Lögberg-Heimskringla - 14.01.2005, Qupperneq 15

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 14. janúar2005 • 15
The Falcons Exhibit in the MTS Centre unveiled in April
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OFTHE FALCONS FOREVER EXHIBIT CAMPAIGN
Campaign
hits halfway
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
WlNNIPEG, MB
The Falcons Forever Ex-
hibit Campaign (FFEC) plans to
raise about $30,000 to cover the
cost of the Falcons Exhibit at
the MTS Centre, the new arena
in Winnipeg. The exhibit will
be unveiled in April, 85 years
after the Winnipeg Falcons rep-
resented Canada and became
the first Olympic champions in
hockey. To date, $15,000 has
been raised and Dan Johnson,
Campaign Chair, is confident
that the objective of $30,000 will
be reached. “The campaign has
been well received and people
are excited about a permanent
exhibit of the Winnipeg Falcons
being placed in the MTS Cen-
tre,” he says.
All but one of the Falcons’
players were of Icelandic de-
scent and they proudly repre-
sented Canada at the Olympic
Games in Antwerp, Belgium in
1920. Their achievement was
of vital importance for hockey
in Canada and as a sign of that,
Team Canada wore gold-and-
black replica jerseys of the Fal-
cons in their first match of the
World Cup last fall, and the Ca-
nadian junior team did the same
in a tournament in Winnipeg
before dominating the World
Junior Hockey Championship
that ended in the first week of
January. Furthermore the junior
team trained in Gimli before the
toumament “to experience the
Icelandic hospitality,” as was
stated in the media.
“Hockey Canada has been
very supportive of our efforts
and the recent tournament in
Winnipeg is a sign of that,”
Johnson says. He emphasizes
the support of Ian Rentz, Presi-
dent of Team Canada Merchan-
dising Inc. and Steven Latch-
bery, Hockey Canada’s rep on
the international Ice Hockey
Federation as being crucial to
keeping the Falcons story front
and centre in the public ntind.
Before the first game with Fin-
land on December 20, 2004, Mr.
Latchbery presented each direct
descendant of the Falcons play-
ers with a replica sweater with
the number 20 on the back to
commemorate the achievement
in 1920. The descendants .were
then led onto the ice where they
were introduced to the 15,015
PHOTO: STEINPÓR GUÐBJARTSSON
Dan Johnson, Chair of the Falcons Forever Exhibit Campaign, Ian Rentz, President of Team
Canada Merchandising Inc. and Brian Johannesson, son of Konnie Johannesson (one of the
original Falcons), and webmaster of a website devoted to the team.
cheering fans attending the
game.
“Not only did Hockey Can-
ada provide a free ticket to each
descendant, but they honoured
them with a replica sweater, a
pre-game introduction and a
reception following the game
where they were able to meet
members of the National Junior
team,” says Johnson. And, he
added, it was all covered on live
TV by TSN. “Now we have to
do our job and raise the money
needed to build the exhibit so
that this outstanding Winnipeg
Hockey team will never be for-
gotten again.
“Our objective is to raise
$30,000. This will allow us to
erect a permanent exhibit in
memory of one of Canada’s
greatest hockey teams and the
first team to win a Gold Medal
in hockey. We need the support
of the Icelandic community to
reach our goals. Every little bit
helps.”
The committee of the FFEC
has been working on th'e proce-
dure since last fall. The Presi-
dent of the Manitoba Moose
Hockey Club, Mark Chipman,
the founder and Chairman of
True North Holding Ltd. (the
constructor of the MTS Centre),
offered the committee a wall in
the building for the Falcons ex-
hibit. The committee is now col-
lecting material to be displayed
there and is working on putting
it all together. At least about
500,000 people will go through
the MTS Centre annually.
For further information and
donations, contact Brent Stefan-
son c/o Stefanson & Lee, Char-
tered Accountants, 200B Polo
Park Shopping Centre, Winni-
peg, MB, (204) 452-8848, e-
mail bstefanson@slca.ca.
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca