2013 - Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame

The Nova Scotia
Sport Hall of Fame
Contents 2013
Premier’s Message / Chairman’s Message ............................................................ 2
Education Program Teaches Nova Scotia Youth How to Dream Big ................... 3
Nova Scotia Sport Memories .............................................................................. 7
Fred Fox – Star Athlete, War Hero, Stellar Builder ............................................. 9
1981 Acadia University Axemen Football (by Joel Jacobson) .............................. 10
1985 Kentville Wildcats Baseball (by Joel Jacobson) ........................................... 18
Lawrence Hafey (by Hugh Townsend) ................................................................ 22
John Hatch (by Joel Jacobson)............................................................................. 28
Stephen Fairbairn (by Katherine Wooler) ............................................................ 32
Tak Kikuchi (by Katherine Wooler) .................................................................... 36
Cover Photos:
How Do You Use New Technology to Preserve the Past ................................... 41
2013 Nova Scotia Sport Hall
Fame Inductees:
Touring the Hall .............................................................................................. 42
Top: 1981 Acadia University Axemen
Preserving Nova Scotia’s Long Curling History ................................................ 45
Middle: (l to r) Lawrence Hafey, John
Hatch, Stephen Fairbairn, Tak Kikuchi
Friends of the Hall ........................................................................................... 47
Hall of Fame Selection Process ......................................................................... 48
Bottom: 1985 Kentville Wildcats
Past Chairs of Hall of Fame .............................................................................. 49
Contact:
Our Mission / Our Vision ................................................................................ 50
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame
1800 Argyle Street, Suite 446
Halifax, NS B3J 3N8
Editor: Joel Jacobson
Contributors: Joel Jacobson, Hugh Townsend, Katherine Wooler
Cover Design: Kelly Devoe Illustration & Design
of
Tel: (902) 421-1266
Fax: (902) 425-1148
E-mail: sporthalloffame@eastlink.ca
www.nsshf.com
Magazine Photography: Hall of Fame archives, Inductee personal collections
Layout and Design: Paula Yochoff, Sport Nova Scotia
Sponsorship and Advertising: Karolyn Sevcik
Printing: Halcraft Print Ltd.
1
Premier’s Message
I
t is my great pleasure to congratulate the teams, athletes and builders who are being
inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
Now more than ever, it’s important that we embrace the value sport brings to our
lives. Sport teaches leadership, camaraderie and teamwork, all skills that stand athletes in
good stead in uniform or out of it. Sport builds community and, of course, it promotes
the kind of healthy lifestyle we want our young people to adopt.
Our elite athletes and teams, coaches, sport administrators and dedicated volunteers all
help us build a culture of sport in Nova Scotia. They remind us that anything is possible
if we work hard, believe in ourselves, support our teammates and hold onto our dreams.
Congratulations to this year’s inductees, your families and your communities. Nova Scotians are proud of your
athleticism and your accomplishments.
Sincerely,
Stephen McNeil
Premier
Chairman’s Message
O
n behalf of the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, it is
with great pleasure that I congratulate this year’s inductees into the Hall of Fame.
Once again, our inductees for this year are well chosen, through our rigorous
selection process, to represent the very best traditions of sport in our province. Special
thanks to our hard working and diligent selection committee for maintaining our high
standards. We are proud of our inductees’ achievements and their contributions to our
province that further the advancement of the values and qualities that make Nova Scotia
such a special place to live.
This past year has been one of significant progress for the Hall of Fame, including the
expansion of our province-wide education program, updating our archival system, and
digitizing many of our materials, as well as ensuring the financial sustainability of our operations. I would like
to recognize the commitment and hard work of all our volunteers, the Board of Directors and our wonderful
staff under the capable leadership of Bill Robinson, our President and CEO. We are committed to building the
best provincial Sport Hall of Fame in the country with your continued help and support.
Sincerely,
2
Don Mills
Chair of the Board
Education Program Teaches
Nova Scotia Youth How to
Dream Big!
T
he Future Hall of Famers Education Program
continues to make an impression on the youth
of Nova Scotia.
All year we were able to share the importance
of our great sporting history and heroes with so
many young Nova Scotians. Our presentations
encourage them to follow their dreams and try
their best at everything they do. With the help
of our Hall of Famers and Future Hall of Famers
such as Mickey Fox, Ricky Anderson and Karen
Furneaux, we have shown youth that they can achieve
anything they want to by providing them with great role
models.
As our team travels across the province, no school is too
small or too far for the Future Hall of Famers Education
Program. Recently, the Hall visited a small community
school in Tangier, Nova Scotia where four grade levels
encompassed 25 kids. This visit proves why reaching over
14,000 of our province’s young people is so impressive.
As we move forward, schools in the province can
now bring the Hall of Fame into their classrooms
with the development and implementation of our
program lesson plans, which meet the course
outcomes of Grades Primary through 8.
We now have a promotional vehicle that everyone
can see on the streets of Nova Scotia. People may
spot Sidney Crosby, Jamie Bone and other sport
heroes pass by on the side of our van. The new van
will travel across the province for presentations and
community events.
We are very confident that the 2013-14 year will be even
brighter for our program. Our goal is to travel the province
end to end every year, as we continue to offer the program
free of charge with the help of our many supporters and
donors.
Hall of Famer Ricky Anderson shares his story at the Canada Games Centre in Halifax.
3
Education Program Highlights
• Reached over 14,000 youth in the past 12 months province wide
• Purchased a promotional vehicle to assist program travel and gain province-wide exposure
• Ran a successful third annual Hall of Fame Invitational Golf Tournament at Fox Harb’r in support of the program
• Commenced numerous successful speaker series with our Hall of Famers & Future Hall of Famers onsite at the Hall
of Fame facility
• Reached out to educators at the Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union (NSTU) province-wide conferences in October to
promote our program
Program Priorities
• Hit all six (6) regions of the province twice annually
• Promote curriculum based lesson plan(s) to educators
• Establish speaker base: continue to engage more Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers to assist in our program
presentations
• Develop on-the-go videos of Hall of Famers to take on the road
• Streamline and restructure presentation to maximize messaging
Hall of Famer Cindy Tye presents with Canadian Women’s Olympic Soccer Bronze Medalists, Diana Matheson and Rhian Wilkinson, at Five
Bridges Junior High in Hubley, NS.
4
Hall of Fame Olympic kayaker Steve Giles is surrounded by admirers at an education presentation at the Hall of Fame.
Karen Furneaux, a featured speaker in the Hall’s Education Program, poses with the new van at the Hall’s June golf tournament.
5
Nova Scotia Sport Memories
6
presents
2013 Nova Scotia
Sport Hall of Fame
Induction Awards
proud gold sponsors
w w w . m i c c o . c a
7
All I want is a
chance to play.
THOUSANDS OF NOVA SCOTIAN CHILDREN
CAN’T AFFORD TO PLAY SPORT. THIS YEAR,
PLEASE GIVE THE GIFT OF SPORT.
DONATE NOW AT:
Brought to you by
8
Fred Fox
Star Athlete, War Hero, Stellar Builder
P
lenty of athletic talent and ability, a little luck, and a lot
It was Remembrance Day 1941 when six men on a Wellington
of ingenuity enabled Fred Fox of Lunenburg to have a
aircraft were on a bombing mission over Naples. The bomber,
lengthy sport career as an athlete and volunteer.
part of the RAF 40 Squadron, was hit over Sicily, Fox later
A young Fred Fox set sprinting standards on Nova Scotia high
recalling the starboard engine on fire, the port engine sputtering
school tracks that took years to be surpassed, including a 100and the plane losing altitude. They ditched at sea.
yard dash mark that stood for 28 years, from 1931
Three crew members died in the crash. Fox and
to 1959. He won almost 100 medals and cups that
the other two men survived for five days and nights
are now displayed at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of
in a cramped dinghy, with only vitamins and food
Fame, to which he was inducted as an athlete in 1980.
energy biscuits for nourishment during heavy rain,
A 30-something Fred Fox ended an amateur
wind and thunderstorms. They were rescued by an
hockey playing career in the post-Second World
Italian torpedo vessel and, after gentle treatment with
War era when he felt a conflict between playing
hotel comfort, food, cigarettes and wine, they were
in, and being president of the South Shore Hockey
shipped to a prison camp where they were joined by
Association. He retained the latter title and went on
300 English troops.
to be president of the Maritime Amateur Hockey
In 1943, Fox escaped as he and others marched out
Association, sliding into the top volunteer role
of the camp when guards became distracted by the
with the Nova Scotia Hockey Association when the
ousting of Mussolini and the fear of German takeover.
MAHA disbanded into provincial groups.
The escapees lived in caves in the mountains of
As a player, he had led Mount Allison University
Italy, provided with food by local farmers. But three
to two intercollegiate Maritime championships yet Fred Fox at the 1934 months later, they were captured by the Germans,
his contribution to hockey as an administrator far Antigonish Highland about five miles from safety on the Allied side of the
surpassed that, enough so that, in 1981, he was the
Games with Halifax
Sangro River.
Wanderers shirt
first Nova Scotian to receive Hockey Canada’s Order
In German captivity, they were taken to a series of
of Merit for contribution to hockey.
prison camps where their heads were shaved, clothing burned
Grass never grew under Fred’s feet as a Lunenburg resident.
and bodies disinfected.
He was a member of the town’s volunteer fire department for
Near war’s end in 1945, Fox escaped again. While on a forced
28 years, during which he served 13 years as chief. It is said he
march, Fred fell out of line, rolled into a ditch and ran off into
helped save Lunenburg’s downtown in 1957 when he supervised
the woods. After 19 days of hiding in the forest, he and others
a 12-hour battle to quell a fire that started in the Royal Canadian
heard tank engines with a different roar.
Legion Hall and threatened nearby buildings.
“We looked out and saw they were British tanks,” he said
He was branch president of the Lunenburg Branch 23 of the
later. “We crawled out of the woods and put our hands up and
Legion, a county zone commander, Nova Scotia Command
we were liberated.”
president, and a member of the Legion’s Dominion Council.
Fox weighed 118 pounds, probably 70 pounds less than three
And, while doing all this volunteer work, he earned a living
and half years before.
and supported his family by working with Canada Customs in
Being in good physical shape, having a bit of luck on his side,
Lunenburg for 32 years, collecting fees, registering vessels, signing
and using his smarts kept Fred Fox going and enabled Lunenburg,
vessel crews on and off, and doing immigration duties.
Nova Scotia, and the Maritimes to benefit from his kindness,
Fred Fox, who passed away January 3, 2003 at age 90, was a
generosity of time and talent, and willingness to give of himself
humble man. He was reluctant to speak of his wartime exploits
so others could prosper.
as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, a period during
which he was shot down over Italy and spent three and a half years
Rewritten by Joel Jacobson from newspaper files
in prisoner of war camps. He even escaped from custody twice.
9
1981 Acad
Axe
by Joel Jacobson
T
he last few seconds of the 1981 College Bowl were
ticking away.
Acadia Axemen trailed 12-11 with 2:15 remaining
in the fourth quarter of the Canadian University Football
championship game after defending titleholder Alberta
Golden Bears had broken an 11-11 tie on a missed field
goal that resulted in a single point.
The crowd at Varsity Stadium in Toronto was hushed
as Axemen quarterback Steve Repic started his 22-pointunderdog club on a final march from their own 35-yard
line. Just over two minutes left and 75 yards of turf to travel.
Repic completed four consecutive passes, three to end Don
Clow, for 52 yards to the Alberta 23. Quentin “Snoopy”
Tynes carried the ball to the two. A pair of plays later, Tynes
number was called again and he bulled his way one and
half yards into the end zone for what would be the winning
touchdown.
Only a minute remained. Players danced and hugged, as
it turned out, not prematurely.
Acadia coaches decided not to kick the ball deep. Jim
DiRenzo booted a line drive that bounced off one of the
Golden Bears and was recovered by Acadia. The clock was
run out, resulting in a wild, on-field celebration by Axemen
fans.
The Axemen had achieved an undefeated season (7-0) in
the Atlantic Conference, scoring 180 points and allowing
only 75. They then overpowered Mount Allison Mounties
34-11 in the conference championship game at Raymond
Field in Wolfville. The next weekend, at the Atlantic Bowl
in Halifax, Acadia whipped Queen’s Golden Gaels 40-14
to advance to the national championship game.
While football is a team game, something head coach John
Huard had stressed all season long, many Axemen achieved
individual honours.
Team
10
dia University
emen Football
In the Atlantic conference, Repic was MVP. Tynes was
Rookie of the Year. Stuart MacLean was Defensive Player
of the Year and Huard earned the Coach of the Year award.
Twelve Axemen were AUS all-stars.
MacLean, Tom Johnson and Chris Rhora were AllCanadians. Huard was national coach of the year. Repic was
College Bowl MVP. Five players were drafted by CFL teams Clow, MacLean, Rhora, David Conrad and Steve Crane, the
latter two playing in Canada’s professional football circuit.
Acadia Achievements:
•Winner of 1981 Canadian College Bowl (now known
as the Vanier Cup)
•Beat defending champion, University of Alberta,
18-12
•Winner of 1981 Atlantic Bowl with a 41-14 victory
over Queens University
•One of six teams in Nova Scotia history to win the
National Championship
•One of only 13 championship teams in CIS history
to have undefeated season
•AUS awards went to Steve Repic (MVP); Quentin
Tynes (Rookie of the Year); Stuart MacLean (Defensive
Player of the Year); and John Huard (Coach of the
Year)
•John Huard won the Frank Tindall Trophy as Top
CIS Coach
•Team had twelve AUS All Stars, three CIS All
Canadians, and five players drafted to the CFL
The team was inducted into Acadia’s Sport Hall of Fame.
Huard is in the Acadia Hall in the builder category.
There were 47 players on the squad, all of whom bought
into Huard’s disciplined approach to the game.
“All players had to be on time and prepared for each
meeting and practice,” Huard wrote in a letter to the
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. “Before he received his
equipment, a player had to jump rope for 30 minutes and,
at 6 a.m. on the morning following a game, he would be
required to jump rope and stretch. Players played multiple
positions with little or no reduction in productivity. Staff
11
stressed conditioning that resulted in a higher degree of
fewer injuries due to improved flexibility, strength and
endurance.”
Tony Stewart, who played offensive line at Acadia in
the late 1960s and early 1970s, coached the offensive line
and special teams under Huard after assisting coach Bob
Vezpeziani before him.
“John was very demanding, but very fair. He had high
expectations, demanded discipline and a “for the team”
attitude,” Tony says. “John was not a yeller and screamer. He
would occasionally get upset, but he was never demeaning.
He had face gestures and didn’t need to speak. The kids
knew what he meant.”
Huard adds. “Overall team
effort counts. Victory gained
is not a personal victory for
anyone or any one group. It’s
a shared victory…depending
on input from individuals as
they accomplish what’s needed
to win within the rules of the
game.”
12
1981 Acadia University Axemen Football Team:
Players: Colum Armstrong, Ron Arsenault, Rod Barton, Alex
Callus, Dave Clark, Don Clow, Mike Cox, Stephen Comeau,
David Conrad, Steve Crane, John Davies, Darrell Dempster,
Mike DeWare, Jim Direnzo, Brian Fraser, Nadder Haddad,
David Haley, Alan Hartley, Lee Hodgkins, Tom Johnson, David
Joudry, Joseph Joyce, John Knowles, Ross Langley, Bill Little,
Scott MacLean, Stuart MacLean, Stephen Margeson, Nick
Matejuk, Ron Meech, Stephen Moran, Tony Munden, Larry
Priestnall, Steve Repic, Chris Rhora, Donald Roach, Ernesto
Salamone, Vincenzo Salamone, Keith Skiffington, Steve Smith,
Bob Trainor, Bruce Tufts, Quentin Tynes, Hubert Walsh, George
Watkinson, George Wenk, Jim Williams
Coaches: John Huard, David Hirsch, Bill Hurley, Phil Hurley,
Wayne MacDonald, Bill McLeod, Dan McNally, Dan Palov,
Tony Stewart Trainers: Jim MacLeod, Heather MacGowan Team
Physician: David Simms Managers: Mike MacKay, Brian Auger
Joel Jacobson is a former columnist with the Halifax Chronicle
Herald and a long-time volunteer and supporter of Hall of
Fame events.
13
I firmly believe that any man’s finest
hour, the greatest fulfillment of all
that he holds dear, is that moment
when he has worked his heart out in
a good cause and lies exhausted on
the field of battle – victorious.
Vince Lombardi
Congratulations, 1981 Acadia Axemen!
Acadia’s newest members of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
14
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to all 2013 Inductees!
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15
16
Axemen to take College Bowl
Congratulations to the 1981 Acadia University Axemen Football Team for being inducted into
the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame. A Canadian College Bowl underdog, the Axemen went on to
post a perfect season defeating the defending champions to become one of only 13 teams in
CIS history to have an undefeated season. Stewart McKelvey salutes the tenacity and spirit
of sportsmanship the 1981 Acadia University Axemen Football Team are being honoured for.
CHARLOTTETOWN
FREDERICTON
HALIFAX
MONCTON
SAINT JOHN
ST. JOHN’S
STEWARTMCKELVEY.COM
17
1985
Wildcats
by Joel Jacobson
I
t’s getting late.
On the clock, it’s nearing midnight and 4,500 fans
have been waiting and waiting for their favorites to do
something, anything, with the bats.
In baseball terms, it’s the bottom of the eighth inning,
Kentville, at home, is down 6-0 to Tecumseh (Ontario),
two times at bat left in the Canadian national men’s baseball
championship game.
In the Kentville dugout, encouraging words are spoken.
“We can do this! Let’s get a hit and get it started. Put the
ball in play. There’s still time.”
Two men are out when the rally starts and Wildcats start
streaming around the bases, scoring five times on a pair of
RBI singles and two doubles.
They trail 6-5 with runners at first and third and still two
outs. Playing coach Pete Goucher, a Kentville area high
school vice principal, calls for a double steal. Bill Young, on
first, will head to second and the club’s all-time steals leader,
Sandy VanBlarcom, on third base, will go home “if the ball
is thrown through”, Goucher tells him.
It is, he does, and, in a cloud of dust, VanBlarcom scores
to tie the game.
After Bob Oakley gets out of a bases-loaded jam in the
ninth, here come the ‘Cats again.
Danny Payne walks. Goucher doubles. Ian Mosher, whose
double drove in two in the eighth, steps to the plate. A fly
ball to the outfield will win it. He makes contact, skies one
to left where the ball is dropped, allowing Payne to score
the winner.
BEDLAM in Kentville.
The 4,500 fans had stayed with it and storm the field.
Their heroes have done it.
It’s the first time a Nova Scotia team has won this national
title (a Nova Scotia team won the junior championship in
1976) and the first Nova Scotia team to host the event. This
team is a little special, too, with 13 of the players being
products of Kentville’s minor baseball system, a bunch
of home-grown guys who grew up together, played ball
Team
18
5 Kentville
s Baseball
back, although the road to the title was difficult.
Rain forced the delay of one round robin game until 10:30
p.m. More than 3,000 were there. Of course, it went 15
innings (a 4-3 loss to New Brunswick) ending at 3:30 a.m.
with 1,500 still in the stands, on a day when Kentville had
a 1 p.m. game scheduled.
The team was inducted to the Baseball Nova Scotia Hall
of Fame in 1999. Tournament all-stars were pitcher Kevin
MacLeod, catcher Sandy VanBlarcom and outfielder George
MacLean. Mosher was the MVP of the championship game.
Tournament MVP, as chosen by committee and media
members, was the entire Wildcat squad.
A Wildcat makes a bunt attempt during championship play.
together and became family on the ball field.
The Wildcats started in 1977 as a group of teenagers
entering senior baseball, a bit overmatched, but growing as
they aged. By 1979, they were in the finals of the Nova Scotia
Senior Baseball League,
won it the next year,
and again in 1981 when
they finished second at
nationals.
Between 1977 and
1985, they won 124 and
lost 62 regular season
games and were ready
to challenge for the title
again. This time, there
was no holding them
CELEBRATION TIME!
Wildcat Wowzers:
•First Nova Scotia senior baseball team to win a
National Championship
•Made an amazing comeback in championship game
after being down 6-0 with two outs in the eighth
inning
•Beat Ontario 7-6 in the final
•Tournament MVP honour shared by all team
members
•Ian Mosher named MVP of the championship game
•Kevin MacLeod, Sandy VanBlarcom and George
MacLean included on the National tournament All
Star team
•The team executed a double steal for the tying run
with two out in the 8th inning
•Relief pitcher Bob Oakley denied Ontario any runs
when the bases were loaded in the top of the ninth
19
(Below) Tournament sponsor representative Owen Cochrane
(centre) presents the National Championship Trophy to (from far
right) playing coach Peter Goucher, assistant coach Ed Gillis and
coaches Jim MacEachern and John MacDonald.
Contact is made by a Wildcats hitter during the championship
game.
Team members are: Chet Boudreau, Kevin Forbes, Hugh
Fraser, Dave Harris, George MacLean, Kevin MacLeod,
Robbie Mann, Ian Mosher, Monty Mosher, Shawn Mounce,
Bob Oakley, Dan Payne, Kevin Poirier, Jeff Rafuse, Sandy
VanBlarcom, Barney VanBlarcom, Kirk VanBlarcom, Bill
Young, Mark Zwicker, Peter Goucher (player-coach).
Coaches: Eddie Gillis, John MacDonald, Jim McEachern,
Bruce Ross. Batboy: Chris Randall.
20
Joel Jacobson is a former columnist with the Halifax Chronicle
Herald and a long-time volunteer and supporter of Hall of
Fame events.
The Town of Kentville proudly
congratulates the
1985 Kentville Wildcats Baseball Team
on their place in the
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame
team.
Sincerely,
Mayor Corkum, Town Council and Staff
21
Lawrence
Hafey
by Hugh Townsend
G
oing back a long way, there were the likes of Sam
Langford, Tiger Warrington, George Dixon,
George (Rock-A-Bye) Ross, Roy Chisholm,
Billy Smith, Roddie MacDonald, Rocky MacDougall and
Jackie Hayden. More recently, there have been such talents
as Clyde Gray, Buddy Daye, Richard (Kid) Howard, Blair
Richardson, Ricky Anderson, Chris Clarke, Art Hafey and Dave
Downey.
They were all boxers, all added notable
chapters to Nova Scotia’s long and
exciting boxing story, a few of them
even won or challenged for world
championships. All have been given
honoured pews in the Nova Scotia
Sport Hall of Fame.
Now another great fighter enters the
Hall, Pictou County’s Lawrence Hafey. He not
only takes a place alongside the province’s best, but
joins his brother Art, who received similar honours 33
years earlier.
For those who followed the careers of the Hafey brothers, it’s hard to
believe it’s been almost half a century since Art and Lawrence walked
into a boxing gym outside Trenton. It was in 1965 when they took up
a sport in which they would both have memorable moments. For Art
and Lawrence, fighting became a passion from the start.
Lawrence’s boxing statistics are impressive. Fighting for 20 years, his
official record shows 73 professional fights, which included 48 victories
and two draws. Sixteen of his professional wins were knockouts.
Athlete
22
Lawrence Hafey (r) and Chris Clarke trade punches in a 10-round
unanimous decision won by Clarke June 5, 1979 in Halifax.
Fighting in lightweight, welterweight and middleweight
classifications, Lawrence never shied away from a fight,
regardless of what opponents were lined up by promoters. As
a result, he seemed to be taking on the best, fight after fight.
He won the Canadian middleweight crown at one stage,
fought a former world champion, took on an Olympian,
and always made a good account of himself.
Lawrence fought Gray, one of Nova Scotia’s best-ever
fighters, for the Canadian and British Commonwealth titles.
He took on Clarke, the 1976 Olympian, and he battled
former world champ Bruno Arcari. There were very few
opponents who didn’t carry significant backgrounds into
the ring.
Nicknamed the “Nova Scotia Wildcat,” Lawrence
claimed a fourth-round TKO victory over fellow Hall of
Famer and future Canadian featherweight champion Rocky
MacDougall in 1970, followed by a win against another
future national titleholder, Gerald Bouchard, in 1972.
In 1975, he faced Halifax’s Dave Downey for the
Canadian middleweight championship. It was a 12-rounder
and a brawl. When it ended, the decision went to Lawrence,
one of his most memorable nights. The 6,000-person crowd
was riotous as the gritty Irish fighter ended Downey’s threeyear reign as middleweight champ.
PEI sports journalist Wilf McCluskey describes Lawrence
as an “all-action fighter” in a 1989 column, saying,
“Lawrence had everything a champion fighter needs. He
used a two-way, free-swinging style in the ring. He could
fight from a stand-up position, or from a bob-and-weave
crouch.”
The last time I interviewed Lawrence was in 2006. We
had a long conversation that day and, after talking about
the various fights that highlighted his career, I asked him to
sum up what he had achieved through the two decades of
boxing. That’s when I detected disappointment in his voice.
“I’m glad I fought all that time,” he told me, “but I don’t
think I really showed how good I could fight. That’s what
makes me mad. I think I could fight as good as any of them.
If we were both on our best day, Chris Clarke wouldn’t have
beat me.”
Despite Lawrence’s humble attitude, the details of his
boxing career paint a picture of a determined and fearless
boxer who was fit enough to fight eight rounds with World
champ Wilfred Benitez and then travel to Milan, Italy
only 11 days later to take on Bruno Arcari in a grueling
10-rounder.
“The old beak-busting game certainly could use a few
more fighters like Lawrence Hafey, who never failed to please
the fans,” writes McCluskey.
Hafey (r) and Dave Downey promote their Canadian middleweight
title fight won by Hafey on May 30, 1975.
23
Hafey Highlights:
• Hometown: New Glasgow
• Fought over 40 amateur bouts and 73 professional
matches
• Had a professional record of 48-23-2
• Won the Eastern Canadian Welterweight title in 1973
• Won the Canadian Middleweight title in 1975
• Lost a decision against three-time World Champion
Wilfred Benitez in a match at Madison Square Garden
• Once boxed four bouts in 27 days
• Was never knocked out or stopped in his first 55
professional matches
Hafey and Dave Downey battle for the Canadian
middleweight championship in Halifax won by Hafey
in a 12-round split decision.
The bottom line of Lawrence Hafey’s portfolio will now
call him a Hall of Fame inductee. That stands him alongside
Gray, alongside Clarke, alongside all the others.
And 47 years after the two Hafeys walked into that boxing
gym in Trenton and pulled on the gloves for the first time,
Art and Lawrence are both members of the Nova Scotia
Sport Hall of Fame. Few siblings can say the same.
Hafey connects with Al Ford during their Canadian
lightweight title bout in New Glasgow on May 30, 1970.
Ford won the 12-round fight by decision.
Hugh Townsend, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, is a
life-long sports journalist who still writes a weekly sports column
for The Pictou Advocate.
Hafey (centre) and Clyde Gray (left) at the weigh-in for their
November 28, 1975 scrap in Halifax. Boxing Commissioner
Don Kerr oversees.
24
25
The Office of Health and Wellness
recognizes the contributions of the
honoured members of
The Nova
Scotia Sport
Hall of Fame
Leo Glavine
Minister
THE
ORIGINAL
SPORT HALL
OF FAME
INDUCTEES
ATHLETE
Alfred “Ackie” Allbon •
Hector “Hec” Andrews •
Sam R. Balcom •
Marty Barry •
Wally Barteaux •
Fabie Bates •
D. Stanley Bauld •
Joey Beaton •
Richard Beazley •
Vaughan Black •
Neddy Borne •
Arthur J. Brady •
Henry “Ducky” Brooks •
Frank Brown •
George Brown •
Freddie Cameron •
“Hockey Jack” Campbell •
Mike Carney •
Frank Carroll •
Carroll Charleton •
D.R. “Dempsey” Chisholm •
Roy Chisholm •
Frank Condon •
Jack Condon •
Johnny Conroy •
Thurston Cook •
Joe Crockett •
George Cutten •
Art Dalton •
Robie Davison •
Claire DeMont •
George Dixon •
W.R. “Tee” Doyle •
Burns Dunbar •
Bill Dunphy •
Vern Eville •
Layton Ferguson •
Robert “Burglar” Ferguson •
Vincent Ferguson •
Leon Fluck •
Charlie Foley •
Tom Foley •
Bob Forward •
Jack Stan Fraser •
Jimmy Fraser •
Bob Goodhew •
Louis “Louie” Graham •
Chester Gregory •
John “Hap” Hanlon •
Reg Hart •
Roy Haverstock •
Nedder Healey •
William A. Henry •
Charles “Tiny” Herman •
Grant Holmes •
Vernon “Newt” Hopper •
John “Timmie” Hunter •
Roy Hunter •
Nedder Hurley •
Gordon B. Isnor •
Roy Isnor •
Stanton Jackson •
Waldon Kennedy •
Alf Kirby •
Gordon “Doggie” Kuhn •
Robert Laidlaw •
Ves Laing •
Mellish Lane •
Sam Langford •
George Latham •
Jack Learment •
Sammy Lesser •
Fergie Little •
Tommy Little •
Lester Lowther •
Mark & Mike Lynch •
Victor MacAulay •
Ritchie MacCoy •
“Big” Alex MacDonald •
Ian MacDonald •
Jack D. MacDonald •
R.J. MacDonald •
Roddie MacDonald •
Toby MacDonald •
John MacIntyre •
“Mickey” MacIntyre •
Hughie MacKinnon •
Clarence “Coot” MacLean •
Kirk MacLellan •
Silas MacLellan •
Wilbert Martel •
Jimmy Martin •
Stephen “Duke” McIsaac •
Bill McKay •
Jack McKenna •
Sandy McMullin •
Aileen Meagher •
Bert “Basket” Messervey •
Johnny Miles •
Leigh Miller •
Billy Mooney •
Frank Morrison •
Ernie Mosher •
Tom Mullane •
Jack Munroe •
Mike Murphy •
A.V. “Chummie” Murray •
Frank Nicks •
Con Olson •
Gerald “Jigger” O’Neil •
John W. O’Neill •
Jim “Hank” O’Rourke •
Billy Parsons •
Charles Patterson Sr. •
Charles Patterson 2nd •
Charlie Paul •
Gertrude Phinney •
Billy Pickering •
Burns Wesley Pierce •
Wyman Porter •
Billy Rawley •
Vaughan Reagh •
Walter Rice •
Billy Richardson •
Harvey Richardson •
“Nugget” Richmond •
Percy Ring •
Mickey Roach •
Alf Rogers •
William C. Ross •
Fritz Schaefer •
Cliff Shand •
Howard Shaw •
Lou Shaw •
Lou Siderski •
Billy Smith •
Ted Stackhouse •
Frank Stephen •
Bill “Red” Stuart •
Dave Thomson •
George Tracy •
Jimmy Trott •
Jack Twaddle •
Angus Walters •
Terrence “Tiger” Warrington •
Russel T. Ward •
George Weatherbee •
Neddie Weaver •
Steven Whelan •
Neil Wilkie •
James “Minute” Wilkie •
Benny Woodworth •
TEAM
Jubilee Four Oared Crew of 1930
(Rowing)
Ross Foley Four Oared Crew (Rowing)
St. Mary’s Four Oared Crew of
1909 (Rowing)
Smith-Nickerson Four Oared Crew
(Rowing)
1980
ATHLETE
David Amadio •
Paul Andrea
Don Bauld
Len Boss •
Joe “Beef” Cameron •
Dr. W.A. “Buddy” Condy •
John Devison
Foster “Moxie” Dickson •
P. “Skit” Ferguson
Fred Fox •
Lawson Fowler •
Tyrone Gardiner
Doug Grant
Art Hafey
John “Junior” Hanna •
Jimmy Hawboldt •
Robert Hayes •
J. “Bert” Hirschfeld •
Dorothy Holmes
Vida Large •
Parker MacDonald
Steve “Kid” MacDonald •
Allister MacNeil
Avard Mann •
S. “Chook” Maxwell •
Joseph “Joey” Mullins •
Roy Oliver •
Bevil “Bev” Piers •
Blair Richardson •
Richie Spears
Sherman White •
R. “Tic” Williams •
Frances L. Woodbury •
BUILDER
Bob Beaton •
A. Garnet Brown •
Ted Cumming
John Cechetto
Hanson Dowell •
Danny Gallivan •
Eddie Gillis •
Jack Gray •
Don Henderson •
Clarence Johnson •
Fred Kelly •
Art Lightfoot •
Frank McGibbon •
Leo “Pop” McKenna •
John MacCarthy •
Charles MacVicar •
Hugh Noble •
Victor deB. Oland •
John Piers •
Dannie Seaman •
H.L. “Bud” Thorbourne •
Harry Trainor •
Abbie Warden •
George Warden •
TEAM
Acadia University “Axemen”
Basketball 1971
Caledonia Rugby 1937
Halifax “Atlantics” Hockey 1952-53-54
Halifax Queen Elizabeth “Lions”
Basketball 1950
Halifax “Wolverines” Hockey 1934-35
Kentville “Glooscap” Curling 1951 •
Kentville Wildcats Hockey 1926-27
New Glasgow High School
Track and Field 1937
New Waterford Central High School
Basketball 1961
New Waterford “Strands” Basketball
1946-47-48
St. Agnes Juvenile Basketball New Waterford 1932
Stellarton “Albions” Baseball
1951-52-53
Sydney Millionaires Hockey 1941
Truro “Bearcats” Senior Baseball 1946
Truro Bearcats “Seven Survivors”
Hockey 1930-31
Truro “Slugs” Girls Softball 1945-46-50
1981
ATHLETE
Edith Bauld
John Alexander “Johnny” Clark •
Delmore William “Buddy” Daye •
James Goode “Jimmy” Gray •
John Edward McCurdy
Jesse Elroy Mitchell
BUILDER
Nathan Scoville “Nate” Bain •
Harold William “Harry” Butler •
Captain John Theodore Cruikshank •
James Archibald “J.A.” Ferguson •
Judge Julian Elliot Hudson •
Donald John Loney •
John “Jack” Thomas •
Freda Noble Wales •
TEAM
Acadia University Men’s Basketball
1930
Halifax Curling Club Men’s 1927
Liverpool Jets Senior Women’s
Softball 1965-67
Liverpool Larrupers Senior
Baseball 1939-41
Yarmouth Gateways Senior Baseball 1929-35
1982
ATHLETE
TEAM
Acadia Senior Men’s Varsity
Basketball 1964-65
Acadia Senior Women’s Varsity
Swim 1977-78
Bridgetown Men’s Lawn Bowling
1973-75
International Dory Racing - Lloyd
Heisler & Russell Langille 1952-55
Springhill “Fencebusters” Baseball
1927-28
MEDIA AWARD
W.J. “Ace” Foley •
1983
ATHLETE
Clyde Gray
George “Rock-A-Bye” Ross •
BUILDER
Frank Baldwin •
TEAM
World Championship Sailing
Glen Dexter, Andreas Josenhans,
Alexander “Sandy” MacMillan
1977, 1980
MEDIA AWARD
Alex Nickerson •
1984
ATHLETE
Marjorie Bailey Brown
Lyle Carter
Gerald Mielke •
Wayne Smith
BUILDER
John “Brother” MacDonald •
Jimmy McDonald •
MEDIA AWARD
Earl R.J. Morton •
1985
ATHLETE
Susan Mason (MacLeod)
Thomas Melvin “Ike” Murray
Beverley “Bev” Wade •
BUILDER
Frederick Robert “Fred” Lynch •
Les Topshee •
MEDIA AWARD
Dr. Cecil MacLean •
1986
ATHLETE
Sylvester “Daddy” Bubar •
Nancy Ellen Garapick
Gerald “Gerry” Leslie Glinz •
Marty Martinello
BUILDER
Steve MacDonald
Gordon S. Mont
Norman “Normie” Ferguson
George Ross Harper
Christopher “Chris” Hook
Maisie Howard •
Richard “Kid” Howard •
Rita Lohnes
Lowell MacDonald
Gary Walter MacMahon
MacKenzie “Kenzie” MacNeil •
Gerald “Tarp” Walsh •
TEAM
BUILDER
BUILDER
John E. “Gee” Ahern •
Gerald St. Clair “Jerry” Bauld •
Janet Merry
Owen N. Sawler •
Saint Mary’s University Football 1973
1987
ATHLETE
John “Jack” Fritz •
Phil Scott
Francis “Rocky” MacDougall •
TEAM
Shearwater Flyers Football 1957
1988
ATHLETE
Douglas “Dugger” McNeil
David Piers
Earl Arthur Ryan •
Garfield MacDonald •
BUILDER
George “Porgy” Kehoe •
Annie Longard •
Gladys Longard •
TEAM
Brookfield Elks Softball 1980
1989
ATHLETE
Hugh Alexander Campbell
Herbert MacLeod •
Sydney Hale Roy •
Reginald J. Muise
BUILDER
John Brophy
Nigel Kemp
Donald Wheeler •
TEAM
Stellarton Monarchs Senior
Softball 1937-38
1990
ATHLETE
Reginald “Reg” Beazley •
Peter Hope
Sam Wareham •
Jerry Byers •
BUILDER
Robert “Bob” Kaplan •
Herman Kaplan •
Alfred “Alf” LeJeune •
TEAM
Windsor Maple Leafs Senior
Hockey 1963-64
1991
ATHLETE
Walter Dann
Hilliard Graves
Angus “Sonny” MacDonald •
John Myketyn •
Billy O’Donnell
BUILDER
John Fortunato •
Keith MacKenzie
Rod Shoveller •
1992
ATHLETE
Fred Cuvelier •
Ismet “Hum” Joseph •
Wayne Maxner
BUILDER
Darius “Pat” Patterson •
Bob Sayer
TEAM
Saint Francis Xavier Hockey 1950-51
1993
ATHLETE
Leo Amadio •
Andrew Cole
Elizabeth Connor •
Robert McCall •
Robert Mills
Miriam Penney •
Doug Sulliman
BUILDER
James Creighton •
Bill Kingston •
1994
ATHLETE
Paul Boutilier
Ann Dodge
Peter Doig
Karin Maessen
BUILDER
1999
Gerry MacMillan
Kathy Powers
Tyrone Williams
2009
Dave Downey
Duncan Gillis •
Mike Henderson
Mike McPhee
BUILDER
Bruce Beaton
Mickey Fox
Brian Heaney
Jody Hennigar
Gordie Smith
ATHLETE
BUILDER
Bernie Chisholm
Hugh Matheson
Gail Rice
William James Roue •
Bob Boucher •
Pat Connolly •
John MacGlashen
TEAM
TEAM
MEDIA
Halifax Arcade Ladies Softball 1946-49
Glace Bay Colonels 1987
Donnie MacIsaac •
2000
2005
Donald “Chick” Charlton •
William Hannon
Kevin Morrison
Lawrence “Butch” O’Hearn
Neil Amadio •
John Cassidy
Jackie Hayden
David “Ducky” Webber
ATHLETE
BUILDER
BUILDER
Josephine Laba •
Paul MacLean
Marie Moore
Ralph Simmons •
Kell Antoft •
Brian Langley
Al Yarr
John Paris Jr.
Susan Smith
Murray Sleep •
TEAM
TEAM
Robert “Bob” Douglas •
Frank Garner
TEAM
Saint Francis Xavier Football 1966
1995
BUILDER
Gussie MacLellan •
Ken Mantin
TEAM
Nova Scotia Women’s Field Hockey 1975
1996
ATHLETE
David Crabbe
Edna Lockhart Duncanson •
Duncan MacIntyre
Marie McNeil Bowness
Karen Fraser Moore
BUILDER
Taylor Gordon
Fred MacGillivray, Sr. •
Joyce Myers •
1997
ATHLETE
Jamie Bone
Rick Bowness
Edwin Crowell
John “Jook” Munroe
Bob Piers
BUILDER
George Athanasiou
Dr. William Stanish
Dorothy Walker
TEAM
Nova Scotia Voyageurs Hockey
1971-72
1998
ATHLETE
William “Bill” Carter •
Wilson Parsons
William “Bill” Riley
Ken Shea
ATHLETE
Sydney Millionaires Hockey 1948-49
2001
ATHLETE
Cecilia Branch
Donald MacVicar
Kathy MacCormack Spurr
BUILDER
Laurie Power •
Ginny Smith
TEAM
Thorburn Mohawks Maritime Junior
Softball 1963-65
1981 Canada Games Junior Boys
Softball
2002
ATHLETE
Fabian Joseph
Cliff Roach •
Mark Smith
BUILDER
Terry Henderson
Alexander “Sandy” Young •
TEAM
Dalhousie University Volleyball 1982
Saint Mary’s Junior Hockey 1948
2003
ATHLETE
Rick Anderson
Jim Beckman
Malcolm Davis
Graham MacIntyre
Clyde Roy •
Barry Shakespeare •
BUILDER
ATHLETE
Antigonish Robertson’s Midget
Softball 1984
Nova Scotia Canada Games Men’s
Basketball 1987
MEDIA
Al Hollingsworth
2006
2010
ATHLETE
Janice Cossar
Mike Forgeron
Robyn Meagher
Gary Sabean
Cindy Tye
Ross Webb
BUILDER
Carl “Bucky” Buchanan
Kevin Heisler
Rick Rivers
2011
ATHLETE
Will Njoku
Steve Pound
Cam Russell
Michael Scarola
BUILDER
2012
David Andrews
Muriel Fage •
Courtney Malcolm
TEAM
Judy Lugar and Morag McLean Sailing
Fisherman’s Market Midget Boys
Fast Pitch Softball 1981
2007
ATHLETE
Frank Dorrington •
Stan Hennigar Jr.
Fred Lake •
Penny LaRocque
Charles Smith •
Wendell Young
BUILDER
Steve Konchalski
Don Koharski
Dick MacLean •
2008
TEAM
Team Colleen Jones 1999-2004
ATHLETE
Julie Barton
Steve Giles
Vince Horsman
Glen Murray
BUILDER
John (Jack) Graham
Howard Jackson •
TEAM
2001 King of Donair Men’s Soccer
Club
2013
ATHLETE
Lawrence Hafey
John Hatch
BUILDER
Stephen Fairbairn
Tak Kikuchi
ATHLETE
TEAM
1981 Acadia University Axemen
Football
1985 Kentville Wildcats Baseball
Saint Francis Xavier Football 1963
BUILDER
MEDIA
TEAM
Hugh Townsend
Wayne Finck
David Fraser
Arnold Patterson •
Art Dorrington
Hugh Little •
Acadia University Men’s Basketball
1976-77
Hubert Earle
Carolyn Savoy
TEAM
ATHLETE
TEAM
BUILDER
Elizabeth Chard •
Lois MacGregor
Bob Wong
2004
Roy Clements •
Gus Fahey
Terry Baker
Chris Clarke
John Giovannetti •
David Pinkney Sr. •
Ken Reardon
BUILDER
Saint Mary’s University Basketball
1972-73
BUILDER
ATHLETE
Don Brien
Peter Corkum
Al MacInnis
Carroll Morgan
Jerome Bruhm
Leo Fahey
ATHLETE
TEAM
Amherst Ramblers Hockey
1960-61
• Deceased
John
Hatch
by Joel Jacobson
“
J
ohn Hatch was good but not a standout when
I saw him play as a high school junior in
Calgary,” recalls St. Francis Xavier University
men’s basketball coach Steve Konchalski recently.
“But in his first scrimmage at X, my jaw dropped.
I felt he could be special, told him that, and said,
‘Let’s work on what needs improvement.’”
H a rd w o r k a n d e f f o r t , d e t e r m i n a t i o n ,
competitiveness made John Hatch into one of the finest
student-athletes ever to play sport at St. F.X., establishing
records in four years that have not been broken by
five-year players since.
The 6’6” forward later starred with Canada’s
national, Olympic and World University
Games teams, and played seven years
professionally in Switzerland where he
settled, built a family and has had an
outstanding business career.
But it was at X that he developed
into the man of the last 25-plus years.
In his freshman year, he helped
guide the X-men to the AUS
Athlete
28
championship and the national
scorer, to an injury, and were
Hatch Hoop Hype:
semi-finals. In the next three
playing Acadia in the national
years, he was AUS Most
semifinal. John stepped up with
• Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
Valuable Player, first team CIS
28 points in a game we lost on
• All-time leading scorer in St. F.X. basketball history
All-Canadian, and became
the last possession.”
• Scored 2,968 points in just four seasons (1980-1984)
the all-time leading scorer on
Konchalski smiles when he
• Holds the X-Men record for most rebounds in a
the Antigonish campus with
recalls
how he’d destroy Acadia
single season and one game
a still-existing record of 2,968
defenders game after game.
• Second in All-Time rebounding at St. F.X. with
points. He’s second in career
“Coach (Dave) Nutbrown
1,478
rebounding (1,478) and holds
always played man-to-man
• Helped X-Men win the AUS conference
the single-season (472) and
and John consistently bettered
championship in 1980-1981
single game (29) records.
whoever was guarding him.
• Three-time consecutive AUS Most Valuable Player
“The national volleyball team
Dave would yell at the defensive
• The only X-Men player to be a three-time CIS Allhad an interest in John, an
player as he came to the bench
Canadian
all-round athlete, but I was
to be replaced by someone else.
• Won gold with Canada at the 1983 World University
fortunate to get him,” says
John scored 48 in one game at
Games in Edmonton
Coach K, a member of the
Wolfville, only two less than the
• Played with Team Canada at the 1984 and 1988
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame,
Olympic Games
gymnasium record.”
elected as a builder (1977) and
John recalls Konchalski
• Played professionally in Switzerland for seven years
athlete (1982) with the Acadia
recruiting him. “He was in
Axemen 1965 basketball team.
Calgary with X for a tournament
“One game with us, I recall vividly, was in his freshman
and saw me play a high school game. He visited with my
year at nationals. We had lost Mark Brody, our leading
folks, one of very few recruiters to do that at the time, and
impressed us all. I had real good feel for the team and for
the school.”
He says coming to a small town like Antigonish as a
teenager, “gave me confidence to be on my own. Being
that far away from home, without today’s communication
methods, was very different, but I had tremendous support
in Antigonish. It was like an extended family – the team
and the people there.”
Coach K, connected to the national team, recommended
John to head coach Jack Donahue and John developed into a
starter. “In 1981, John couldn’t shoot beyond the free throw
line but in 1987, he led the national team in three-point
percentage,” Steve says. “And in 1983, when the team won
gold at the World University Games (over the USA in the
final) John competed against (NBA Hall-of-Famers) Charles
Barkley and Karl Malone.”
“I got to basketball a bit later than most because I was in
several sports as a kid,” John recalls. “I guess my strengths
as a player were consistency, tenacity, even being an overachiever. I had to learn to play farther away from the basket
after I left X. I had to be an outside player to match up
better.”
His Bachelor of Business degree (Dean’s List the last
John Hatch grabs a rebound against Dalhousie in a Metro Centre
two years and Rhodes Scholarship nomination as a senior)
match-up.
29
“gave me the curiosity
to discover what is
out there. I intended
to attend Dalhousie
University law school
after a year or two with
the Canadian national
team but signed a twoyear contract to play
in Europe and put law
school on hold.”
After the 1988
Olympics (his second
Games), law school was
forgotten and John got an
Hatch shoots a free throw before the
MBA from University of
home crowd in Antigonish.
Lausanne in Switzerland.
Work opportunities followed. He’s run country operations
for international retailers and is now in charge of the retail
business for Apple in Switzerland.
Two of his four children are attending Atlantic schools –
30
son Ryan at Mount Allison where he’s taking his third year
off to work on community projects, and daughter Shannon,
in second year at St. F.X. where she’ll play her first year of
varsity basketball. Son
Jason is a high-school
senior in Switzerland
where he is on the
national under-19 team.
Daughter Aleesia, 12, is
in multi-sports.
John was elected to
the St. F.X. Sports Hall
of Fame in 1996.
Joel Jacobson is a former
columnist with the
Halifax Chronicle Herald
and a long-time volunteer
and supporter of Hall of Hatch hits a slam dunk during a
Fame events.
championship event at Metro Centre.
RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
Congratulations John hatCh, and
WelCome BaCk to nova sCotia!
Sandy archibald
Portfolio Manager
902-424-1053
sandy.archibald@rbc.com
www.sandyarchibald.com
There’s Wealth in Our Approach.
RBC Dominion Securities is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
31
Stephen
Fairbairn
by Katherine Wooler
I
“
think young athletes, if they get good guidance and good
coaching, they get a leg up on the rest of the planet for
how to deal with adult life,” says Stephen Fairbairn, who
has not only coached Olympic athletes but also blazed the trail
for competitive snowboarding in Nova Scotia, taking the sport
from its unwanted presence on the slopes to its status as a formal
organization.
“Adult life is full of struggles and disappointments,” he adds, “and
I think sport, if it is done right, can really prepare you for those.”
Steve has definitely done sport right. He founded the Nova
Scotia Snowboard Association (NSSA, now Snowboard
Nova Scotia) and acted as its first president,
coached and managed teams at national and
international competitions, and served as a
board member of Canada Snowboard for
20 years.
Natasha Burgess, manager of sport
development for Canada Snowboard,
says Steve proved that “it doesn’t matter
that you are a small province—as long
as you could do the work you could go
somewhere with it.”
When Steve started working at Ski
Martock in Windsor, snowboarders
were only allowed to use the hills
with a special pass, and Steve spent
much of his time fielding complaints
from skiers. However, by 1991, he
Builder
32
had developed beginner
to 2011. He also acquired
lessons for snowboarders
funding for a year-round
at Martock and organized
start gate at Martock,
the first snowboarding
showing up with a garden
competition in the
shovel to help install the
province.
ramp himself.
“There was very
Steve says that the many
much an attitude that
hours he volunteered on
snowboards shouldn’t
the slopes never felt like
be allowed on the hill,”
sacrifice because he was
says Natasha. “It must
doing what he loved and
have seemed crazy to go
was surrounded by other
from that to competition
dedicated people.
and making it a formal
“He
had
us
organization.”
skateboarding and doing
Steve also initiated
workouts at home with
training for a provincial
whatever equipment we
Iconic
Chronicle
Herald
cartoonist
Bruce
MacKinnon
depicts
the
growth
of
team that included future
could use,” says Olympic
snowboarding stars like snowboarding.
snowboarder and
Olympian Trevor Andrew. He organized instructor
Snowboard Nova Scotia coach Sarah Conrad, explaining
certification and became the Atlantic Canada regional
how her former coach overcame the challenges of a short
coordinator for CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard
snow season in Nova Scotia.
Instructors), travelling to remote communities like Wabush,
Steve also extended training time by organizing pre-season
Labrador to certify instructors on their local hills.
training camps in Europe on a shoestring budget, which he
Steve worked to secure a full-time snowboard coach
says is one of the most satisfying things he did as a coach.
position for the NSSA, holding the position from 2008
“Above all, I think the one thing I really saw in Steve,
even when I was 15 or 16 years old, was
his passion for the sport,” says Sarah,
who now sits with Steve on Snowboard
Nova Scotia’s board of directors. “He
was always running around with tons
of stuff in his hands, setting up courses,
waxing boards for athletes and still
finding time to actually make it down
the race course himself.”
“Seeing someone who started with
me eight years prior and the next thing
I know I am in Italy and she is an
Olympian was pretty amazing,” says
Steve, a provincial titleholder himself,
as he looks back at his time coaching
Sarah. He has also coached national
champion Alex Duckworth and NormAm Cup winner Kristin D’Eon.
Steve taught athletes to focus on the
process and not the outcome. “When
Fairbairn competes at Martock in the late 1990s
you take care of all the other things, the
33
Fairbairn Factoids:
Fairbairn trains for a snowboarding event.
outcome takes care of itself,”
he says. And his theory has
proven true: he took care of
every aspect necessary to make
snowboarding a successful
competitive sport in Nova
Scotia, and the outcome has
been a roster of high-caliber
athletes and a place for Nova
Scotian snowboarders on the
world stage.
“You suddenly realize that
twenty-three years have gone
by and a lot has happened. Yet,
at the time you aren’t necessarily thinking about it in those
terms,” says Steve. “It is always about the next challenge.”
• Hometown: Fall River
• In 1990-1991, developed beginner lessons for
snowboarders at Martock and organized the first
snowboard competition in Nova Scotia
• Founder and first president of the Nova Scotia
Snowboard Association
• Coached and managed teams and individual athletes
at the National Championships, FIS (International
Ski Federation) World Cup, World University
Games, Canada Winter Games, and Junior World
Championships
• Assistant team manager at the 2006 Winter Olympics
• Has served as a board member of Canada Snowboard
for 20 years
• Head coach for the Nova Scotia Snowboard Association
for two years, starting in 2008
• Awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee
Medal
Fairbairn snowboards in an idyllic
setting at Plateau Rosa in the Swiss
Alps.
Katherine Wooler received an MA in English from Dalhousie
University. She is a museum assistant at the Nova Scotia
Sport Hall of Fame and social media coordinator for Editing
Modernism in Canada.
Steve Fairbairn snowboards in Italy.
34
35
Tak
Kikuchi
by Katherine Wooler
J
ust do your thing.”
That’s gymnastics coach, official, and
developer Tak Kikuchi’s advice and it has
resonated loudly with his students throughout
his more than 40 years of coaching.
“He’ll tell us before competitions, ‘Just do
your thing,’” says Hugh Smith, national all-around
champion for 2013. “That’s something that has always
stuck with me.”
Hugh started out at Taiso Gymnastics, a
Sackville club that was started by Tak
and a few friends. Taiso, at which
Tak was head coach, provided
a place for gymnasts to
train competitively at a
time when most clubs
were recreational
and competitive
gymnastics were
restricted to
university athletics.
After Taiso, Tak
helped start the
Cobequid Spartans
in Truro in 1979. He
then contributed to
the development of
“
36
that, starting out, Tak encountered a
language barrier when coaching but
recognized the challenge and worked
to overcome it. “He would demonstrate
a lot himself on the equipment,” says
Vaughn.
At the 20 03 Canada Game s,
Vaughn was expected to medal after
excellent training, but then fell during
competition. He says he appreciated
that Tak didn’t show disappointment
and always had reasonable expectations.
“I try to show confidence whether at
a little competition or the Olympics,”
says Tak, who coached Vaughn at three
Canada Games competitions.
“He has a good way of balancing
In 1987, the provincial Tyro Team, coached by Tak Kikuchi, won silver at Nationals, the bestexpectation and motivation,” says
ever Nova Scotia result for any age group.
Vaughn, adding that Tak’s coaching style
the Halifax Tumblebugs, a club that later merged with the
encourages gymnasts to compete for themselves and not for
Maritime Academy to form ALTA Gymnastics. In 2013,
their coaches or parents.
ALTA was named best club by Gymnastics Canada and
“He always puts the interest of the athlete first,” says
the club has produced star gymnasts such as Hugh Smith
Hugh, explaining that Tak is excellent at designing routines
and Ellie Black.
that his athletes will be able to execute 100% of the time.
“He’s been very persistent,” says Hugh, “It’s kind of been
Tak also excelled as an athlete and was inducted to the
building block after building block, and that’s how he’s
Acadia University Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the
been able to bring such high level athletes to Nova Scotia.”
1971-72 gymnastics team. He then began his coaching
Tak has been head coach at ALTA since June 1991 and
career at Acadia in 1973, followed by three years as the men’s
he has taken athletes to many international championships,
gymnastics team coach for Dalhousie University.
including five Worlds, while also serving as a three-time
Canada Games coach and a two-time Olympic coach.
Kikuchi Kudos:
Among the male and female artistic gymnasts he has taken
• Hometown: Fall River
to major competitions is his son David, who Tak coached
•
Coached men’s and women’s Acadia gymnastics teams
at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
to AUAA championships in 1973
“I think that the amount of time that he has been able
• Coached at five World Championships, two Pan
to produce national team athletes is very rare,” says David.
Am Games, two Commonwealth Games, FISU
“He has had great gymnasts for a long time, and the sport
(International University Sports Federation) Games,
has been constantly changing.”
and World Cup
David believes that one of his father’s best coaching
• Olympic coach in 2004 and 2008
qualities is an even-keeled personality, and anyone who
• Founding member of Halifax ALTA Gymnastics Club
knows Tak will agree that he always stays calm under
• Head coach and coach mentor at ALTA Gymnastics
pressure.
Club from 1991-present
“That’s my personality, I guess… I’m a boring guy,” says
• National level judge for 35 years and an international
Tak, laughing. However, boring is not a term that any of
level judge for 25 years
Tak’s students would use to describe their cheerful coach’s
• Holds a Gymnastics Canada life membership and has
approach to gymnastics.
been named Gymnastics Canada Coach of the Year
Vaughn Arthur, artistic gymnast and ALTA coach, explains
37
In addition to increasing competition in men’s gymnastics
and encouraging more athletes to join the sport, Vaughn says
that Tak’s inspirational coaching has prompted the majority
of his students to become coaches themselves. “We feel that
we want to contribute to what Tak started.”
For Vaughn, who has recently co-founded Windsor
Gymnastics with Hugh Smith, Tak has become an invaluable
mentor. “He kind of says something every day that sticks
with me,” says Vaughn.
Hugh agrees that Tak is a memorable coach: “I’ve spent
more time with Tak than I have with my own father. He’s
been there as a coach and he’s been there as a friend. I will
use his style of coaching in gymnastics and in my day-today life.”
Tak says his favourite part of coaching is simply seeing kids
learn skills. “It doesn’t matter whether they’re high level skills
or beginner skills. It makes them happy and then I’m happy.”
Katherine Wooler received an MA in English from Dalhousie
University. She is a museum assistant at the Nova Scotia
Sport Hall of Fame and social media coordinator for Editing
Modernism in Canada.
In 1974, Tak gives a demonstration at a Nova Scotia gym camp
at Acadia University.
2004 Canadian Olympic coaches Tak Kikuchi (left) and Czom Latorovszki (right) flank Olympic athletes going to Sydney, Australia –
Steve Giles, Richard Dalton, Jill D’Alessio, David Kikuchi, Mike Scarola and Karen Furneaux.
38
nc.
GYMNASTICS CANADA AND THE
GYMNASTICS COMMUNITY
CONGRATULATE TAK KIKUCHI
ON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE
NOVA SCOTIA
SPORT HALL OF FAME
ATLANTIC SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CONSULTING
Sport
Physical
Daniel Macdonald
Activity
Halifax, NS B3K 1Z4
Consultant
Tel: (902)453-5120
Activité
Mobile: (902)237-3826
Physique
macdond@umoncton.ca
Sport
CONSEIL ATLANTIQUE EN SPORT ET ACTVITÉ PHYSIQUE
39
40
How do you use
New technology to
preserve the past?
O
ver the last year, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall
of Fame has embarked on a large digitization
project. We have been scanning all of our research
material and inductee files. The files are run through Optical
Character Recognition (OCR) software, which makes the
words in the document searchable by keyword. The result?
We can fill research requests much more quickly and
efficiently, plus we have a digital backup of our files. So far
we have scanned over 55,000 pages of sport history! We
have also converted 233 hours of audio and video cassette
tape recordings to digital files so that we can preserve the
content before the tapes are too old to play.
On NovaMuse.ca you can browse our entire collection,
post comments, add to the historical record, and share with
social media. About 5% of our collection is on display at any
given time. Explore
the other 95% on
NovaMuse.ca and
discover something
new about our rich
sport history.
There was a lot of silver polishing last summer for our new trophy exhibit, which is now shining bright in the gallery.
41
“Touring The Hall”
Have you seen the “World’s Best” Sidney Crosby exhibit?
There are three new locker displays at the
Hall – including one for Canadian curling
champion Penny LaRocque.
One of the many exhibits profiling Nova Scotian NHL hockey players at the Hall of Fame.
Visit us online at nsshf.com – Follow us on
42
and
Shaping Future
Inductees
490 2400 | www.canadagamescentre.ca |
43
44
Preserving Nova Scotia’s
Long Curling History
L
ast summer, the Halifax
George presented his medal to the Thistle Club in 1853 for
Curling Club kindly donated
annual competition. In 1872, the Thistle Club returned the
the Buist medal and three
medal to the Halifax Curling Club. Links were added to the
sets of curling plates to the Nova
medal to record the winners from 1916 to 1942.
Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. They
Many of the winners of the Buist medal were also
are currently all on display at
winners of the Drummond or Davis stone.
the Hall of Fame and on
Four names engraved on the curling artefacts
NovaMuse.ca.
stand out: J. E. Donahue, C. L. Torey, J. A.
The oldest of the
MacInnes, and M. MacNeill. In 1927, the
three sets of plates, the
four came together to win the first-ever
Drummond plates,
Canadian Curling Championship, known
were an esteemed prize
as the MacDonald Brier. James E. Donahue
from 1853 to 1963.
played lead and his Brier rock can be seen on
They were presented to
display at the Hall. Clifford L. Torey played
the Halifax Curling Club
second, J. Alfred MacInnes was mate, and Prof.
in 1853 by Captain The reverse of the Buist medal Murray MacNeill led the team as skip.
Henry M. Drummond shows curling over 150 years ago.
When the Brier first began, city clubs
nd
of the 42 Royal Highlanders,
competed for the Canadian title. The Halifax Club beat
president of the Halifax Curling
Sarnia, Ontario 13-9 to win the 1927 championship. In
Club in 1852.
1951, Halifax hosted the event at Dalhousie University
The plates were set on curling
and the Glooscap Curling Club of Kentville achieved an
stones, and the Drummond stone
unprecedented, undefeated record, winning the title. Both
prize was awarded to the Club
teams have been inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall
member who had the highest score
of Fame, along with Colleen Jones’ five-time Women’s
in one of the “Points” competitions.
Canadian Championship team.
The second highest scorer won the
Davis stone (1875-1920), a second
set of plates donated by the Halifax
Curling Club. The third set of plates
are unnamed and date from 1922
to 1966.
The Buist medal is the oldest
artefact in the Hall of Fame’s
collection, dating back to 1852. It
was won by George Buist, who later
left the Halifax Curling Club and
formed the Thistle Club in 1853.
The Buist medal won in 1852 is the oldest
artefact in the Hall of Fame’s collection.
The Drummond curling stone plates recording over 100 years
of Halifax Curling Club history.
45
NOVA SCOTIA SPORT
HALL OF FAME
THE UNIQUE VENUE
BOARDROOM • THEATRE • SIMULATOR • FACILITY • STATE-OF-THE-ART AUDIO/VISUAL
meetings • presentations • receptions • team building
ALL IN ONE GREAT STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY!
ONE GREAT PRICE — ALL INCLUSIVE
The Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame at Metro Centre • karolyn@nsshf.com
902 404 3321 • www.nsshf.com
46
“Friends of the Hall”
The following individuals and businesses have contributed financially to the Hall of Fame in suppport
of our Annual Friends Campaign and our ongoing programs:
Lionel Jackson
Ed Longard • Manulife Financial • Toronto Raptors • Scotiabank
Municipal Enterprises • Jack Flemming • Vernon Kynock • Michael Zatzman • Rick Bowness • Floyd Gaetz • HIAA
Keith Allen
Mary-Anne Arsenault
Ivor Axford
Marjorie Turner Bailey
John Beausang
Blackburn Holdings
Michael Boudreau
Henry Boutilier
Philip Bowes
Carl Buchanan
Marc Champoux
Irene Clark
Wayne Clyke
Keith Coles
John Conn
Sarah Conn
Dave Connolly
Peter Corkum
Catherine Cox
Richard Criddle
Michael Currie
Colin Dodds
Peter Doig
Lynn Donahue
Libby Douglas
Alan Dunlop
Hubert Earle
Peter Fardy
Norm Ferguson
Leona Fewer
Wayne Finck
Philip Gaunce
Sheila Gray
Bev Greenlaw
W.E. Hannon
Edwin Harris
Lawrence Hayes
Philip Henderson
Dean & Elaine Hopkins
Hubbards Investments
Avery Jackson
Joel Jacobson
Joel Irvine
Mason Johnston
Daniel Joseph
Don Koharski
Kelly Kolke
Steve Konchalski
Blaise Landry
Roger Legere
John MacDonald
Lowell MacDonald
Graham MacIntyre
Dave MacLean
Cyril MacLeod
Muriel McLaughlin
Shane Mailman
Courtney Malcolm
Ken Mantin
Jean Meagher
Janet Merry
Don Mills
Wilfred Moore
James Muir
Kathy Mullane
Ed Murrin
Office Interiors
David Pottie
Steve Pound
Noel Price
Robert Randall
Michael Reardon
Sharon Resky
Aubrey Rhyno
Judi Rice
Susan Ritcey
Rick Rivers
Dorothy Robbins
Bill Robinson
Salar Consulting
Karolyn Sevcik
Joan Shoveller
Joseph Sidel
Ian Smith
John Smith
Mark Smith
Sojourn Enterprises
Kathy Spurr
William Stanish
Tinisha Stilling
Glen Taylor
Geraldine Thomas
L.G. Trask
Dick Van Snick
Jocelyn Webb
Bill White
Linda Weckman
Walter Williams
Windsor Salt Company
Wendell Young
Thank you for your support!
47
Hall of Fame Selection Process
Helping to Select Nova Scotia Sport Heroes to the Hall
T
he selection process for the Nova Scotia Sport Hall
of Fame has proven to be very successful, creating
transparency and expanded participation, while
ensuring the best athletes, teams and builders continue
to gain the recognition they deserve. A 24-person review
panel from across the province, all sport-knowledgeable
people, review the nominations – usually between 80-100
submissions annually.
Using a weighted point system, each of the 24 ranks his or
her top 10 in the athlete-team category and top five builders.
Two short lists – top point getters in athlete-team and
builder categories – in alphabetical order, are then presented
to a final 12-member selection committee, consisting of
regional representatives with sport background expertise.
That committee meets in person to review the final list of
nominees, with open and detailed discussion taking place
on each nominee.
A transparent first-ballot vote narrows the list, with the
top four vote getters in the athlete-team category receiving
automatic election. Those others receiving at least 50 per
cent of the first-ballot vote are then placed on a second
ballot, and require at least 75 per cent of the vote to attain
election. A maximum of six new members in the category
can be elected each year.
The process is similar for builders with a maximum of
two to be elected each year, unless there are extenuating
circumstances.
Chair of the Hall of Fame selection process is Hall of Fame
member Mark Smith, elected as an athlete in 2002.
Members of the two committees welcomed the new process
in 2009 and have seen its success in the years following.
Nominations are accepted until January 31 each year. The
selection process moves through committees from March
through May.
S election C ommittee P ersonnel
2013 Selection Review Panel
Ray Bradshaw
Richard Burton
Phil Chandler
Lowell Cormier
Nancy Delahunt
Mike Druken
George Hallett
Mike Henderson
Paul Hollingsworth
Nevin Jackson
Albert Johnson
Nigel Kemp
48
Bill Kiely
Lois MacGregor
Glen MacKinnon
Edward MacLaren
Dave MacLean
Bob Piers
Bruce Rainnie
Gordie Smith
Rick Swain
Hugh Townsend
Amy Walsh
Ambrose White
2013 Selection Committee
Chairman
Mark Smith
Kevin Cameron
George Hallett
Mike Henderson
Paul Hollingsworth
Albert Johnson
Bill Kiely
Kathy MacCormack Spurr
Dave MacLean
Dianne Norman
Gordie Sutherland
Hugh Townsend
P ast C hairs
of the
Hall of Fame
Hugh Noble
Halifax
1977 – 1979
Dorothy Walker
Centreville
1980 – 1983
Jim Bayer
Wolfville
1983 – 1985
Board of
D irectors
Chairman............................................. Don Mills
Vice Chairman............................. Mike Boudreau
Cape Breton Region..................... Dave MacLean
Central Region................... Stephanie O’Connor
Fundy Region.................................... Kelly Kolke
Highland Region...................... Marc Champoux
South Shore Region................... Mike Boudreau
Valley Region................................... Mark Smith
Director-At-Large ............. Dr. William Stanish
Director-At-Large ........................... Peter Fardy
Director-At-Large ................... Karen Furneaux
Director-At-Large ....................... Jim Boudreau
Director-At-Large .......................... Blaise Landry
Treasurer . ....................................... Rob Randall
Past Chairman.................................. Floyd Gaetz
S taff
Bill White
Wolfville
1986 – 1991
Eleanor Norrie
Truro
1991 – 1993
Tom Lynch
Halifax
1993 – 1998
CEO................................................ Bill Robinson
Facility & Communications
Manager....................................... Shane Mailman
Administration & Special Events
Coordinator................................. Karolyn Sevcik
Program Coordinator...................... Sarah Conn
Museum Curator.......................... Tinisha Stilling
A uditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
L egal C ounsel
Danny Gallivan
Halifax
1998 – 2001
Fred MacGillivray
Halifax
2002 – 2010
Floyd Gaetz
Halifax
2010 – 2012
Stephen Russell
Russell Piggott Jones
I ncorporation
1983
49
O u r M i ss i o n
To honour, promote and preserve the sport history of Nova Scotia.
Our Vision
To be the best provincial Sport Hall of Fame in Canada.
Administration
T
he Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame is administered by a Board of Directors which consists of six regional representatives,
a chairman, past chairman, directors-at-large, and a treasurer. The Board meets regularly to ensure sound management
policy and direction in the program operations of the Hall.
O bjectives
T
o permanently record information and achievements of historical significance to sport in Nova Scotia;
To research, catalogue, file and make available to the general public, including without limitation, students, writers, schools
and universities, information and achievements of historical significance to sport in Nova Scotia;
To publish books, periodicals, pamphlets and other literature recording information on the achievement of sports individuals,
teams, and organizations of historical significance to sport in Nova Scotia, for distribution to members of the public;
To conduct programs of education for organizations in the community, including without limitation, schools, universities
and special care homes, for the purpose of educating the public with information and achievements of historical significance to
sport in Nova Scotia;
To maintain an archives of sport in Nova Scotia and exhibit to the public, literature, artifacts, photographs and other media
information of historical significance to sport in Nova Scotia;
To recognize, honour and pay tribute to individuals, teams or organizations who have achieved extraordinary distinction in, have
given distinguished service to, and who have made major contributions to the development and advancement of sport in Nova Scotia.
H all
T
of
F ame N ominations
he selection process for induction into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame is the responsibility of a 24-person review
panel and the provincial selection committee. The 24-person panel reviews all nominations for final recommendation
to the provincial selection committee. The provincial selection committee, which consists of 12 people, including
a provincial chairperson, carefully scrutinizes the final recommendations. Upon their review, under the terms and criteria
for entry into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, the final candidates are selected and announced as inductees annually.
Nominations for candidates are open to the general public and are received annually at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of
Fame with a January 31st deadline.
50
Books signed by author Joel Jacobson
are available at the
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame
51
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