It’s not a race… it’s an adventure

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2024 (835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Daniel Perry, the assistant principal bassist for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, is the most recent Manitoba cyclist to complete the Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska. Participants bike, run, or ski 350 miles from the starting point in Knik Lake to McGrath, in what organizers describe as “a true test of human endurance, adaptability and mental fortitude.”

The ITI350 is not a race but an adventure to most participants. Competitors travel under their own power, which for Perry was a Salsa Beargrease fat bike, and haul their survival gear. There are six checkpoints with food and minimal sleeping quarters along the trail. This year’s adventure began on Feb. 25 and Perry rode and pushed his bike for three days, 20 hours and 59 minutes to finish in fourth place among the cyclists.

On March 20, at Bikes and Beyond on Henderson Hwy, Perry told the story of his Alaska adventure to about 75 people. In attendance were three other Manitobans who had successfully completed the ITI350 in previous years. Lindsay Gauld, a 1997 Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductee, did it in 2013; Dan Lockery did it twice in, 2017 and 2018; and Phil Roadley completed the journey in 2023.

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While recently digging through some files, this columnist came across the timekeepers and scorekeepers schedule for a long-forgotten hockey tournament, the 1979 Air Canada Cup. Held at Winnipeg Arena from April 16 to 22, it was the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association’s official midget AAA national championship, replacing an invitational tournament. Ten provinces competed, along with teams from the Ottawa and Thunder Bay Districts.

Teams were divided into DC8 and DC9 ‘flights’ in which they played five preliminary games. In the DC8 division, Ontario’s St. Michael’s College Buzzers, Saskatchewan rep Notre Dame Hounds, and the North Shore Winter Club from B.C. tied with 4-1 records. Goals for and against became the decisive factor in determining the group winner and runner-up. St. Mike’s earned a spot in the final, Notre Dame dropped to the bronze medal game, and North Shore was out. The Couillard de Ste-Foy squad from Quebec went 5-0 in the DC9 division while Ottawa West 79’s was second at 3-1-1.

Defense was missing in the gold medal match as Ste-Foy prevailed 9-7 in overtime. The Quebec squad led 7-3 early in the third period. Tournament points leader Claude Drouin scored three times, Andre Begin twice, and Mario Paradis and Richard Theberge added singles. Joseph McCallion, Tony Tanti, and Daniel Wood scored for St. Mike’s in the second period. St. Mike’s fought back in the third with goals by Ken Strong, Howard Scruton and Brent Chapman. Strong’s second came at 19:21 with the goalie out and forced the extra stanza. Guy Fournier was the hero for Quebec, scoring both overtime goals (the sudden death rule was not in effect). Notre Dame had an easy time in the bronze medal match, defeating Ottawa West 7-2.

Manitoba, which was represented by the St. James Canadians, finished the DC8 flight with a 1-3-1 record. The St. James lineup included future NHL star James Patrick and Bruce Eakin, who also had a long pro career.

Several players in the tournament, including Tanti, Al MacInnis, Gary Galley, and Paul Gillis went on to have lengthy NHL careers. Tournament MVP Pierre Rioux, Randy Heath, Paul Houck, Mike Moller, Andy Schliebner, Gord Sherven, and Claude Verret also reached the NHL.

Former Greater Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association referee-in-chief Clint Bradley was responsible for on- and off-ice officials, and he recruited this columnist, a former bantam B referee-in-chief, to assign the timekeepers, scorekeepers and statisticians. About 20 people volunteered with four assigned to each game. Their long list of duties numbered 25 items.

Some familiar names were among the volunteers. Harold Skazyk spent 20 years in the penalty box at Winnipeg rinks and wrote a book about his experiences. Norm Slobodzian served as president of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League. Danny McClure officiated in several sports. Barry Horeczy became a sports reporter, and then assistant sports editor for the Winnipeg Sun and, later, the Edmonton Journal. Ted Holland, my former writing partner with the Canstar Community News weeklies, was a statistician, and picked the three stars for several games.