Mystery at Clear Lake

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/09/2016 (3292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One sunny winter day in 1933, 10 men stood on the ice at Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park, got their picture taken, then played, and lost, a couple of hockey games against an intermediate hockey team from Dauphin.

The men were part of the Riding Mountain Relief Camp All-Stars, a group of hockey players from various work camps around the lake who would play against teams from the surrounding communities.

Riding Mountain National Park was the only park at the time that had organized sports events for camp workers. The Sunday games would attract hundreds of spectators. The goalie was none other than a young Walter (Turk) Broda, who would go on to win five Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But the full identities of the other Riding Mountain all-stars who played against Dauphin remain a mystery.

Park staff found two lists of names associated with the games against Dauphin, but only have the last names: Broda’s teammates were Beatty, Galbraith, Porier, Osmack, Brodack, Pickup, Johnson, Dinsdale, and Parrott.

Two of the men played for the Elmwood Millionaires before coming to Clear Lake, but it’s unknown who they are.

Parks Canada is hoping to learn more about this piece of Riding Mountain’s history.

Anyone who can identify the players or know their personal stories is asked to contact Fred Sheppard at 204-848-7256 or by email at fred.sheppard@pc.gc.ca.