Residents look to rename West Flat outdoor rink in honour of Johnny Bower

Linda Suchorab wants kids who lace up their skates and hit the outdoor rink by Parkland Community Hall to be inspired by the man she hopes it can be named after; Johnny Bower.

She and a small group of supporters pitched the idea to Prince Albert’s executive committee Monday night, citing ample support with letters from the Prince Albert Minor Hockey Association, West Flat Citizens Group, Cindy Bower on behalf of the Bower family, and the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

“A sign placed at the outdoor rink at Parkland rink seems to be the ideal place to represent who he was while he was living here as a youth,” she told councillors.

Bower was born in Prince Albert in 1924 and grew up in the city’s West Flat neighbourhood, near the old brewery on Sixth Ave. and 17th St. W. He is notoriously known for having taught himself to play the game by using old mattresses as goalie pads and tree branches for sticks on outdoor rinks in the city. He played junior hockey with the Prince Albert Blackhawks, turned pro in the AHL and went on to win four Stanley Cups during his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He passed away Dec. 26, 2017.

“[A sign] would bring back great memories and … perhaps generate a future of players who just want to get out there and have fun,” Suchorab added.

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While councillors unanimously ushered through a motion to send the request to the community services department to bring back a report on the topic, some held hesitations.

Mayor Greg Dionne pointed to the long list of actions already taken to honour the hometown hero — renaming of the Art Hauser Centre lobby, retiring Bower’s original Scotiabank Arena banner in the Art Hauser Centre in 2017, naming him an honorary citizen in 2007 and inducting Bower into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame — and said the city has “so many other residents that have left legacies in our city that need something named after them.”

“When you look at all the people on the naming list … who are well deserved and have done just as much work as everyone… I [want] further input [from community services],” he said.

Dennis Nowoselsky, however, was in support of the idea. The Ward 7 councillor said growing up in Lebret, Sask., a majority of families cheered for the Montreal Canadians and he was the lone Maple Leafs fan.

“Johnny Bower was my hero,” he said.

Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski was indifferent to renaming the rink but said this was perhaps a chance to get people involved with a community club at risk of shutting down.

“It probably will shut down if no group of people help to organize and run the facility. We need to be mindful of that,” he said. 

The city took over operations of Parkland Community Hall in 2018 and it is currently up in the air if it will continue to do so in 2019.

“If you want to put a sign up, put a sign up. But a more meaningful legacy to Johnny Bower would be to get a group of individuals or volunteers to step up and help operate that rink that has a large and rich history here in the city,” he added. “It would be a shame to see that rink shut down.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr