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After 29 years, Trail still clings to championshipBy Grant Kerr The Canadian PressFor fans of a certain age, the names still have a familiar ring.Seth Martin and Jackie McLeod. The Warwick brothers — Billy, Grant and Dick. Bobby Kromm and Cal Hockley.They stand for international excellence, a reminder of when Canadian hockey was really something special.How times have changed. Canada no longer rules the roost at the world championship tournament — and hasn’t for 29 years.No Canadian team has claimed the title since the Trail Smoke Eaters in 1961 with a collection of hard-nosed, small-town skaters under the leadership of Kromm, their crusty coach.Those were the days when amateurs, drawing smallish salaries, represented their country against the best in the world.“We used to go to Europe, get drunk for five days, and still beat everybody,” recalled Fred Page, once president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. “That all ended in the 1960s.”Since 1977, professionals from NHL teams that missed the playoffs or were eliminated early have represented Canada at the world championships.The formula has produced little success despite the best efforts of stars like Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman and Marcel Dionne in the Canadian lineup.Canada has won just two silver medals in the 10 years the pros have played in the world tournament, which is not held during Olympic years.Before them, Canadian amateurs often claimed the gold — Trail’s win was Canada’s 19th world championship.Kromm, now an automative sales representative in Detroit, recalled how the small smelter town of Trail in southeastern British Columbia raised funds so the team could represent the country.“The guys made only $100, maybe $150 a week playing in those days, but somehow we raised enough to spend six weeks in Europe,” Kromm said. “It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.“Nobody gave us a chance, so it was nice to prove people wrong. We had 12 homegrown players and everyone got along real well.”Trail, with the reliable Martin in goal, beat the Soviets 5-1 in the final game in the 1961 world tournament at Geneva. The only blemish on the record was a 1-1 tie against“It felt like a big building had been lifted off my shoulders after the Russian game,” Kromm said. “The next day we headed for Paris and stopped at a little restaurant between Geneva and Lausanne.“The French-Canadians, Mike Legace and Claude Cyr, sang O Canada in their language. We cheered and sipped champagne.”Smoke Eater captain Hockley, a Trail real estate agent, will visit the 1990 world tournament this month along with former teammate Don Fletcher. Hockley hasn’t been overly impressed by the pros in world play.“I have mixed feelings,” he said. “I want them to win, but it’s nice to say we’re the last guys who won for Canada.”McLeod, a right winger in 1961, went on to coach several national teams. The Saskatoon-based pilot isn’t stirred by the pros and may not watch the tournament this year if it’s televised.“I feel we should be doing much better than we are,” said McLeod. “I remember telling people that the Europeans were getting better, but they didn’t believe me. The Russian team in 1967 was the best I’ve seen.”Canadian problems at the world level began with the formation of the 1964 Olympic team under Father David Bauer, plus the steady improvement of the Soviets, Swedes,Czechoslovaks and Finns.Bauer’s noble experiment produced neither an Olympic gold medal nor a first-place finish at the worlds.Canada pulled out of the worlds in 1970 after battling Bunny Aheame, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, unsuccessfully over the use of professionalplayers.As part of the trade-off to get European teams into the Canada Cup, which is held before the NHL season, Hockey Canada agreed to participation in the world tournament.That’s incredibly bad timing for Canada, since the Stanley Cup playoffs are in ftill swing each April.Bill Warwick, one of three brothers to play for the 1955 world-champion Penticton Vees, wants a return to the Bauer concept. Warwick would rather see the current Olympic team represent Canada.“They’d probably do just as good as the NHLers,” says Warwick, “and the people of Canada would get behind the team.”Warwick, publisher of a tourism guide in Edmonton, still likes to remind the international hockey federation of a second major coup in 1955.It seems Warwick, who scored two goals during a 50 win over the Soviets, kept the world trophy. A replica was sent back to Europe.“It’s still in a vault here in Edmonton,” he say. “I plan to donate it later this year. It'll be a real surprise.”Warwick wouldn’t disclose the recipient of the trophy.CHAMPIONS — The Trail Smoke Eaters were the last Canadian club to win the world Hockey Championships. Clockwise from top are Norm Lenardin, Harold Jones, manager Ugo DeBiasio, goalie Seth Martin and coach and coach Bobby Krom. All were part of the 1961 world championship team from Trail.— CP laserphoto
Newspaper Details
Medicine Hat News
Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA
Sat, Apr 21, 1990
Page 20
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 16 Dec 2018
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