Kroppy is the King of Kenora

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2012 (4788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Len Kropioski might be the most famous Jets fans this side of Dancing Gabe.

The 94-year-old WWII veteran became an overnight sensation last hockey season when he was shown on the big screen belting out “Oh Canada!” while saluting the Maple Leaf. On more than one occasion, he made the national television broadcast.

Shortly after, the Free Press ran a front page story  on the man known as Kroppy, as well as posting a video of him on our website.

Most of the feedback we received was very positive as other Jets fans were eager to find out a little bit about him.

But some of it was negative. Not of Kroppy, of course, but that we had told such a superficial story. He was much more than just a hockey fan with good seats at the MTS Centre, residents in Kenora – where Kroppy lives – were quick to tell us. He’s a well-respected citizen and veteran but he is perhaps without peer when it comes to supporting hockey and baseball in the northwest Ontario town.

He has been cheering, coaching and spending money out of his own pocket on others for most of his life. And in his own special and unique way, he has impacted people in a manner that few are likely to forget.

Now that we’ve seen him in his home and surrounding community, we realize that he is, indeed, the King of Kenora.