1927-28 Hockey Team:
Manager Tom Creighton (left),Trainer BB Snydal (right)
Mascots: Norman Stephansson (right), Eileen Hughes (right)
Back row: WF Hughes, GG Duncan, WK Huchinson
Front row: DE Bourke, J Hone, A Clow, HJ (Jack) Hartt

Perhaps the original Bombers?
This is a large photo by the way

Lila Stevens estate

  1929-30 Hockey Team:

Lockhart collection

  1938 when the Bombers won the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League Championship.
  A very good hockey club. For example, Sid Abel joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1938.

Flin Flon Archives

  1942 Flin Flon Bombers
  In the late '50s Bob Bowman came down from Island Falls to attend high school in Flin Flon. He looked exactly like his dad, Fred Bowman in this picture.

  Thanks to Morley Putney.

Flin Flon Archives

  1951 Bombers

Hec McCaig archives

  1953 Bombers

Hec McCaig archives

  The iconic photo that captured the Bombers during their finest time - the Memorial Cup victory in 1957.

  There is no question that Flin Flon was in many cases recognized because of hockey or more precisely, the Bombers. I lived in Montreal from 1967 to 1976 and played Oldtimers hockey. In Quebec, where hockey was the dominant sport and had a passionate following, many knew the name Flin Flon equalled hockey.

  Scotty Bowman, of Montreal and Detroit NHL fame, was the assistant coach for "Sad" Sam Pollock and the Hull-Ottawa Junior Canadiens, opponents for the Memorial Cup.

Hec McCaig archives

  Part of the crowd welcoming home the Bombers, winners of the Abbott Cup, Junior Championship for Western Canada.

  Al Hamilton and Dennis Rusinak can be picked out!

Flin Flon Reminder archives

  And the crowning glory, part of the crowd welcoming home the Bombers, winners of the Memorial Cup, Junior Championship for Canada.

  Looks like Bob Simpson, center - near the front.

Flin Flon Reminder archives

  The photo caption reads:
  Flin Flin Bombers Welcome Home 1957

Flin Flon Reminder archives

  Same day, same crowd, different vantage point of the scene in the picture on the left. Click on the thumbnail for a very large colour photo.

Carole Schumann collection

  The photo caption reads:
  John Diefenbaker visits Flin FLon, May 1957 to offer congratulations to the Bombers.

  Mr. Diefenbaker became Prime Minister of Canada one month later.

Flin Flon Reminder archives

  1961 Junior Bombers

Flin Flon Archives

  1963 Junior Bombers

Flin Flon Archives

  1965 Senior Warriors

  Many of these players began their careers in the Flin Flon Bantam, PeeWee, Midget, Juvenile and Junior Bomber hockey program.

Flin Flon Archives

  Just a super picture from John Hamilton, Foster Park in 1951.

  Who needs the bleachers at Fenway park!?! Foster Park was a great place to watch baseball or even better, play baseball. Like many others I spent lazy summer afternoons watching from the big rock which formed the East side of Sipple Hill. Occasionally we would sit in the stands but this usually meant we were looking for a certain girl in the crowd...

  1962-63 - Elks, league champs two years running.

    back row:  Don Davies(Coach), Ralph Peake, Erv Ziemer, Gary Davies, Tom Davie

  middle row:  Jim Davie, Ron Plante, (?), Jim Couthard, John Hamilton, Carson Macadoo(manager)

   front row:  Wayne Ulinder, Harvey Erickson, Keith Redmond

John Hamilton photo and names

  1956 (57?) Uptown baseball champs, don't recall the league

    back row:  Ed Torz(coach), Mike Fric, Ed Hurtig(coach), Mac Dundas

  middle row:  Rees Jones, Mitch Oliynyk, Phil Gies, Ken Cunningham

   front row:  George Fric, Hugh Spencer, Morley Putney(?)

Phil Gies photo and names

 L to R:
  Rees Jones, Edmund Torz, Mitch Oliynyk, Ed Hurta, Phil Gies

Phil Gies photo and names

  1954? I'm guessing '54 because of the presence of Ted Hampson and Mel Pearson as the scoring leaders. Thanks Wally Wasylenko for saving these Reminder articles. Guess you can really tell the times have changed as in the "old days" local sports were well covered as these photos show.

  From the collection of Hockey Mom, Betty Gilmore

  1952 - Tom Thumb

  very back:  Betty Wasylenko (coach), Don?, Gig Young, Stan Wasylenko (coach)

  back  row:  Gus Gillies, Ernie Prokop, (?), (?), (?), Wayne Fraser, (?), Wally Wasylenko

  front row:   (?), Wayne Gurba, Jimmy Sox, Ross Ross, Don Nesbitt

  From the collection of Hockey Mom, Betty Wasylenko

  1957  - Tom Thumb

This is a great picture however identifying each young hockey player can be difficult so this image can be viewed differently. By moving your mouse slowly over the picture you can choose between 2 additional images: on the right side, a larger image, on the left side, a larger image with numbers. Keeping that in mind, I will use a numerical listing until the names are complete. And thanks to John Hamilton for the names shown.
  1-Dennis Anderson,  2-Tom Longmore,  3-Gary Davies,  4-(?),  5-(?),  6-Glen Maxwell,  7-(?)
  8-Bob Balabus,  9-(?),  10-John Hamilton,  11-Charlie Harris,  12-George Hay,  13- __ Wilson

John Hamilton credit

  1956-57 (guess) Elks The crest on the jacket reads 55-56

  very back:  (coach?), Gig Young, Homer Calder

  back  row:  Wayne Middaugh, Gus Gillies, Dennis Ballard, Bud Smale, Don Donaldson, Wayne Gurba

  front row:  Dennis McMurray, Al Bogash, Norm Kvern, George Chigol, Wally Wasylenko, (#8?)

  very front:  goalie?

Wally Wasylenko credit

  1957-58 (guess) Elks

  back  row:  Dennis McMurray, Gordie Cyr, Morris MacDougal, Homer Calder, Mr. Middaugh, Brian Dowler, Art Thom, Jim W?, Bob Willey, Al Bogash

  front row:  Dennis Ballard, Norm Kvern, Wayne Gurba, Wally Wasylenko, Bud Smale

Wally Wasylenko credit

  1958-59 (guess) Elks

  very back:  Mr. Middaugh, Corky Dadson

  back  row:  Len Zolinski, (?), Mike Frick, Al Bogash, Art Thom, Brian Dowler, Harvey Lambert

  front row:  Morris MacDougal, Gordie Cyr, Dennis McMurray, Wally Wasylenko, Bob Willey, Norm Kvern

Wally Wasylenko credit

  1959-60 Juvenile - Doghouse

  back  row:  Leon Garinger, Tom Ianonne, Pete Milne, Wilmar Wikjord, Lyle Lavis, Bruce Tokel, Marvin Emerson

  front row:  Mike Woodley, Art Thom, Wayne Chamberlain, Perry Bloxom, Bob Willey, Birk Sproxton, Ray Fieber

HMB&S Archives

  1959-60 Juvenile - Firemen

  back  row:  Doug Pearson, Don Carruthers, (?), Clarke Starrie, Mark Elko, Ken Adams, Barry Zollen

  front row:  Don Mardis, Bart Longmore, Allen Govenlock, Clyde Kitteringham, Wayne McGrath, Bob Bowman

HMB&S Archives

  1959-60 Juvenile - Ostry's

  back  row:  Dennis Horniak, Leonard Zolinski, Danny?, Lorne Leel, (?), Wally Wasylenko, ?(coach)

  front row:  Dennis McMurray, Gary Nowazek, Morris McDougall, Gary Baumgartner, Doug Clarke, Jimmy?, Ken Staranchuk

Wally Wasylenko credit

  1959-60 Juvenile - Rotary

  back  row:  Don Chaln, Bob McKenzie, Ian McKay, Gary McLaughlin, Roy Haggerty, Don Hollier, Bob?

  front row:  Bob McDowell, Wayne Grindle, Harvey Lambert, Dalton Eagle, Gord Waldmo, Norm Kvern, Ralph Mansell

  very front:  Nick Oklobdzija

HMB&S Archives

  1958-59 Midget - Elks

  back  row:  Mac Dundas, (?), Brian Bulow, John Bear, Wayne Brazier, Terry Grindle, (?), Jim Woroniuk

  front row:  Morley Putney, Darwin Snell, (?), Al Hamilton, (?), Bob Simpson

HMB&S Archives

  1958-59 Midget - Kinsmen

  back  row:  Dave Johnson, (?), Bruce West, (?), Dennis Anderson(from Willowvale)

  front row:  Rod Austin, (?), (?), __ Moran(goalie), Pat Michell, Dennis Rothwell, (?), Gary Lintick(coach)

HMB&S Archives

  1958-59 Midget - Legion

  back  row:  Dennis Anderson(from Mile 84), Tom Othen, Murray Jackson, Pat McQuaid, (?), (?), Larry Garinger, (?)

  middle row:  Bill Maluta(coach), Lloyd Berry, Ken Cunningham, Phil Gies, Jim Goodfellow, Ken Kvern, David Holm, Ken Huffman(manager)

  front row:  Corby Woods, (?)

HMB&S Archives

  1959-60 Midget - Legion

Back L-R: Bill Maluta (coach), Don Switzer, Dale Lewis, Tom Benson, Mike Olynik, Don Mardis, Bart Longmore, Neil Menzies, Ken Huffman (manager)
Front L-R: Mike Johnson(?), Wayne Grindle, Lawrence Clark, Phil Gies, Lyle Lavis, Ernie Ramstead, Danny Krill

  1958-59 Midget - Smelter

  back  row:  Dale Cartwright, Erv Ziemer, George Johnson, Dan Trojanowich, Jim Sawicky, Ron Struch, Ernie Ramstead, Jim Good, Mike Johnson

  front row:  Hammy Benson(coach), Garry McCumber, Jack Holmes, Serge Richer, Ron Cook, Ed Podowski, Bob Green, Tommy Leel(asst. coach)

HMB&S Archives

  1959-60? - Scheider's    The photo caption reads:   Scheider's Midget team receive the trophy from Orville Thompson, 1960


  (ed. note: Guess my memory is failing, I thought Smelter won the Midget Championship in 1960.)

HMB&S Archives

  1959-60 (guess) Juvenile Bombers

    (sitting on the boards) Homer Calder, Wayne Graham

  middle row:  Bob Willey, Wally Wasylenko, Tom Ianone, Gig Young, Gus Gillies, Ernie Prokop, Gary Nowazek

  front row:  Dennis Mansell, Gary Peterson, George Hill, Richie Golden, Eddie Struch, Wayne Gurba, Ed Padurski, Wayne Middagh

Wally Wasylenko credit

  1961 Midget Oddfellows

    back row:  (?), Ed Krawchuck, Jim Davie, Herb Rideout, Garry Davies, Glen Maxwell, Earl Garinger(coach)

  middle row:  Al Morrison(manager), Alex "Butch" Lekopoy, Jack Kinsley, Ken Highmoor, John Hamilton, Leonard Reimer, Chuck Strykowski

  front row:  Barry Reagan, John Uhrechko, Gene Kotch, Tom Longmore, Burnell Leary, (?)

John Hamilton credit

  1961 Midget Lions

    back row:  Lloyd Young (coach), Larry Judd, Dale Cross, Larry Dobson,David Merrell, Ron Berry

  middle row:  Henry Harkiss, Archie Norowski, John Klontieg (goalie), Kelly Smith, Colin Pottinger, Matt Black

  front row:  Terry Dolinski, Cameron Yeo, Bob Brough, Monty Beck, George Paylor

John Hamilton credit

  1962 Juvinile Firemen

    back row:  Jim Goodfellow, Doug Thurston, Jack Kinsley, Lloyd Berry, Walter Jones(coach)

  front row:  Gary McCumber, Herb Rideout, Jim Senka (goalie), Pat McQuaid, Mitch Olineck

Jim Senka credit

  A gathering of mostly Rink Rats, likely 1961

  I asked John to confirm he actually was an RR as he looked too young. His reply was; "We scraped ice between periods for Bomber games, cut ice with Milt Jordan and Mouse Taylor and after cutting ice we would play until all hours of the morning. The best ice was the ice that had just been cut. How does it get any better than that??? We would also play after bomber games if the ice was free." Confirmed, he was a Rink Rat!



    back row:  Jack Kinsley, John Hamilton, Gary Davies, David Merrell
   front row:  Allan Genovy, Bruce Silversides, Larry Garinger

John Hamilton credit

  Forward line 1962 Provincial Midget champs

   L to R: Terry Dolinski, Larry Garinger, John Hamilton

John Hamilton credit

  1956 - Jack Greenberg
was Mr. Skatesharper in Flin Flon for many years.

I remember him as a very pleasant person. I
recall playing in a Midget vs Juvenile Allstar game
and he gave us oranges between periods.

Some memories never fade.

Flin Flon Reminder

  1961 Hockey Press club
Members L-R:
Bud Killick, Bruce Keddie, Jim Wardle,
& Carl Edmonds

Flin Flon Reminder

  1962 Midget Bombers

  There were many Flin Flon teams that won provincial championships. This team won the Midget Championship in 1961/62 against the Isaac Brock team from Winnipeg who had not lost a game the whole year.

    back row:  Terry Dolinsky, Don Burr, Jim Davie, Dave Merrell, Allan Genovy, John Hamilton, Ron Berry

  middle row:  Jim Woloshyn, Bob Ford, Bob Balabas, Denis Anderson, Dan Reagan, Rod Austin, Jim Goodfellow

   front row:  John Klonteig, Gary Davies, Bill Maluta(coach), Larry Garinger, Ken Huffman(manager), Richie Budlong, David Leal

   very front:  Ray Maluta, Larry Dobson( injured), Farley Hemmings

Dave Merrell credit

    Flin Flon Reminder clipping showing 2 of the goals the 1962 Midget Bombers team scored against Issac Brock from Winnipeg.
The left photo shows Terry Dolinski having just scored and perhaps saying a few choice words to the goal tender.
The right photo shows Richie Budlong with his stick raised having just scored and Rod Austin looking for a rebound.

John Hamilton credit

  1967 Steel Gas Midgets

  1967 Pontiacs Midgets

  1967 Oddfellows Midgets

  1967 Lions Midgets

  1967 Legion Midgets

  1967 Kinsmen Midgets

  1967 Elks Midgets

  1967 Bells Juveniles

  1967 Building Supplies Juveniles

  1967 Eddies Juveniles

  1967 Firemen Juveniles

  1967 Rotary Juveniles

  1967 Minor Hockey Officials

  1967 Minor Hockey Executive

  1967 Snow Lake Midgets, Manitoba Midget B Champions
  The 1967 Season - The only exhibition games the Snow Lake All Stars played were against the Thompson and Flin Flon Midgets, beating both teams.
  All Manitoba playdowns were a two-game total point series, with Snow Lake coming out on top by beating; first Thompson, then Foxwarren, then Rivers, then Gimli to become the Provincial Champs. To compete in the Centennial Tournament in Kingston, Snow Lake had to beat two more teams of a higher class, however they lost the first series to the Flin Flon midgets.

Credit: 1967 SLHS Icicle yearbook

  I expect with the research and photos sent into the "Flin Flon Heritage Project", the origins of the Trout Festival and the Gold Rush Canoe Derby will be fully described but until then only snippets will have to do. Although I can't remember the year (likely 1956, 57 or 58) I have a vivid memory of riding my bike along the trail to Phantom Lake and meeting Gib and Norm running towards Flin Flon with a canoe on their shoulders! Talk about physical training and dedication.

photo credit to Carl MacKenzie

  My Thompson friend Dave Chaddock took the two photos of the "Radisson" likely during a training session on the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg.
  In 1967 I was living in Montreal and my wife Heather and I drove along highway 17 to see the Centennial Canoe Race. We did see the canoes but the Ottawa River is big and we could not pick out the "Radisson". Being from the North we were of course cheering for the Manitobans and we had no doubts they would win - and they did. Here are some writings of that event from the pen Flin Flon's own Norm Crerar and Don Starkell of Winnipeg.

  Norm Crerar: My first real paddling experience happened at Camp Whitney, a Boy Scout camp near Flin Flon, Manitoba. Gib McEachern had paddled to the camp with his Scout Troop while the rest of us took the train. Gib and I had met when our fathers had taken us duck hunting. He invited me for a paddle one evening and that short paddle led us to start a canoe racing career where we would become the top tandem canoe team in North America in the mid 1960s.
  The highlight for us was the 1967 Centennial Canoe Pageant, a race that started at Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, May 24th and finished at Expo '67 in Montreal, September 4th, 104 days and 6,000 km later. I was Captain of the winning Manitoba Voyageur Canoe team and spent most days in the stern of the canoe with Gib manning the bow. Our team of nine paddlers, six paddling at any given time, were all from the Flin Flon area and very active in local and national canoe races. Each province had a team in the race except PEI and Newfoundland but the roster of ten included NWT and Yukon.
  Our 1967 Manitoba team was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in November, 2010.

  Paddling "The Big Six" Radisson under full steam; Gib McEachern, Wayne Soltys, John Norman, Roger Carriere, Joe Michelle and Norm Crerar.

  Don Starkell: ... his crowning achievement, however, was winning the 1967 Canadian centennial canoe race (the longest canoe race in history), which started just east of Alberta's Rocky Mountains and finished 3,300 miles later in Montreal. Starkell quit his job of 17 years to participate because they wouldn't give him the time off. It took Starkell and his Manitoba team 104 days to complete the journey, averaging 33 miles a day. Surprisingly, the most difficult part was attending the 60 banquets en route and then having to get up early to paddle like madmen. The six-man team put in 98 miles on Lake Superior in one day, an incredible feat considering there's no current.

    Links for additional and enjoyable reading:
      Part of Norm Crerar's journal. It would appear that it went into print but Google can't locate it...
      A YouTube video about the Centennial canoe race.
      Information about Norm Crerar on the Canadian Canoe Museum website.

Kanooks fastball
Standing L to R: Ken Baird(Snow Lake), ? , ?, ?, Erv Ziemer, Jack Kinsley, Denis Anderson (Willovale), Ron Evason, Ken Highmoor
In the wheel chair Ernie Ramstead(Snow Lake), ?, Dave Merrell(sling), ?, ?, Bob Clarke, Ken Cunnigham, ?
Kneeling: Gerald Kinsley

from John Hamilton; "I'm not sure of the time, probably late 70's early 80's. Most if not all of the question marks are players picked up for the tournament."

  The 1979-80 Kanook old timers.
Back Row L to R: ? , Ron Struch, Mike Mckenzie, Bill Stovel, Terry Dolinsky, Ken Cunningham, Al Abel
Kneeling L to R: Jim Woroniuk, John Hamilton, Bill Coster, Gerry Hawryluk, Jack Kinsley, Dennis Anderson(Willowvale), ?

John Hamilton collection

     In the spring of 1957 the Flin Flon Bombers played the Hull-Ottawa Junior Canadiens for the Canadian Junior hockey championship, the Memorial Cup. Who in Flin Flon in that era will ever forget. I was 14 and I managed to see all three games played in Flin Flon and yet I don't remember the games, but I do remember how I got to see them, Pinky Davie.
     I really never knew Pinky, I just knew he ran the arena and I remember him as a rather stern looking man. I wasn't a Rink Rat, I was just a kid playing organized hockey at the arena so there really wasn't any way to know him.
     When the game tickets went on sale many people spent long hours in a lineups. Some younger people even stayed overnight and purchased tickets for Sam Young, a real old Timer. There was no way I could afford a ticket so my plan was to sneak in along with a few other hockey friends. There used to be a way of folding back the corrugated steel wall joint at the very South end of the arena. Well, in addition to adding bleacher seats to the South end to accommodate more seating, they also sealed up the wall. Now there was no easy way in. Perhaps we could, just at the game was about to begin, merge in with the last minute surge of ticketholders. Nope - there was Pinky Davie, standing tall at the entrance, staring straight at us. And then, just as all hope was lost, Pinky said or rather commanded; "You kids, you wait right there!"
     The doors closed. We were outside and we could hear the roar of the crowd as the puck was dropped. The door opened and Pinky motioned us; "Come in quick and follow me!" We did and he led us around the perimeter into what we used to call the kids section in the Southeast corner. Magically there was space and at least 4 of us got to see game 1. By the same "magic" we got to see games 2 and 3 too. I must have said thanks to Pinky, I don't remember, but I hope I did.
     Thanks to the internet I have learned that a promising career as a defenceman with the Boston Bruins was lost when Bob "Pinky" Davie suffered a sawmill accident that left him with a permanent limp. So, way back in the spring of 1957, I think he realized a few kids who couldn't afford a ticket might miss an opportunity to take part in something almost legendary, at least in Junior hockey memories. He would have known that some of the players we would see would get to play in the NHL, the stuff of legends. It took me many years to understand and appreciate my good fortune. So Pinky, wherever you are, I don't remember the Memorial Cup hockey games, but I do remember you.                pjg

     Link to Robert H. (Pinky) Davie September 12, 1912 - October 27, 1990. For 35 years the dedicated service of "Pinky" Davie helped amateur teams and leagues particularly in rural Manitoba in the Dauphin, Flin Flon and Virden areas.
     On the right is a great picture of Pinky as a Boston Bruin. Click on the thumbnail for a much bigger image.

  Ted Hampson is featured in several photos on this webpage, and deservedly so as he captained the Bombers to the 1957 Memorial Cup. He had an interesting career as a journeyman professional hockey player but my memory of him is more personal, he was my PeeWee coach. In the following story he speaks of Bombers who helped him when they coached minor hockey and he returned the favour. But for me and the others on our team (for the life of me I can't remember our team's name...) we had this almost magical connection to the Bomber Captain - wow!
  From the Flin Flon Reminder "Looking Back" series by Gail Baker, the Ted Hampson story (PDF) [3pp, 302kb]. To return to this page from the pdf file, press the back button (upper left hand of screen)

  An NHL star goalie but never a Flin Flon Bomber.
  Ernie Wakely was a bonafide NHL star goalie but I'll wager many Flin Flonners cannot remember him playing in Flin Flon. When I was 10 or 11 I used to chum around with Doug Donald. He lived on Hapnot just a few doors South of the Dog House and his next door neighbour was Ernie Wakely so Doug and I would go and watch Ernie play midget hockey. I think his team was the Oddfellows. The memory sticks because he played for the worst team and every game he faced 50+ shots. Funny thing though, when I reached Midgets and Juveniles in 1956-59, I don't recall seeing Ernie around. Fact is he was the goalie for the Winnipeg Braves junior hockey club from 1957 to 60 and he won the Memorial Cup in 1958/59 - very impressive for an 18yr old. I think Ernie's NHL career would have been different had he been a bit older or a bit younger because as Montreal Canadien "property" he was a pawn to the machinations of Sam Pollack. Check out this Canadiens Goalies link for a better description.
  Just think, the young goalie Doug and I watched play midget hockey got to play on the same team as Rocket Richard and Jean Beliveau et al - fantastic!