Category: 1995 Inductees

The 1995 inductees to the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame

  • Gordon Thompson – Builder

    Gordon Thompson – Builder

    Mention the sport of curling in Prince Albert and area and sometime during the discussion the name Gordon Thompson will be included.

    The late Gordon Thompson was born in Margaret, Manitoba in 1914 and in 1942 he moved to Saskatoon where he became a member of the Granite Curling Club.

    Ten years later he moved to Prince Albert and for the next 40 years his involvement in curling was unparalleled.

    Thompson was president of the Prince Albert Curling Club from 1955 ‑ 56 and during that term he helped the local organization switch from natural ice to artificial ice so that the season could be prolonged.

    Thompson was also involved with the Saskatchewan Curling Association and in 1964 ‑ 65 he was president of that organization when the Brier was hosted in Saskatoon in 1965. From 1967‑ 1976, Thompson was an executive member of the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club and during that time he helped plan the new curling facility which is still in use at Cooke Municipal Golf Course.

    During the 1971‑72 season, Thompson was president of the Canadian Curling association. He was instrumental in landing Seagram’s as a major sponsor of the national mixed curling championship and he helped the CCA adopt a new constitution. Thompson also appointed a committee to organize a Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in Winnipeg and that institution is now a mobile unit which visits the Scott Tournament of Hearts and Labatt Brier championships every year.

    Thompson’s involvement in curling wasn’t restricted to executive duties. He was an accomplished curler himself having won the Grand Challenge in Saskatoon in 1944 and ’51 and in Prince Albert in 1954 and ’61. Thompson was on three club championship teams in Prince Albert (1955 ‑’56, ’56 ‑ ’57 and ’59 ‑ ’60). He also represented Prince Albert at five northern play‑downs.

    For his efforts, Thompson received life memberships with the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club, Saskatchewan Curling Association and Canadian Curling Association. Thompson has also been inducted in the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and is a member of the very exclusive Governor’s General Curling Club.

    Thompson was named Prince Albert’s Sportsman of the Year in 1972 and was made a “Patron” of the SCA in 1985. It is with great respect that the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame welcomes Gordon Thompson into its shrine in the builder’s category.

    Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

  • Joyce Ellison – Builder

    Joyce Ellison – Builder

    The other half of Prince Albert’s dynamic volunteer duo is rightfully gaining a place in the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in the builder’s category.

    Joyce Ellison joins husband Ev in the local shrine for her many years of involvement in softball and bowling. In fact, Joyce is the third member of her family to be given the Hall of Fame honour as daughter Debbie was inducted as part of the Browne’s Dusters softball team in 1990.

    Ellison originally started volunteering at softball events in 1960 when her daughter Debbie and husband Ev were constantly at the ball diamond. She helped out with practises and fund‑raising activities and tried to make everything run as smoothly as possible so that the enjoyment of the sport could be brought out to its fullest.

    Ellison’s most noteworthy accomplishments, however, were at the bowling alley as she has been involved in the Youth Bowling Council since 1965. During that time she has instructed and coached individual players and teams at numerous zone, provincial and national championships.

    For 10 years, Ellison also became a focal point of the Kinsmen Workshop Bowling League. She coached a team to the provincial Special Olympics championship in 1988 and in 1991 she had two of her Kinsmen Workshop bowlers qualify for the provincial team which competed at the Canadian Special Olympics.

    Ellison has a teaching certificate for bowling and she holds both a Level 1 and Level 2 coaches’ certificate. She also still competes in the Masters Division and supervises numerous leagues.

    An interesting fact about Ellison is that she has been the foster mother of 46 children in addition to her two natural children. For this she was named Prince Albert’s “Mother of The Year” in 1981 and when you combine the workload at home with her volunteer schedule she was justifiably presented with the Saskatchewan Volunteer Recognition Award in 1986.

    A recipient of the 1993 Prince Albert Sportswoman of the Year Award, Ellison most certainly deserves a place in the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame.

    Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

  • Dave Pagan – Athlete

    Dave Pagan – Athlete

    Born in 1949, Dave Pagan grew up in Snowden dreaming of someday playing baseball in the Major Leagues.

    With few, if any, Canadian‑born players on active Major League rosters Pagan knew that his chances were slim, but he held on to that dream and in 1970 was a starting pitcher with the New York Yankees’ farm team.

    Pagan’s talents were first noticed when as a 16‑year‑old he helped the Snowden Spartans win almost every tournament they entered. The Prince Albert Bohemians, a senior men’s team, brought Pagan to the city and in 1968 he helped the Bohemians reach the Western Canadian championships. The following year, Pagan was instrumental in the Eston Ramblers’ appearance at the Canada Summer Games.

    In 1970, Pagan achieved his lifelong dream when he was included in the New York Yankees’ farm team roster. Pagan played three seasons with that club and in 1973 he joined the parent team in New York. After two years in the Big Apple where he won one game and lost three while pitching in 93 innings and striking out 66 batters, Pagan moved to the Baltimore Orioles in 1976 and split the 1977 campaign with the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates. Two more years in the minors concluded Pagan’s professional career in 1979.

    Back in Saskatchewan, Pagan played three years with the Saskatoon Patrick Liners where he helped that club advance to the national tournament in 1980 and ’81.

    Pagan remains active in the sport as he umpires both softball and baseball games in his native Nipawin. The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to welcome Dave Pagan into its shrine in the athlete’s category.

    Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

  • Terry Ruzkowski – Athlete

    Terry Ruzkowski – Athlete

    Leadership has been a quality of Terry Ruskowski at every level of his hockey career.

    Born and raised in Prince Albert, Ruskowski played all of his minor hockey in the city and from 1964‑69 he was a member of all‑star teams at each level as he progressed through the ranks.

    At the age of 16, Ruskowski made the jump to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League where he was second in team scoring with the Humboldt Broncos and was named the top rookie and most valuable player in the play‑offs. In 1971, Ruskowski joined the Swift Current Broncos of the Western

    Canada Hockey League and during his rookie campaign he qualified for the league all‑star game and was named the Broncos’ most popular player. Ruskowski captained the Broncos for the next two seasons and played with the likes of Bryan Trottier and Dave “Tiger” Williams. During his final year of junior eligibility ‑ 1973‑74 ‑ Ruskowski led the Broncos in scoring with 40 goals and 93 assists. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL draft, but opted to join the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros.

    While in Houston, Ruskowski was captain for three years and helped the Aeros win the Avco Cup in 1977. Ruskowski’s teammate in Houston was none other than the legendary Gordie Howe. In 1978, Ruskowski played with the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA and helped that team win the Avco Cup.

    When the WHA folded in 1979, Ruskowski headed to Chicago to play with the Blackhawks. He was captain of that team for most of his four year stay and in 1983 he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings where once again he quickly assumed the team captaincy. While in Los Angeles, Ruskowski was presented with an award for showing inspiration on and off the ice by his teammates. Ruskowski then moved on to Pittsburgh where he was a teammate of Mario Lemieux.

    Ruskowski was captain of the Penguins in his second year with the club, but he was traded to Minnesota before the Pittsburgh dynasty began. Ruskowski played for two years in Minnesota before retiring in 1989.

    Hockey was still in his blood, however, and he jumped at the opportunity to coach the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. Ruskowski stayed two seasons in Saskatoon before moving on to the East Coast Hockey League where he guided the Columbus Chill for three campaigns.

    Ruskowski completed the full circle in 1994 when he became head coach of the International Hockey League’s Houston Aeros.

    A tireless volunteer for charity work and speaking out against drugs and violence, Ruskowski is rightfully being granted a place in the Prince Albert Sports hall of Fame in the athlete’s category.

  • 1984-1985 Prince Albert Raiders – Team

    1984-1985 Prince Albert Raiders – Team

    The final piece of the Prince Albert Raider dynasty was put in place in the spring of 1985.

    Under the guidance of coach and general manager Terry Simpson the Raider organization had collected four Centennial Cup championships at the Junior A level From 1977‑ 1982. In the fall of 1982, the Raiders moved up to the higher major junior level and as expected they struggled in that inaugural campaign winning just 16 and tying another in 72 contests.

    The foundation was set, however, for a fast rise to the top of major hockey. In their second season in the Western Hockey League, the Raiders improved to 41‑29‑2 for fifth place in the East Division and their first appearance in the post season. Although the five‑game setback to the Medicine Hat Tigers in the opening round was disappointing, the team gained some valuable experience for what lay ahead.

    Then came Prince Albert’s version of the “Miracle on Ice”. The Raiders finished first in the East Division with 58 wins 11 losses and three ties and gained a bye in the first round of the play‑offs. Prince Albeit then disposed of the Calgary Wranglers in four straight games in the East Division semifinals and gained a measure of revenge in the division final when they eliminated Medicine Hat in five matches. A four‑game sweep of the Kamloops Blazers gave the Raiders their first‑ever WHL title and a trip to the Memorial Cup.

    The “Cinderella Story” was completed with a 6‑1 victory over the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Memorial Cup final. After losing their first preliminary round‑robin game, the Raiders won their next two and defeated the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 8‑3 in the semifinals to gain a berth in the championship game.

    The roster of that championship team was exclusive as it possessed four future first‑round draft picks ‑ David Manson (Chicago Blackhawks), Kim Issel (Edmonton Oilers), Pat Elynuik (Winnipeg Jets) and Dave Pasin (Boston Bruins). Several others including Emanuel Vivieros, Rod Dallman, Curtis Hunt, Dave Goertz, Tony Grenier, Roydon Gunn and Steve Gotaas all had shots at playing in the NHL, but they spent the majority of their professional careers playing in the minors.

    The three fan favourites ‑ Dan Hodgson, Ken Baumgartner and Brad Bennett ‑ all took different paths to remain in hockey. Hodgson, the Raiders’ leading scorer of all time, made it to the NHL first with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then with the Vancouver Canucks. A serious leg injury forced Hodgson out of the NHL and he played a number of years in the European leagues along with Issel and Vivieros. Baumgartner, affectionately known as the “Bomber,” has enjoyed a lengthy NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was also one of the main negotiators for the National Hockey League Player’s Association during the strike‑shortened 1994‑95 NHL season. Bennett played overseas for a few years before finally hooking up with his former Raider teammate Doug Hobson as an assistant coach with the Victoria and Prince George Cougars of the WHL.

    Other members of the Memorial Cup championship team included Ward Komonosky, Dale McFee, Kurt Woolf, Neil Davey, Ken Morrison, Don Schmidt, Colin Feser and Dean Braham. McFee has returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach with the Raiders.

    Coach Terry Simpson moved on to the NHL as a head coach with the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers and as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets. His assistant in 1984‑85 Rick Wilson, has also enjoyed a lengthy career in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Islanders, Kings and Dallas Stars.

    One final member of the championship squad moved up to the NHL and that was team trainer Stan Wilson who is with the Winnipeg Jets as an equipment manager.

    In three short years the Raiders returned to the top of the junior hockey world. It is a testament to the organization and the people involved. The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame gladly welcomes the Memorial Cup champions into the hall in the team category.

    Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.