Preserving Winnipeg’s sports history

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This article was published 07/01/2022 (1375 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Who needs Netflix when you got Winnipeg’s sports history on tape?

At least, that’s how local sports broadcasting legend Joe Pascucci sees it.

Pascucci may have retired as Global Winnipeg’s sports director in 2014 after a 32-year career at the station and moved back to his hometown of Toronto, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about the sports scene in the Keystone Province.

With a video library featuring some of the most memorable moments in Winnipeg Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers history, Pascucci has managed to stay connected to his home away from home by sharing some of his best finds on social media (@Pascucci015 on Twitter and @JPascucci015 on Instagram).

 

Happy New Year and on this first day of 2022 a special video for Jets fans. My favourite #22 for the Jets was Bengt Lundolm who had the slickest hands on the team. What was amazing is that Lundholm didn’t score more goals. Just 48 in 275 games. Most brought you out of your seat. pic.twitter.com/2qY6xopQeY

— Joe Pascucci (@Pascucci015) January 1, 2022

 

 

“There’s still stories to tell. I really do love telling stories and I like finding the little gems in a game and highlighting those,” Pascucci, 65, said in a phone interview.

“… Every 10 years there’s a brand new audience of Bombers fans and Jets fans who haven’t seen a lot of this stuff. It’s nice to show it to them again.”

Nearly every day is Throwback Thursday on Pascucci’s page as he shares footage of things such Bombers linebacker Rod Hill setting a CFL record for interceptions in a game with five against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 9, 1990. He’s also dug up some more obscure moments such Jets superstar Dale Hawerchuk taking the lone penalty shot of his hall of fame career, an attempt on Washington Capitals netminder Clint Malarchuk on Dec. 17, 1988. Pascucci typically posts these clips on their anniversary date.

But how did Pascucci get his hands on this stuff?

Well, when Global TV moved shop from St. Mary’s Road to its current digs at Portage and Main in 2008, the station was looking to downsize. That meant equipment from prehistoric times such as three-quarter-inch videotapes weren’t brought along on the move. But Pascucci didn’t want the originals to get tossed out, or for this content to never be seen again, so he brought the tapes home with him and converted them on his computer. Most of those tapes were from the ‘80s and ‘90s, but through his connections in the industry, plus some searching online, Pascucci has been able to add video of the WHA era Jets and the early days of Bombers football to his stash.

 

Still one of the greatest individual achievements in a team sport that I have ever witnessed. Matt Dunigan’s CFL record 713 passing yards on this day July 14, 1994. Made headlines all over North America pic.twitter.com/xYLaNPaxdK

— Joe Pascucci (@Pascucci015) July 14, 2021

 

“For whatever reason, I’ve always had a love for history. So, when I came to Winnipeg, I became immersed in the history of sports in Winnipeg and Manitoba and I was like ‘Wow, there’s a lot of stuff here,’” said Pascucci. “So, I’m just trying to preserve it because too much of it gets lost and is gone forever.”

It’s a time consuming hobby to watch, digitize, and organize everything, but Pascucci, an honoured member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Broadcasters Association of Manitoba Hall of Fame, has it down to a system. For example, Bob Gladney was a defenceman from Newfoundland who had one goal and five assists in 14 career NHL games. That one and only goal came against the Jets in November of 1983 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last year, Gladney’s son was on the hunt for a clip of the play as he wanted to surprise his dad with it for his birthday.

Pascucci was able to find it in five minutes.

But Pascucci isn’t satisfied with what he has just yet. Ask him if there’s a certain game or play he’s looking for and he’ll answer before you can even finish the question: the 1935 Grey Cup. The Winnipeg ‘Pegs defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 18-12 in Hamilton to win their first Grey Cup in franchise history.

“There has to be film of it. There has to be film somewhere of the 1935 Grey Cup. It’s the first time a team West of Ontario won the Grey Cup,” Pascucci said.

“There’s highlights of the first Grey Cup in 1909. There’s highlights of other Grey Cups in those years, so why not 1935? That’s the one I’m trying to find.”

When Pascucci, who grew up dreaming of becoming the play-by-play voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, took a job at CKND (now Global) in 1982, the plan was to stay in Winnipeg for two years. Four years later, he became the sports director and ended up hosting a nightly sports television show for Manitobans called Sportsline.

“I got to see the appreciation and love of the Winnipeg sports fans for their teams… I didn’t want to leave because I was having so much fun there,” he said.

A few years after retirement, Pascucci’s wife Elizabeth Blazanovic was working for Scotiabank and got transferred to Toronto. The couple and their two sons Nicholas and Joseph made the move out East and have been there ever since.

He’s no longer on your TV, but Pascucci remains busy and involved in sports. You’ll sometimes see him in the press box at Maple Leafs games doing freelance work as a stats guy for visiting broadcast teams. Pascucci also found a job right up his alley with the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) where he digitizes and organizes their video collection, in addition to doing some fact-checking.

It’s the perfect post-retirement line of work for Pascucci.

“In some respects, I’ve rewritten the NHL record book. Long a dream of mine,” he said with a laugh.

“I just like to be historically accurate.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31