Category: 2009 Inductees
The 2009 inductees to the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame
-
1983-1984 Prince Albert Anavets Mosquito Baseball – Team
To go undefeated through one season at the city and provincial levels is of note. But when it happens in back to back seasons with primarily the same team it is special. The Prince Albert Anavets accomplished this feat in Mosquito baseball in the 1983 and 1984 seasons. The team was so dominant they were named the Saskatchewan Baseball Team of the Year in 1984.
In 1983 under the leadership of Coaches Tom Ross and Doug Nelson, the Anavets captured the Mosquito A city title, then traveled to Yorkton to pick up the Saskatchewan title. They won four games at the tournament, committing only five errors total. Their closest game was a 5-4 triumph over Weyburn when they scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth.
The 1984 Mosquito A Provincial championship tournament was hosted at Dents Park. The Anavets advanced with a 4-0 win over the Saskatoon Optimists to win the PA Minor Softball Association title. With Bob Linner moving up to be the coach after managing the team in ’83 and with the assistance of Barry Dutchak, again the Anavets went 4-0 through the round robin to cap two undefeated seasons. The feat was acknowledged by SaskBaseball as they received the associations top award – Team of the Year.
-
1995 Glen Pryor Senior Men’s Curling Rink – Team
The Senior men’s curling rink of Skip Glenn Pryor, Third Gord Widger, Second Stan Toporowski and Lead Ed Fusick came within one game of the 1985 Canadian Senior Men’s Curling Championship. Playing out of the Cooke Municipal Club was special for this rink as Pryor (1990-91) and Widger (1992-93) were recent presidents.
The foursome won the Cooke title and then downed Lanigan’s Lyle McKee 7-5 to win the Saskatchewan Championship and advance to the Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Saint John, New Brunswick.
In New Brunswick, the Pryor rink breezed through the round robin going 9-2 to earn a bye into the final against Ontario’s Bill Dickie. Pryor led the National title game 4-3 heading into the ninth end before the Ontario rink struck for two in the ninth, then stole two in the tenth to dash the PA rinks hope for a National title.
Gordon Widger and Stan Toporowski were named to the All-Star team at the 1995 Senior Men’s Championship event.
-
Dr.R.J. (Reg) Martsinkew – Meritorious Service
Prince Albert is known world wide as a city of volunteers who get support civic projects with passion and financially. Leading the way for many of these projects over the years has been Dr. Reg Martsinkew.
After graduating from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1966, Reg and his family moved to Prince Albert where he opened up his Chiropractic Practice and thereafter became heavily involved in community and sport development.
He became a charter member of the Northern Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in 1966 the longest continual running league in Saskatchewan. In 1967 he and Father Edwin Bauer spearheaded a fundraising drive to put artificial ice into the Kinsmen Arena, with that project reaching fruition in 1989.
From 1969-1972 he was on the Civic Facilities Fundraising Committee to build a new arena in the city (the Comuniplex). That led Martsinkew to be the Charter President of the Prince Albert Raiders Hockey Club from 1971-1974.
In the late 1970’s Martsinkew established the Senior Hockey Buckeyes team and was a member of the Raiders Booster Club from 1974-1982.
Projects spearheaded by Martsinkew in the 1980’s included managing the Junior B North Stars for three seasons, participating in the West Hill Arena Fundraising and chairing the fundraising committee for the Harry Jerome Track.
In 2007 Martsinkew was the first person named to the Prince Albert Raiders Wall of Honour in the Builders category.
Dr.R.J. (Reg) Martsinkew – Meritorious Service -
Adam Ens – Athlete
Adam Ens of Rosthern played club volleyball for the Smashing Bananas in Prince Albert, leading him to a storied career at the University of Saskatchewan from 1999-2004. Ens capped his career scoring the winning point in the CIS Championship game in Quebec City as the U of S defeated the University of Alberta.
In his graduating year, Ens led Canada West in points, kills and service acese and was the recipient of the prestigious BLG Award as the Top Male Athlete in Canadian Interuniversity Sports Athletics for 2003-04. This award recognizes athletic accomplishment, outstanding sportsmanship, demonstrated leadership and academic excellence.
Ens received many other accolades while at the U of S, including being named Canada West Rookie of the Year in 1999-2000, All Canadian three times, four times he received Academic All Canadian, he was part of 2 Canada West Championship teams, won silver and bronze at the CIS tournament to go along with the gold, won gold at Junior Nationals and two silver medals at Juvenile Nationals.
After graduation, Ens played professional volleyball in France for two seasons.
Adam Ens – Athlete -
Blair Morgan – Athlete
Blair Morgan was an international superstar in the sports of Snocross and Motocross for his home base of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Widely recognized in the United States for his domination of the X Games (The Winter Olympics of Extreme Sports), Morgan was an elite athlete in his field until an accident while warming up for a Motocross Race in Montreal September 20, 2008 left him paralyzed from the chest down.
It began in 1992 when Morgan won the Intermediate C.M.A. championship at 250 cc’s. For there many more Canadian Titles were in store in motocross, including being named the winner of the Motorcycle Award of Excellence in 1994.
In 1997 Morgan took up Snocross and was named Rookie of the Year based on one race in West Yellowstone, Montana. In 1999 he won all three classes of snocross (440cc, 600cc and Open) to be named World Champion. More Gold medals were in store at X Games competitions which were televised across the US resulting in Morgan becoming a fan favourite.
His illustrious career in both Motocross and Snocross continued through the year 2000. Internationally Morgan represented Canada in Motocross in Belgium and France.
One reason Morgan was so popular was his report with fans, always taking time to sign autographs and answer questions.
Blair Morgan – Athlete -
Larry Haylor – Builder
The product of Prince Albert, Larry Haylor become a legend in coaching for the University of Western Ontario football Mustangs from 1984-2006 retiring as the all time winningest coach in Canadian University history with a record of 178-47-4, a mark many CIS football coaches think may never be equaled again.
Haylor’s teams had winning records in all 22 seasons he was coach at UWO including Yates Cup (Ontario Championships) in 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995 and 1998. The Mustangs won the Vanier Cup under Haylor in 1989, then in 1994 capped off a perfect 12-0 season winning a second Vanier Cup.
Haylor started his football career while pursuing an undergraduate degree and playing for the University of Saskatchewan from 1966 to 1970. He went on to coach the Huskies for three years while finishing his Master of Science degree before spending one season as the offensive coordinator for the Dalhousie Tigers.
His next move brought him to Western to work as offensive coordinator under Darwin Semotiuk, who had just taken over the Mustangs’ job from Frank Cosentino following a Vanier Cup winning season in 1974.
Larry Haylor – Builder
