cameraman, who focused on the Second World War veteran saluting during the verses.

People loved the image, and it became a Jets tradition. During every Jets home game, Kroppy’s face would be featured on the Jumbotron, much to the crowd’s delight.

Behind the scenes, however, there was more to Mr. Kropioski than just fandom. In Kenora, residents talked about his philanthropy for those playing hockey and baseball; he supplied teams with uniforms, paid entry fees and bought equipment. When asked by the Free Press why he was so supportive, he talked about being a kid in the middle of the Great Depression and not being able to afford hockey skates. The local skate sharpener gave him a pair — which he still had and proudly showed off in 2012. He vowed then that if he could, he would give back.

And give back he did. Not only with his support, but with his spirit and his patriotism, talking openly and often about his love for his country.

Mr. Kropioski served with the Winnipeg Grenadiers during the Second World War and at one point was posted with American forces sent to retake Japanese-held positions in Alaska. He described accepting the Victoria Cross — awarded posthumously to his good friend Andrew Mynarski, who died while saving a fellow soldier — as one of his proudest moments.

Kroppy had many public accolades, many moments when his presence and dedication rink-side were acknowledged, including the creation of a collector’s pin called the “Kroppy salute,” and yet he seemed amazed by the attention — the consummate humble Canadian.

There are the bad fans, the drunks, the swearers, the ones who wear ball caps during the anthem. Those who ruin the joy of sport — any sport.

Then, there’s Mr. Kropioski, may he rest in peace.