B00ADOAFYO EBOK (19 page)

KURT LACKTEN, the captain of the Broncos in 1986–87, was born in Kamsack, Saskatchewan. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1985. He played professionally in minor leagues in North America and also played in Europe before trying his hand at coaching with the Broncos, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Red Deer Rebels. These days, he is a pilot with Hawaiian Airlines, flying Boeing 767s from Honolulu to international destinations, and trans-Pacific to mainland United States destinations. He and his wife, Julie, live in Queen Creek, Arizona, with their daughter, Kennedy.

Kurt Lackten with daughter Kennedy on the flight deck of a Boeing 767.
Courtesy of Gord Green.

Pat Nogier and Bob Wilkie at the Wellington West Bronco Golf Classic in July 2007.
Courtesy of Leesa Culp.

PAT NOGIER started his WHL career as a goaltender with the Kamloops Blazers, and appeared in the 1986 Memorial Cup before being traded to Swift Current. After playing with the Broncos for a season, Nogier returned to Saskatoon, where he became a city police officer. Nogier still is involved with hockey, working and coaching in the Saskatoon area. He also plays with the University of Saskatchewan alumni and the Saskatoon police teams. His wife, daughter, and son all play hockey. Their son, Nelson, a defenceman, was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft.

CLARKE POLGLASE was a rookie defenceman from Edmonton when he began his WHL career with the Broncos in 1986. After two seasons, he was traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He went on to a lengthy pro career that included stops in the ECHL, IHL, AHL, and WCHL. He declined a request for an interview, writing, “Nothing personal. I wish you guys all the best with everything. Just a place I don’t like to venture but something I will never forget.”

JASON PROULX started his WHL career in 1985 with the Kamloops Blazers. A defenceman, he was traded to the Broncos in 1986. After the 1986–87 season, Proulx returned to his hometown of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, where he works at the Sherritt-Gordon nickel refinery.

JOE SAKIC began his WHL career with the Lethbridge Broncos, and was one of the players who wasn’t interested in moving when the franchise was sold to Swift Current interests. But move he did, and he wound up being the WHL’s rookie of the year for 1986–87. He went on to a Hall of Fame NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche. He retired as a player in 2009 and now works in the Avalanche front office as an executive advisor and alternate governor. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on June 26, 2012. Sakic and his wife, Debbie, who is from Swift Current, live in Colorado with their children, Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn. The Sakic family regularly returns to Swift Current to visit family.

Leesa Culp and Joe Sakic at the 2009 Swift Current Broncos Hall of Fame induction dinner honouring the 1989 Memorial Cup–winning team.
Rod Steensland.

TODD SCEVIOUR began his WHL career with the Lethbridge Broncos in 1983 and made the move to Swift Current in 1986. After five complete WHL seasons, he went on to play for Team Canada under head coach Dave King. In 1995, after five years at the University of Calgary and having earned his first degree, Sceviour moved to Lenzerheide, Switzerland, to play and coach. His wife, Cheryl, played professional volleyball while in Switzerland. When they returned to Calgary, Sceviour went back to school to get a second degree, in education. He started out teaching at the elementary level and then settled into middle school. He has since started his own construction business. The Sceviours have two sons, Tyler and Ryan.

Peter Soberlak (left), Sheldon Kennedy, and Bob Wilkie were together again on February 18, 2012, when the city of Swift Current held Sheldon Kennedy Day.
Courtesy of Bob Wilkie.

PETER SOBERLAK was born in Trail, British Columbia, and lived in Grand Forks, B.C., until 1979, when his family moved to Kamloops. Soberlak, then sixteen, spent one season with the Kamloops Blazers before being traded to Swift Current early in 1986–87. Soberlak was a first-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 1987 draft and spent two-plus seasons with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Cape Breton Oilers, before retiring. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology from Queen’s University in Kingston. He is the chairperson of the physical education department at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, and also did a stint as president of the Kamloops Sports Council, an organization that oversees minor sports in the city. He also works with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets in the area of sports psychology. Soberlak and his wife, Amy, have one son, Jacob.

LONNIE SPINK joined the Kamloops Blazers in 1985. In late November 1986, Spink was dealt to Swift Current. After leaving the Broncos in 1988, Spink pursued a career as a respiratory therapist in Edmonton. He works in the adult ICU of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton where he is “living and loving life.” Spink and his wife, Trish, live on five acres just west of Edmonton near Spruce Grove. They have three daughters: Katelyn, Breanne, and Isabella. He still skates with friends from the WHL and school; he also trains and competes in half-Ironman triathlons.

Lonnie Spink with wife, Trish, and daughters Isabella, Breanne, and Katelyn.
Courtesy of Lonnie Spink.

TIM TISDALE was born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Swift Current. He began his WHL career with the Broncos in 1986 and ended it in 1989, when he scored the Memorial Cup–winning goal. He played nine seasons of professional hockey before moving into coaching. He returned to Swift Current in 2000 and now manages and has part-ownership in Wiens Agritec, his in-laws’ business. Tisdale and his wife, Jenise, have two sons, Logan and Kyle. He has provided analysis on Broncos’ radio broadcasts and is always involved in minor hockey. In 2009, he was saluted as the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s coach of the year.

BOB WILKIE grew up in Calgary and began his WHL career with the Hitmen before being traded to the Broncos in October 1986. He went on to a professional career that included NHL stints with the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers. He won an AHL championship with the Adirondack Red Wings and an IHL title with the Fort Wayne Komets. During a ten-year pro career, Wilkie played in the NHL, AHL, IHL, ECHL, and WCHL. Wilkie now resides near Calgary with his wife, Mikey, and children, Sadie and Cy.

The Broncos’ trainer and two players weren’t on the bus. Gord Hahn, the trainer, and defenceman Dan Lambert were in Winnipeg with an under-seventeen team that was playing against a Russian team. Defenceman Ryan McGill was ill, so he didn’t make the trip to Regina.

GORD HAHN was a veteran trainer, a familiar face known as Hahnda in many rinks across the west. He joined the Broncos after working for the Victoria Cougars. He was working for the city of Swift Current and volunteering with the Broncos when they won the 1989 Memorial Cup. Hahn spent twenty-one years working for the City before retiring. He and his wife, Dianne, have one son, Tyler. They live in Swift Current where Gord is semi-retired, doing some work at a local golf course and helping out around the Credit Union iPlex when asked.

Danny Lambert, with wife, Melanie, and daughters Brook, Julia, and Melissa.
Courtesy of Danny Lambert.

DANNY LAMBERT, from St. Malo, Manitoba, played defence for the Broncos from 1986 through 1990–91, when he joined the IHL’s Fort Wayne Komets. Lambert was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the NHL’s 1989 draft and played twenty-nine games with them. He went on to play in various minor leagues before beginning a ten-year career in Germany in 1999. He now is an assistant coach with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. He and wife Melanie have three daughters: Melissa, Julia, and Brook.

RYAN McGILL was a hard-nosed defenceman who had forty-eight points and 226 penalty minutes with the Broncos in 1986–87. Had the bus made it to Regina that night, he wouldn’t have played because he was ill. Because the ensuing games were postponed, McGill was able to play all seventy-two games that season. He was traded to Medicine Hat before the 1987–88 season and won a Memorial Cup with the Tigers. After an eye injury ended his playing career, he got into coaching and was the head coach of the 2002 Memorial Cup–champion Kootenay Ice. He spent seven seasons as an AHL head coach and two as an assistant with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. His contract wasn’t renewed after the 2010–11 season. He was named head coach of the Ice again on July 4, 2012. McGill and his wife Karen have two daughters, Kate and Kyla.