Celebrating the spirit of ’59

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2009 (6362 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FIFTY years ago, the Winnipeg Braves made hockey history, but any one of them will tell you it could have been 50 minutes ago.

The Winnipeg Braves junior hockey team won the 1959 Memorial Cup and remains the last team from Manitoba to win what is major junior hockey’s top prize. On June 12 and 13, as many as 14 of the team’s remaining players will assemble in Winnipeg to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their victory over the Peterborough TPT Petes.

"Somebody said, just after we won it, ‘What you young fellows have accomplished will be with you forever’ and it really has, for all of us," says Laurie Langrell, a winger on the team’s sniper line, dubbed the "L-line", with Bob Leiter and Al LeBlanc. Langrell had three two-goal games for the Braves, who won the best-of-seven series 4-1.

Al Baty scored three goals in the Braves’ 6-2 victory in the fifth game, which clinched the series and won the Memorial Cup.

"It meant a lot to us, and I remember (coach) Bill Allum telling us there were 11 of us who finished our last year of junior, we would never get another chance to win it," said Baty, who lives in Selkirk. "Don Cherry summed it up a few years ago that it is the hardest cup to win because you’re young and (with the 20-year-old age restriction) you don’t have another chance at it."

Youngest

Leiter, now 68 and living in Gimli, was the youngest player on that championship team at age 17.

"I didn’t know at the time how huge this was to win the Memorial Cup," Leiter says. "Now it’s the 50th and nobody’s won it in between, which seems absolutely amazing to me. There hasn’t been anyone who’s snuck in there and won it for Manitoba since."

On June 12, the team will have an evening of horse racing at Assiniboia Downs where there will be a special race named in their honour. On June 13, the players will have a day of golf and dinner at Transcona Country Club.

The fifth and deciding game of the 1959 series was played in Brandon because the Winnipeg Arena was occupied by the Shrine Circus. Petes coach Scotty Bowman, just 25 years old at the time, got tossed out of that game for an unusual move.

In a story on his blog, Taking Note, Kamloops Daily News sports editor Gregg Drinnan recounted the Canadian Press story written at the time:

"The rugged game almost got out of hand in the third period when coach Scotty Bowman of the Petes was first given a bench penalty for slapping a stick on the boards, then ejected from the rink for pulling out his wallet and appearing to offer money to referee Len Corriveau of Quebec City."

The remaining members of the team got together two years ago for Addison’s 99th birthday, but Langrell said the June celebration could be the last time they get together.

Eight team members have died — five players and three executives, including manager Bill Addison, who turned 100 last year but died in January. The players have been invited by Addison’s family to attend the interment of his ashes on June 12 at 4 p.m. at Chapel Lawn.

 

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca