1946
Waterways Curling Club (WCC) is formed
and during the summer a one-sheet curling rink is constructed on the land owned by the Salt Plant Dominion Tar & Chemical
Co. Ltd.
1948
McMurray constructs a one-sheet curling
rink during the summer.
1957
The WCC demolishes their one-sheet
curling rink during the summer to reconstruct a two-sheet curling rink on the same land that was purchased from Dominion Tar
& Chemical Co. Ltd.
1965
The Great Canadian Oil Sands agrees to
take over the sponsorship of the Oil Sands Bonspiel. Jerry Bussieres wins the spiel by defeating Harry Brown. First prize is an electric razor.
The McMurray Curling Club (MCC) one-sheet
curling rink facility, built in 1948, is no longer adequate due to the influx of people. The MCC and WCC decide to amalgamate
and the Oil Sands Curling Club is formed.
The new town of Fort McMurray provides land on King Street in the vicinity of the Keyano College parking lot and a four-sheet
curling rink is constructed. The 1966 Oil Sands Bonspiel is held in the new facilities.
1966
A new arena is constructed adjacent
to the four-sheet curling rink located at King Street.
1967
The Oil Sands Oilers are undefeated in
local senior men’s hockey.
1968
Provincial Planning Office staff
design a new golf course at MacDonald Island.
The Tar Sands Recreation Club assists in the efforts to construct the golf course.
Miskanaw Golf Course is legally formed
and takes responsibility for the lease agreement on MacDonald
Island.
The Board of Administrators agrees to expand
the King Street situated arena with an addition to
provide extra locker room facilities.
1969
Ken
Hicks wins a Canadian Amateur Boxing Championship.
1970
Fort
McMurray wins the 1969-70 Bantam C provincial hockey championship.
The Noralta Figure Skating Club is
created.
1971
Fort
McMurray wins the 1970-71 Midget C provincial hockey championship.
The 25-metre Centennial Pool is officially
opens.
1973
Fort
McMurray wins the 1969-70 Juvenile C provincial hockey championship.
1975
The YMCA opens a branch in Fort McMurray.
1977
Fort
McMurray wins the 1976-77 Intermediate D provincial hockey championship.
1980
The Canadian Black Powder Federation Championships
are hosted in Fort McMurray.
Boxer
Danny (Stone walker) Lindstrom is voted one of the “Canadian Fighters of the Decade”.
1982
Coached by Larry Billows, the Fort McMurray
Oil Barons complete their inaugural season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with 31 wins and 29 defeats. Billows
had previously coached the Moose Jaw Canucks. Key players include Blaine Rolling, Max Bell, Greg Button, Pat Ryan and league
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Greg Squires.
Miskanaw Golf Course expands to become
an 18-hole course.
Fort McMurray Knights win the Edmonton
Rugby Union second division title.
1983
Fort
McMurray is awarded the 1985 Alberta Summer Games
Dan Hodgson is drafted 83rd by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round Five during the National Hockey League
(NHL) entry draft.
The Western Canadian Senior Men’s
Basketball Championships are held in Fort McMurray.
The Challenge Cup is established with guidelines
by physical education leaders Judy Haleko, Pam Joslin, Phil Meagher and Fort McMurray
TODAY sports reporter Curtis J. Philips. The Challenge Cup is a series of competitive athletic events between Fort McMurray’s senior high schools.
1984
Fort McMurray Oil Barons revert to
community ownership.
1985
Fort
McMurray hosts the 1985 Alberta Summer Games.
Danny Hodgson is named Canadian Major Junior
Hockey Player of the Year while leading the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders to the Memorial Cup. Hodgson
was preceded by Mario Lemieux and followed by Luc Robitaille with CHL Player of the Year recognition. He is also part of the
gold medal Team Canada at the World Junior
Championships.
Peter Headon is selected by the Edmonton
Oilers in Round 11 230th overall in the NHL entry draft.
Keyano College enters the ranks of the Alberta
Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC).
Fort McMurray Oil Barons hit a franchise
low with only nine wins in 60 AJHL regular season games.
1986
Team Xerox, a senior men’s basketball
team, became one of the dominant adult sports teams in Fort McMurray
sports history. The team competed in a 51- game season representing Fort McMurray in various
tournaments in Western Canada.
Fort
McMurray Oil Barons’ Lubo Dzurilla records an amazing 86 assists during the AJHL regular season. He adds 40 goals and
leads the AJHL in scoring.
1988
Fort McMurray
hosts the 1988 Winter Olympic Games Torch in route to the host city Calgary.
The torch run passes through the city February 5, 1988.
Fort
McMurray is viewed as a potential market for a Western Hockey League franchise.
Fort McMurray Oil Barons Randy Keller
leads the team with 64 goals and is named MVP of the AJHL.
1989
Trevor Buchanan is drafted 199th in Round 10 by the Hartford Whalers in the NHL entry draft
The “Flurry in McMurray” is
held March 10th at Westwood
Community High School gymnasium.
The featured bout on the professional boxing card has Ken Lakusta earning a seventh round KO over Rick “King Kong”
Kellar.
Fort
McMurray hosts the National Cycling Championships from August 29 - September 3.
1990
Danny (Stonewalker) Lindstrom wins the
Canadian Lightweight Professional Boxing title with a first-round decision over Dave Fiddler at Edmonton’s Northland Coliseum.
The Fort McMurray Golf Course located
at Athabasca Ridge, opens a nine-hole course.
Danny (Stonewalker) Lindstrom fights Michael
Moorer for the World Boxing Organization Lightweight belt in Pittsburgh,
PA. Stonewalker is stopped by a eighth round TKO.
For a second time, Boxer Danny (Stonewalker) Lindstrom is voted one of the “Canadian Fighters of the Decade”.
1991
City Council enters into an agreement
with the Spruce Valley Recreation Society to operate the ski hill located at Saprae Creek.
Miskanaw Golf Course pro Mark Shushack
passes away. Contrary to city policy, the city flag is flown at half-mast for three days in his honour.
City council awards the tender for the
construction of an arena and addition to MacDonald Island Complex in the amount of $3,000,000.
Fort
McMurray is viewed as a potential market for the Can-Am Professional Baseball League and Global Basketball
Association.
1992
The 1992 Alberta Winter Games (AWG) kick-off takes place in front of city hall February 1st with the cauldron
being lit. This signifies the beginning and the count-down to the AWG with registration
set for February 27th.
Rhonda
Sinclair, Jody Lee, Lori Olson, Kary Anne Kjelshus and coach Randy Olson are crowned 1992 provincial junior women’s
curling champions
“Kickfest”
is held at the Wood Buffalo YMCA to a sold out audience with martial arts demonstrations by local martial arts groups Ni Ten
Judo Club, Chito-Ryu Karate, Modern Arnis, Shotokan J.K.A Karate, Tarsands Boxing Club, Martial Arts Academy, Tai Chi, Fort
McMurray Wrestling Club, Mano-Mano Sikiran, YMCA Kodakan Judo, Nin Jutsu, Universal Martial Arts, North Lights Self Defense
Club and Bowman’s Taekwondo.
Danny (Stonewalker) Lindstrom wins the
Canadian Heavyweight boxing championship with a 6th round TKO over George McFall in Winnipeg.
1993
Hartford Whalers draft Nolan Pratt in the NHL entry draft 115th overall. The Fort McMurray native son goes on to win two Stanley Cups (Colorado Avalanche, 2000-2001 and Tampa Bay Lightning, 2003-2004)
City council declares June 9th
as “Joey Young Day” in Honor of Joey Young of Fort McMurray
who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. Young was the highest pick of a Canadian
player at the time, by the Toronto Blue Jays with a third round selection 93rd overall.
Fort McMurray Running Club hosts the Provincial
Championships.
Fort McMurray Oil Barons’ Bobby Stewart
named AJHL Rookie of the Year
1994
Fort
McMurray wins the 1993-94 Midget AA provincial hockey championship.
Spruce Valley operators terminate their lease
for the operation of the ski hill and the city advertises for a new operator.
The National Jet Ski Race is hosted
by the Fort McMurray Jet Sports Boating Association.
Fort McMurray Under-17 soccer team
wins the provincial championships.
Fort McMurray Oil Barons’ Harry York
leads AJHL in scoring with 26 goals and 73 assists.
Brian Shantz wins his first of back-to-back
scoring titles in the Central Hockey League and is also named league MVP the following year.
1995
Hockey’s Chris Phillips and
badminton’s Sonny Lee both receive medals at the Canada Winter Games held in Grande
Prairie.
Fort McMurray Peewee Barons win the International
Division for the Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament
Beacon Hill Arena was renamed the
Frank Lacroix Minor Hockey Arena in honor of Frank Lacroix in recognition of his dedicated time and effort to the betterment
of youth within the community.
Fort McMurray Oil Baron’s A.J.
Aitken is named AJHL MVP
Fort
McMurray hosts the Canadian Triathlon Championships with the assistance of 750 volunteer. More than
6oo athletes participate. Over 100 athletes were local and six athletes qualify to represent Canada
in Cancun, Mexico.
The FLLY Dome opened on Mackenzie Boulevard.
Jody Lee, Lori Olson, Kary Anne Kjeshus, Diane Lee and coach Randy Olson are crowned
1995 provincial junior women’s curling champions
1996
Chris Phillips strikes gold as part of
the Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. He is also named Western Hockey League Player of the Year playing
for the Prince Albert Raiders.
Bowman’s Tae Kwon Do Club is represented by 13 members at a national tournament in Edmonton. They bring home nine gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
Spruce Valley Ski Hill renamed to Vista
Ridge Ski Hill.
Chris Phillips is selected first in the
NHL entry draft by the Ottawa Senators.
June 28th is declared
“Chris Phillips Day” in recognition of his athleticism and his accomplishments in hockey.
1997
City council names the new Little
League Baseball park, adjacent to the YMCA of Wood Buffalo, “Ron Morgan Little League Baseball Park”. It honours
Morgan, the longest serving Councilor of the New Town of Fort McMurray, the City of Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality
of Wood Buffalo.
The Fort McMurray Oil Barons win the 1996-1997
AJHL championship
Fort McMurray
is visited by a Japanese Little League Baseball team from Sonoru, Japan.
City council passes a motion to purchase
the FLLY Dome and lease the property to the Fort McMurray Youth Soccer Association (FMYSA) for $1.00 per year.
1998
Fort
McMurray hosts the 10th Annual Albert Nokohoo Hockey Tournament.
The Apollo World Curling Championships
are held at MacDonald Island
from March 25th-29th.
Chris Marchand is drafted by the Major
League Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers in the 48th round.
Mark Versfeld competes in the 1998
Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. Versfeld wins two gold medals, breaking Commonwealth records. He is also part of the Canada’s bronze medal medley relay.
The skate board/In-Line skate facility
at Borealis Park is named “Casselman-Lush Memorial Skate Park” in memory of John Casselman
and Michael Lush.
Tiffany
Booth, a member of the FMYSA, is selected for the Canada’s
Women’s National Team
Keyano College Husky men’s volleyball team wins the
ACAC Ron Lavery Fair Play Award
1999
Fort McMurray Ringette Association
hosts the Alberta Ringette Championships with approximately 600 people attending.
Bobby
Stewart, team captain of the Maine Black Bears hockey team, wins a National Collegiate Athletic Association championship.
The Western Canadian Men’s
and Ladies Intermediate “A” Fastball Championships is held in Fort McMurray
August 20-23.
2000
Alberta Francophone Games are held in Fort McMurray from May 19-22.
The Highland Games are held June 10. A
family-oriented event it features heavy sports such as Heavy Hammer and Toss the Caper plus pipe competitions and highland
dancing.
From July 27-August 2 the Canadian Big
League Baseball Championship is held in Fort McMurray. The
winner advances to Tucson, Arizona
for the World Series. Fort McMurray is represented by the
Bull Dogs.
The Fort McMurray Ladies Slow Pitch Team
wins the provincial championships in Calgary.
The Fort McMurray Oil Barons host and win
the Royal Bank Cup, symbolic of Junior hockey supremacy in Canada. They also set an AJHL record with 52 regular season wins
2001
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Provincial
Hockey Tournament is held in Fort McMurray.
City, Council approves the decision
to submit an application to host the Alberta Senior Games in 2003.
Official opening of the Casselman/Lush
Memorial Skateboard Park is held on September 8.
Dr Ken Nickerson and Leo Robert are
appointed Co-Chairs of the Organizing Committee for the 2003 Alberta Senior Games.
Scottie Upshall is named Canadian Hockey
League’s Rookie of the Year playing for the Kamloops Blazers.
2003
Fort
McMurray host the Alberta Senior Games from July 24-27 In excess of 1,200 athletes over the age of
55 participate in a variety of sports.
Paul Wohlgemuth selected as captain
for Team Canada at World Shotokan Karate Championships.
2004
February 28 – March 6, the
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo hosts the Arctic Winter Games. Six rural communities also host an assortment of games.
Fort Chipewyan
hosts basketball, Arctic sports and a cultural performance. Anzac hosts dog mushing and a cultural concert. Conklin and Fort McKay host a
cultural concert. Fort McKay
and Janvier also play host to Dene Games and Saprae Creek, the home of the local ski hill, host Alpine skiing and Snowboarding.
Father Patrick Mercredi Community High
School Trappers win the Challenge Cup.
Fort
McMurray hosts the Little League Triple “A” Prairie Championships.
Golfer Stuart Anderson is part of
the World Cup Team Canada
Scottie Upshall is part of the Calder Cup champion Milwaukee Admirals.
2005
Fort McMurray Oil Barons win 14 straight
games which earn them a second place in the national rankings compiled by the Canadian Junior “A” Hockey League.
In horse racing, Knight’s Covenant
owned by Robert Vargo, captures the 75th Alberta Derby at 25-1 odds and later places third in the Canadian Derby.
Liam De’Silva plays major league
soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps after a stint with the Edmonton Aviators.
The So-Wester puts on a demonstration for
local skateboarders at the Casselman/Lush Skate Park. The tour featured Andrew Reynolds of Tony Hawk Pro Skater game notoriety.
The Fort McMurray Bulldogs win the
Big League Prairie Championship at the Ron Morgan Little League Baseball Park.
The Mantas Swimming Club wins their
fourth straight provincial Tier II team championship in Calgary
at the Alberta Age Group Championships.
Wade Redden and several other NHL
players are the featured guests at the annual Chris Phillips/ Scottie Upshall Charity Golf Tournament held at the Miskanaw
Golf Course. The tournament raises $45,000 for the Kids Forever Charity.
Kari Anderson bowls her way to two
gold medals at the Canadian Masters Championships in Red Deer, Alberta.
Meaghan Young goes undefeated and
captures gold in women’s wrestling 75 – 90 kilogram weight class at the Canada Summer Games in Regina.
Ernie Sheaves finishes fifth in a competition
of 154 at the Canadian Mid-Amateur +40 Championships in Prince Edward Island.
Pro golfer Stuart Anderson landed
fifth on the money list of the Canadian Professional Golfing Tour.
Fort McMurray Composite High School
principal and marathon runner Phil Meagher picked up his 14th win at the 16th Annual Oil Sands Marathon. He finished with
a time of 2:48:43.
Fort McMurray Oil Barons’ Brandon
Sadlowski is selected to the Canadian Junior “A” Hockey League’s prospects games played in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
Edmonton Rush players, including National
Lacrosse League defensemen of the year Andrew Turner, visit Fort McMurray to showcase Canada’s national sport.
Ryan
Hopping places second at a national championship in the sport of cyclo cross. Cyclo cross combines road racing, running and
mountain biking. His second place win earned him a trip to the World Championships in the Netherlands.
Fort
McMurray Oil Barons’ goalie Jimmy Bernier records a record 274-minute shutout streak.
Archer Monique Marguis targets four Canadian
titles.
2006
Jason Loutitt is part of Team Canada’s Mountain Running team.
2007
Laurie Wiltshire captures her third consecutive
women’s senior national judo title in the -52 kilogram class.
Ottawa Senators Chris Phillips, longtime
Fort McMurray Oil Barons’ president Nick DeHoog, the 2000 Royal Bank Cup champion Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Olympic
swimmer Mark Versfeld are the first inductees into the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall
of Fame. Curtis J. Phillips is the halls first president.
Mark Hartigan of the Stanley Cup champion
Anaheim Ducks brings the trophy to Fort McMurray for celebration.
Keyano College Huskies Athletics men’s
volleyball player Alwyn Piche is named a National Aboriginal Role Model by the National Aboriginal Health Organization in
Ottawa.
In conjunction with the opening of the Syncrude Sports &
Wellness Centre it is announced that Keyano College Huskies Athletics will be host the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
(CCAA) 2008-2009 Men's National Volleyball Championships.
Bobby Stewart signs with the Brantford Blast to be part
of their team which is hosting the 100th edition of the Allen Cup.
2008
Keyano Huskies host the Alberta Colleges Atheltic League
basketball championships at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre and both men's and women's teams earn a silver medal.
Laura Wiltshire wins her 5th Canadian title in judo.
Compiled by Curtis J. Phillips
