150 iconic Manitoba sports stories compiled in new book

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/08/2020 (2120 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba has a rich and storied history when it comes to sports in this province.

And now, in celebration of Manitoba’s 150^th birthday this year, an ambitious book has been published highlighting 150 iconic sports stories from the past 150 years in the province since Manitoba first joined confederation in 1870.

An initiative of Sport Manitoba, all proceeds from the book will go to KidSport Manitoba.

Written by Winnipeg author Sean Grassie, the book project was funded by a grant from the 2017 Canada Summer Games Legacy Fund. Grassie, a competitive Manitoba curler and a former Canadian mixed curling champion is also the author of Kings of the Rings: 125 years of the World’s Biggest Bonspiel.

Selecting and narrowing down the lengthy list of possible stories down to only 150 stories was an arduous and meticulous task. That process was undertaken by a story selection committee, which consisted of Grassie; Rick Brownlee from the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame; and three members of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association: Jim Bender, Terry Frey and Judy Owen.

The 383-page book, which was printed at Friesens in Altona and includes a treasure trove of historical photos, is broken up into sections. The first 50 years, from 1870 to 1919, includes 13 stories.

From there, it continues with stories from the 1920’s, etc., and goes through the decades until the most recent one from 2010 to 2019.  The final story in the book was from last November in Calgary when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers finally ended their Grey Cup draught.

The book also includes several stories and connections to athletes from the southeast.

The first of those local connections was a story on the 1973 Portage Terriers and 1974 Selkirk Steelers, who won back-to-back national Junior ‘A’ titles. Steinbach’s Randy Penner played a key role in that Terriers’ championship season.

Meanwhile, the following year several from players from the Steinbach area formed the core of that Steelers championship squad, including captain Ken Neufeld, goaltenders Andy Stoesz and Chester Reimer, along with Randy Reimer and Ray Mutcheson.

Wheelchair rugby was invented in Winnipeg in 1976 and it was in that sport that Niverville’s Jared Funk rose to international prominence competing for Team Canada. Funk competed in three Paralympic Games – in 2004, 2008 and 2012, helping Canada win two silver medals and one bronze.

Landmark’s Dominique Bosshart was also profiled in the book. She won Canada’s first ever Olympic medal in Taekwondo, winning the bronze at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

While Jared Funk made his mark in wheelchair rugby, Lorette’s Joey Johnson became an international star in wheelchair basketball. He competed in five Paralympic Games from 1996-2012, becoming a prominent player for Team Canada who would go on to win three gold medals and a silver at the Games.

Of course, there is a chapter in the book about Anola’s Corey Koskie, who would go on to become the greatest baseball player Manitoba has ever produced.

Koskie was a star third baseman for the Minnesota Twins, and would later go on to play for the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers before a concussion ended his playing career in 2006. But his most success came with the Twins, where he spent seven years and still resides in Minneapolis with his family.

In 2001, Koskie became the first third baseman in American League history to record 100 runs scored, 100 runs batted in, 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, in the same season.

And the final two chapters in the book with local connections are about women’s hockey, more specifically the U of M Bisons national championship team from 2018 and then of course there is the incredible contingent of national and international stars that have come out of Ste. Anne.

The Bisons became the first Manitoba in history to win the U Sports national women’s hockey title. The team was coached by longtime head coach Jon Rempel, a native of Steinbach. Steinbach’s Lauren Warkentin was also a rookie defenceman on the team.

And finally, there is the stable of standout female hockey players that have emanated from Ste. Anne as these girls have put Ste. Anne on the map with their hockey exploits while winning multiple world championship and Olympic medals.

The first one to make the national team was Melanie Gagnon, and then there was Jocelyne Larocque and sisters Bailey Bram and Shelby Bram. Most recently it has been world class goaltender Raygan Kirk, who starred for the Eastman Selects, coached by none other Bill Bram, father of Bailey and Shelby, someone who had a hand in the success of all five of these players, who would eventually leave Ste. Anne to play for Team Canada at various levels.

So, that in a snapshot is a summary of the seven stories with local connections in the book of 150 Iconic Sports Stories in Manitoba. There are another 143 stories that are worth the read as author Sean Grassie has done an exhaustive account of some the best stories in our province’s history.

Two other stories that were under consideration but that ultimately did not make the cut included one of former Manitoba Male Athlete of the Year Rob Giesbrecht, one of the best all-round athletes the province has ever seen; and the storied Vic Peters, the Steinbach curler who went on to became one of the best ever in Canada.

 Fittingly, the book is on sale for a very reasonable price of $20.20. To purchase a copy go to www.KidSport.ca/Manitoba/News.