Lögberg-Heimskringla - 23.09.1965, Side 5

LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 23. SEPTEMBER 1965
5
Bobby Benson and fhe Immorta! Falcons
Frá Vancouver, B.C.
Maurice Smiih:
If you were interested in
hockey from the First World
War days to the late 30’s you
knew Bobby Benson.
He played in mighty
fast company as a member
of the immortal Falcons of
1920, Canadian and Olympic
hockey champions.
The Falcons were the
greatest unsung under-dogs
in local hockey history. The
Manitoba Amateur Hockey
Association almost put them
out of business before they
ever laced on their skates.
In the autumn of 1919, the
Icelandic team which had
competed with great success
in intermediate ranks, applied
for a franchise in the estab-
lished Winnipeg league of
Winnipegs, Monarchs and
Victorias. They were politely
but firmly shuffled out of the
committee room. Undaunted,
they got on the telephone to
Selkirk and Brandon to see if
these towns were interested
in senior competition. This
new Manitoba league actually
provided Falcons with more
competition than they
received in the Allan Cup
playoffs. What a tragedy it
might have been if they had
been put out of competition!
There are old timers around
who insist for sheer funda-
mental brilliance Falcons had
few equals in local amateur
hockey.
The Falcons crushed
Winnipegs, their local playoff
opposition, 15-1 in a total-
goal series and were no
kinder to Fort William, win-
ning 7-2 and 9-1. Toronto
Varsity, the Eastern champi-
on, went down 8-3 and
3-2 in its own backyard.
Without bothering to come
home, the team’s eight regu-
lars set out for the Antwerp
and Olympic history, sweep-
ing through' a series with
S w e d e n , Czechoslovakia,
Belgium, Great Britain,
France and the United States
for the world crown. The
Yanks, whose roster was
liberally jammed with talent
from the Iron Range country,
made it close but not close
enough.
Bobby Benson was
a product of an era when
kids played games because
they loved it and to make
the team was an im-
perishable honor. The young
men around Banning and
Sargent Avenue put away
their hockey sticks and
marched off to war and when
the shooting stopped they
picked up the pieces and
started all over again.
There were other Falcon
teams of renown, all spawned
by the old Young Men’s
Lutheran club, the 1921
Memorial Cup champions for
example.
Winnipeg Free Press, 9. 9. '65.
* * *
Vince Leah:
With the passing of Bobby
Benson only four players
survive from the group that
went to Antwerp, Belgium,
in 1920 and defeated Czecho-
slovakia, United States and
Sweden to win the world’s
amateur hockey champion-
ship. — They are Frank
Fredrickson, Wally Byron,
Mike Goodman and Connie
Johanneson.
Benson, was probably the
smallest defenceman in the
history of top grade amateur
and professional h o c k e y .
Standing only 5 feet 3V2 inch-
es, he never weighed more
than 140 pounds during his
playing career. But despite
his lack of size he was a great
performer behind the blue-
line.
Commenting about him
Steamer Maxwell said: “He
was one of the most deter-
mined hockey players I ever
knew or was associated with
during my many years in
sport. Not only was he rough
and tough, but he was a
smart hockey player. He
always had the proper
attitude and always kept him-
self in good condition. For a
little guy, he could really hit.”
Bobby first attracted atten-
tion when he became a
member of the old Strath-
conas in 1910. In 1913 he
joined the Falcons. He played
with them for two seasons, but
in 1915 he packed his skates
away and joined the Canadian
armed forces, serving his
country until 1919. Wounded,
he spent four months in
hospital in France.
After the war, Benson
rejoined the Falcons and was
an important cog in their
march to the Canadian and
then the Olympic champion-
ship.
Upon returning from the
Olympics, he received a pro-
fessional offer from Saska-
toon, later playing three
seasons with Calgary, winning
the Western and Pacific Coast
championship in 1926. He saw
service with Edmonton and
Seattle and wound up his
career with Minneapolis
Millers.
During these twenty years,
Benson received up to 100
stitches, but his worst injury
Framhald af bls. 1.
sept. og margt fólk og yndis-
legt veður. Nýja orgelíð var
vígt, og Mrs. Osmun, prest-
konan söng sóló. Forseti safn-
aðarins Mr. L. H. Thorláksson
ávarpaði Rev. Osmun, og
minntist þess að hann væri
nú búinn að starfa í eitt ár
hjá þessum söfnuði, og þakk-
aði honum og fjölskyldunni
ágætt starf. — Kaffi veitingar
voru frambornar í neðri sal
kirkjunnar. Þar kom Rev.
Osmun fram og talaði hann
til Mr. og Mrs. Sigurbjörns
Sigurðson í tilefni af 50 ára
giftingarafmæli þeirra 25. ág.
Þakkaði hann þeim mjög
innilega fyrir mikla og góða
hjálp í öllum félagsskap inn-
an kirkjunnar. Enda er það
vel kunnugt hvað fúslega þau
hafa lagt fram krafta sína og
efni, öllum góðum málum til
stuðnings.
í þessu sambandi vil ég
nefna, að forsíöðukonan á
Höfn bauð Mr. og Mrs. S.
Sigurdson í kaffipartý hing-
að, og sýndi þá um leið lit-
myndir, sem hún tók í íslands
ferðinni á síðastliðnu sumri.
Okkirr hér á Höfn þykir sér-
staklega vænt um Sigurdson-
hjónin, og þótti vænt um að
fá tækifærið til að samgleðj-
ast þeim í tilefni af „gull-
brúðkaupinu“.
Forseli „Slrandar"
Mr. Herman Eyford heim-
sótti þau Mr. og Mrs. Sigurd-
son og afhenti þeim skraut-
ritað ávarp, „Scroll“ er til-
kynti að þau hjónin væru nú
„Heiðurs lífstíðar félagar“ í
Ströndinni, deild Þjóðræknis-
félagi íslendinga. Einnig var
þeim gefið skrautritað skjal 1
giltum ramma, með áletran,
frá Karlakórnum og Strengja-
flokknum, sem Sigurbjörn
hefur stjórnað svo árum
skipti. Já, það vildu allir ís-
lendingar í Vancouver heiðra
og þakka þeim Boggu og
Bjössa — og um leið óska
þeim alls góðs, með von um
að þau megi lifa saman í
mörg ár enn.
came in 1921. He was carried
off the ice with a fractured
skull.
When his playing days
were over, Benson turned to
coaching in Brandon, Kenora,
Portage la Prairie and Winni-
peg. One of his finest junior
teams, the Brandon Native
Sons went to the western
Canada final before being
eliminated. — His 1939-40
Kenora Thistles were another
great club.
As a coach and player
Bobby Benson hated to lose a
hockey game. But in both
victory and defeat he was
always gracious.
Winnipeg Tribune, 9. 9. '65.
Séra Benjamín Krisfjáns-
son frá Laugalandi og Bjarni
Sigurðsson frá Akureyri
komu til borgarinnar og voru
hér í nokkra daga — heim-
sóttu gamla fólkið á Höfn og
fleira. Þau Snorri Gunnarson
og frú Ásthildur buðu þeim
heim til sín ásamt nokkrum
vinahópi. Það var skemmti-
legt sem fyrr að koma til
Gunnarsons hjónanna, og
njóta gestrisni þeirra með
gestunum frá Islandi og þökk
sé Séra Benjamíni fyrir
„Vestur íslenzkar Æviskrár“,
það er mikið og þarflegt verk
sem hann vinnur þar, og mun
það sannast enn betur seinna
meir.
* * *
Rétt nýskeð hef ég orðið
vör við tvo útilegumenn,
endurheimta eftir sumar-
vinnu norður í óbyggðrun,
Erik Brynjólfsson kom frá
Dawson City í Yukon, þar
sem hann vann í gullnámu.
Hann byrjar nám í öðru ári á
Universsity of B.C. —
„Mathematics“. Sonar sonur
minn Jim Johannesson kom
frá Rivers Inlet, B.C., þar
vann hann sem „mechanic“
hjá West Vancouver Logging.
Hann er nú kominn til
Honolulu, og verður í fjórða
ári á University of Hawaii,
„Commerce and Business
Administration“.
Hér í burnaby var opnuð
menntastofnun, sem nefnist
„Simon Fraser University" og
stendur bygging þessi upp á
Burnaby Mountain, og er
sögð einhver sú fullkomnasta
menntastofnun í Canada. —
Margir góðir gestir hafa heils-
að upp á mig, en bréf mitt er
orðið of langt, svo ég tel þá
ekki með nafni, enn ég vil
þakka þeim öllum hjartan-
lega fyrir komuna, fátt gleður
mig meir, enn að sjá gamla og
góða vini.
Guðlaug Johannesson.
686 gervihnettir
úti í geimnum
í dag eru alls 686 gervi-
hnettir gerðir af manna hönd-
um á sveimi úti í geimnum,
að því er tilkynnt var í geim-
gerðastöðinni hér. Bandarík-
in eiga 150 gervihnetti á braut
umhverfis jörðu og átta á
braut umhvrefis sólu. Frá því
að geimferðaöld mannsins
hófst, hafa alls 1.519 gervi-
hnettir og tæki ýmiskonar
gerð af mönnum, svo sem síð-
ustu þrep eldflauga o. fl. ver-
ið á sveimi úti í geimnum.
Mörg þeirra hafa brunnið til
agna er þau komu aftur inn
í andrúmsloftið, þannig að í
dag er aðeins um 686 að ræða,
sem enn eru í geimnum.
Mbl. 26. ág.
Það sjá augun sízt, sem nef-
inu er næst.
THE FALCONS — First Olympic World Hockey Champions
From left to right: Wally Byron, Goal; Slim (Halli) Haldorson, Right Wing; Frank
Frederickson, Centre and Captain; W. Hewitt, Canadian Olympic Represenlalive; Connie
Johannesson, Defence; Mike Goodman, Lefl Wing; Huck Woodman, Spare; Bobby Benson,
Defence; Chris Fridfinnson, Spare; Bill Fridfinnson, Club Secretary.