As members of the 1952 Fort Frances Canadians senior men’s hockey team prepare to be honoured tomorrow evening during the official opening of the Memorial Sports Centre, many of them had a chance to remember that remarkable run to the Allan Cup that year.
About a dozen of the former players are expected to be on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m.
Some are now deceased while others live outside of the district. Still others had prior commitments they couldn’t cancel.
The former Memorial Arena is being renamed “’52 Canadians Arena” in their honour while the new ice surface will be named “Ice for Kids Arena.”
The town also will honour district residents who lost their lives in World War I and II during tomorrow’s ceremony.
Ric Ricard said it’s a special tribute to be recognized for their Allan Cup championship (clinched with a 4-1 win in Game 6 over the Stratford Indians in front of almost 3,000 spectators here) almost a half-century later.
“It feels great, it’s always nice to attend something like that,” said Ricard, who later played semi-pro hockey in London, England. “It [the recognition] caught us by surprise, we had no inkling.”
Sambo Fedoruk, a star defenceman with the Canadians and team captain, agreed the team is honoured to be recognized by the town.
“I’m glad the town is doing something like that,” said Fedoruk, adding he has yet to see the inside of the new rink. “I’m going to wait until that day.”
But the Canadians almost didn’t even get out of the first round back in 1952, falling behind 3-0 in their best-of-seven series with the Fort William Beavers before clawing back to capture the Thunder Bay District championship.
“It was a tough series,” recalled former Canadians’ forward ‘Doc’ Johnson. “The toughest of the whole lot. We had to squeeze the win down [3-0].”
The Canadians also had to fight back from a 3-2 deficit against the Letellier Maple Leafs, edging the home side 5-4 in the seventh game played in Winnipeg for the Manitoba title.
Then they beat Edmonton 5-3 here at Memorial Arena in the sixth game of their Western Canadian championship to earn their second-straight berth into the Allan Cup final (they had lost in seven games to the Owen Sound Mercuries the previous season).
The Canadians, a team built on speed and smooth passing, was a solid unit of three forward lines that could put the puck in the net. Passing was their forte, and they had plenty of skillful players up front to mesmerize opposing defences.
They dominated senior hockey during an era in which that level was considered elite. Many of the players moved up the local minor hockey ranks, playing together for years.
And they did it by shortening their bench to just three regular defenceman back on the blueline–a feat unheard of in this day and age.
“They didn’t have as much experience,” noted Johnson.
Buck Riley, 85, of International Falls, Mn., who refereed the opening series against the Beavers, remembered the Canadians as a highly-talented team with plenty of offensive capabilities.
“It was unbelievable hockey to watch,” he recalled. “It was not quite NHL but next to it. It was fantastic hockey–three or four players from that team would make the present-day NHL with all those teams.
“They had a helluva hockey team. They were a relaxed group, a clean team, I can’t remember any dirty hockey,” he added.
Riley, who said he’ll try to attend tomorrow’s ceremony, noted the honour couldn’t have been bestowed on a greater bunch of guys.
“I loved the guys, I consider many of them to be my great friends,” he said. “There’s no greater honour than to be recognized by your peers and fellow man.
“It was a great hockey team–one of the greatest to ever play in Fort Frances,” he remarked.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
