Remembering those we lost in 2021…

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/01/2022 (1545 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As we begin a new year that hopefully will be better than the past two, it’s time to remember those sports people whom we lost during 2021.

Three honoured members of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF) died this past year. Jim Ursel’s curling success from high school to the senior level — which included skipping teams to a Canadian men’s championship and two national senior titles — earned him induction in 1997. A 2009 inductee, Audrey (Haine) Daniels was just 17 when she left Winnipeg to pitch in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Dave Drybrough was inducted as an athlete/builder in 2009 for his success on the track and his contributions to athletics.

More than a dozen members of teams inducted into the MSHOF also passed. From hockey, George Robertson starred for the 1946 Canadian junior champion Winnipeg Monarchs. Harvey Fleming and Ron Hutchinson were linemates on the 1957 Memorial Cup champion Flin Flon Bombers, and Scotty Wales was a member of the 1959 Cup winning Winnipeg Braves.

Football lost Mort Corrin of the 1954 intermediate Winnipeg Rams, Bill Kehrer of the 1955 junior Rods, and Garth Day of the 1956 Rods. All three teams won Canadian titles. Ted Mikliechuk played for the 1958 and 1961 Canadian champion Blue Bombers and Len Amey was the equipment manager of the 1984 and 1988 Grey Cup-winning Bombers.

Ray Charambura was inducted twice in to the MSHOF. First in 1991 as the coach of the 1967 Canadian men’s softball champion and 1968 world finalist Molson Canadians and then in 2015 with the 1954 Rams football team. Jimmy Johnson was an infielder for Molson. Ernie Boushy skipped his Heather team to the Canadian mixed curling title in 1964 and 1967. Tom Johnstone played for the 1970 Manitoba Selects team that won the national soccer championship.

On Dec. 12, the sports community lost Len Morrow, who played for the Manitoba junior lacrosse all-star teams that reached the Canadian final in 1954 and 1955 and were inducted in 2017. He also played hockey for the 1953 and 1954 provincial juvenile hockey champion Winnipeg Monarchs and junior for the Monarchs and the Prince Albert Mintos. Morrow was an inducted member of the Manitoba Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The lacrosse shrine also lost inductees Jim Palmer and Glenn Christianson, who played for the 1951 Manitoba all-star team that won the Western Canada title.  

It was final face-off time for several inducted members of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. George Robertson, Jimmy Johnson, Don Dietrich and former Portage Terriers’ goalie Curt Ridley, who died in Texas on Dec. 19, played in the NHL. Len Thornson spent 14 seasons in the IHL. Mike Daski, who died in Germany on Christmas Eve at age 92, had a lengthy playing and coaching career in Europe. Murray Balagus and Allan Lee were fine players in their home province. Gerry Varnes was honoured as an official.

A list of more than 70 members of the hockey community who passed can be found in The Final Face-Off column on the provincial hockey hall of fame website at www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca

McCreary-born Todd Kabel, who died in Toronto in March, was one of Canada’s top jockeys of all-time. In 1995 and again in 2004, Kabel, who had great success riding at Assiniboia Downs, where he won three riding titles, was named Manitoba male athlete of the year. During his career, he rode 3,306 winners.

Rick Borland was an outstanding player in racquet sports and his abilities earned him induction into the Tennis Manitoba Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Squash Manitoba shrine with its inaugural class in 2018. A multi-sport athlete, he skipped his Kelvin team to victory in the main Free Press event in the 1961 high school curling bonspiel and was selected as a high school football all-star offensive guard in 1962.

Athletes and volunteers from other sports will be remembered in the second Memories of Sport column this month.