By Curtis Galbraith

Community

Radbourne to be inducted into Hockey Legends of Grande Prairie

Feb 26, 2020 | 2:43 PM

A man who started playing minor hockey in Grande Prairie in 1960, and is still involved in the sport today, is the newest inductee in the Hockey Legends of Grande Prairie.

Lorne Radbourne was a player, coach, served on the Storm and Grande Peace Athletic Club boards and is still with the Hockey Alberta Foundation and First Shift, a group devoted to getting kids involved in the sport

“I think a combination of humbled, pleased, and honoured would be how to describe it. It was a great call to get. I really, really appreciated them thinking of me.”

Radbourne is the second person to be named in the Lifetime Achievement category.

He says he has a number of connections to some of the 24 people who have already been named.

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“I’ll probably forget somebody. Roy Borstad was my first minor hockey coach back in the day. Bob Neufeld, I worked with in the school district. Murray Toews (the first inductee in the Lifetime Achievement category), I was on the Storm board with, Grant Menzies I coached in junior. Marv Bird was a co-coach with me for a number of years in rep. hockey and bantam and midget. Oh, and Terry Bangen. I played with Terry Bangen, and Ken Solheim I coached as well.”

Radbourne also mentioned Legend Roy Peterson, plus his Dad, who were among those that helped start the local Minor Hockey Association where he began his playing days. They had a pair of outdoor rinks near what was called The Flats, close to where Bear Creek Pool now sits.

“I remember my first year, I actually used catalogues and rubber elastics for shin pads. But, the most important thing I remember is that it just reminded me about building community and community getting together to support a cause, so to speak. The regular way it went is that if you played, you and your parents were expected to scrape the ice and then you played, and then the next group would scrape the ice and play. It was parents and kids working together to get the ice ready and then to have a fun hockey game.”

Radbourne had a chance to go into coaching in his younger days but instead decided to stay home.

“In my mid or late 20’s, I had an opportunity to go into B.C and coach junior hockey. But, at that point, I was getting married and wanted to start a family and I loved my work, loved my teaching, so I chose not to pursue that opportunity.”

He adds one of the biggest changes over his time in the sport is girls being allowed to play hockey.

“I know in the First Shift program that I am involved with in Grande Prairie, it’s about half-and-half boys and girls now, ages 6 to 12, who want to try hockey. Way back then, girls weren’t offered that opportunity. I think that’s a really important change, too, that it’s open to boys and girls.”

Radbourne says other changes include having tiers that match teams of similar skill and interest levels. He adds he is also excited about the no-hit option up to the Bantam age group.

He will be officially inducted at a by-invitation-only ceremony Saturday at the Coca Cola Centre.

Lists of all of those who have already been inducted can be found here.