The Crazy Canucks was the nickname for a group of

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

alpine ski racers from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Jungle Jim Hunter, Dave Irwin, Dave Murray,

Steve Podborski Stephen Gregory "Steve" Podborski, (born July 25, 1957) is a Canadian former World Cup and Olympic downhill ski racer. Racing career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Podborski started skiing at the age of two and a half at Craigleith Ski Club in ...

, and

Ken Read Kenneth John Read (born November 6, 1955) is one of the most respected sport leaders in Canada. This World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-yea ...

earned themselves a reputation for fast and seemingly reckless skiing in the

downhill Downhill may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse * ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...

event.

History

These five men earned their title "Crazy Canucks" from ski journalist and World Cup co-founder Serge Lange, who after watching their different styles came up with the name that caught on with sports journalists throughout the skiing world. Other similar nicknames included "

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

Canadians." These five men were at the top of their game and better known in Europe than in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Once they hit the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, they consistently challenged the Europeans on the World Cup circuit at a level previously unseen. Canadian Corner is a

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

of the

Lauberhorn The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald, north of the Kleine Scheidegg. Its summit is at an elevation of above sea level. Lauberhorn ski races The mountain is best known for the ...

downhill course near

Wengen Wengen () is a mountain village in the Bernese Oberland of central Switzerland. Located in the canton of Bern at an elevation of above sea level, it is part of the Jungfrauregion and has approximately 1,300 year-round residents, which swells to ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The heavily twisting curve at the left-hand transition to the Alpweg is named after the Crazy Canucks, Dave Irwin and

, who fell there in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

. From here the route briefly follows the valley of the Hasenbach parallel to the Wengernalpbahn. The Girmschbiel hill on the opposite side of the small valley has become a fan stadium in the middle of the route for several years thanks to its location right next to the Wengernalp train station. More than 10,000 visitors follow the race on the hill and in the bars and VIP zones temporarily set up there - only here do they have a direct view of the famous key points Hundschopf, Minsch-Kante, and Canadian Corner. Four of the five "Crazy Canucks" live on today; Murray died of

skin cancer Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BCC) ...

in 1990 at age 37.
- Crazy Cool "Legend of the Crazy Canucks - January 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2013 The downhill course at Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Creekside, utilized for

and

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

races, was named for him. In 2006, it was announced that the four original Crazy Canucks would receive stars on

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

, inducted as one group. The only other ski racer on the walk is Canadian alpine legend

Nancy Greene Nancy Catherine Greene Raine (born May 11, 1943) is a former Canadian Senator for British Columbia and an Olympian alpine skier voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Greene Raine won t ...

TV film

''Crazy Canucks'' was a

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

named after and based on the history of the team. It was released in 2004 in Canada. The film was directed by Randy Bradshaw and starred Sandy Robson (Hunter),

Lucas Bryant Lucas Bryant (born September 28, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. Bryant is most well known for his role as Nathan Wuornos in the Syfy TV channel series '' Haven'' (2010–2015). Early life Bryant was born in Elmira, Ontario, Canada to Susan ...

(Read), Curtis Harrison (Podborski),

Kyle Labine Jonathan Kyle Labine (born April 7, 1983) is a Canadian actor. His brothers Tyler Labine Tyler Sean Labine (born April 29, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He is best known for starring in the television series ''Breaker High'', ...

(Murray) and

Robert Tinkler Robert Tinkler is a Canadian voice actor who provides voices for a number of cartoons and anime shows. He voiced Max in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', Delete in the children's animated series '' Cyberchase'', Pelswick Eggert ...

(Irwin).

References

{{reflist

External links

The founding of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team
* ttps://archive.today/20140129231544/http://www.sportshall.ca/collections/ken-read-collection/4304/ken-read-collection-5/ Canada's Sports Hall of Fame– photo of Crazy Canucks at 1976 Winter Olympics – (Read, Hunter, Irwin, Murray) *Crazy Canuck
IMDb
Alpine skiing Canadian male alpine skiers Nicknamed groups of sportspeople Nicknamed groups of Olympic competitors it:Nazionale di sci alpino del Canada#I Crazy Canucks

History

TV film

See also

References

External links