Legends aren鈥檛 born, they are made, built like a wall, one brick at a time.
More than 80 years have passed since the 1939 Trail Smoke Eaters won the World Hockey Championship, but they and their 1961 Smoke Eater counterparts will have the caps put on their respective stories in an upcoming documentary entitled, Trophy Town: Local Heroes, International Legends.
鈥淚 kind of look at this as a David and Goliath story repeating itself,鈥� said director/producer Robert Barrett. 鈥淭hese guys came from this exotic, beautiful, and remote place in Canada and in my mind they went overseas and kicked the baddest asses on the block in both cases.鈥�
The gold-medal wins by the 鈥�39 and 鈥�61 Smoke Eaters in Europe are well known to Silver City residents, but not necessarily common knowledge across Canada and beyond. The Toronto filmmakers, comprised of Barrett, writer/producer Dave Alexander, and cinematographer/cameraman David Cain, are trying to change all that and revisited Trail last month as part of their quest to share the unique and incredible stories with the rest of the world.
鈥淓veryone has been so ultra-supportive here, when they find out what we鈥檙e doing,鈥� said Barrett. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been to all the restaurants - the Colander, the Arlington, the Beer Refinery - the bakery, the hotel, everywhere so our whole journey and stay here has been wonderful.鈥�
The documentarians also enjoyed a Trail Smoke Eaters game first hand, and attended the Trail vs Nanaimo Clippers tilt on Oct. 18, a match that drew more than 2,400 fans.
鈥淗ockey in Trail is like 鈥楩riday night lights鈥�, where football in the states is everything, in Canada it鈥檚 hockey. I was really impressed and felt emotional about being there on Friday night, and seeing families getting together and old timers having a beer, shooting the breeze, and watching hockey, and kids in the stands dancing and being silly. It鈥檚 a community centre, it鈥檚 the hub of Trail. So how do you place value on that?鈥�
The assistance of the Silver City鈥檚 curator Sarah Benson-Lord and videographer Eric Gonzalez have been indispensable for the making of Trophy Town, as have the many players, coaches, wives and Trail residents interviewed.
The 90-minute film will feature the Smoke Eaters鈥� stories, but also a variety of topics that include its rich sporting legacy, the landscape and the people that contributed to make Trail, The Home of Champions.
鈥淭here鈥檚 worm-holes left, right, and centre that we go down and we explore and that鈥檚 what kind of gives it texture,鈥� said Barrett. 鈥淎ny time you鈥檙e making a film you鈥檙e looking for texture and perspectives and this thing鈥檚 loaded with that.鈥�
The crew met with members of the 鈥�61 Smoke Eaters at the Rex Hotel last month, celebrating Norm Lenardon鈥檚 86th birthday over a beer, with two cameras on hand to document the memorable event.
鈥淭hese guys are blue-collar, humble, hard working guys who like to have a beer, they are full of humility, quiet and confident 鈥� but they are dragon slayers.鈥�
Barrett first conjured the idea of a documentary after talking to his friend, Stephen Sweeting, who had visited Trail to appraise its museum鈥檚 collection in Sept. 2018. Sweeting was so impressed with the sporting archives and excess of Trail sporting awards, he told Barrett. The more the director and his writer looked at it, the more the rich colours and texture of Trail鈥檚 history revealed itself.
鈥淲e became intrigued, and as a filmmaker, it sounds like it鈥檚 got good bones to be able to tell a story,鈥� said Barrett. 鈥淭he more myself and my writer started exploring it as a story and digging more, it had all these crazy twists and turns and all these amazing characters.鈥�
Longtime Trail historian, John D鈥橝rcangelo, author of the anthology A Trail to Remember, was also interviewed alongside Terry Brennan, whose father Mickey played on the 鈥�39 Smoke Eaters.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an excellent idea,鈥� said D鈥橝rcangelo. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 overdue, and I鈥檓 glad they鈥檙e doing this because it鈥檚 a remarkable story, both teams.鈥�
The 鈥�39 Smoke Eaters played 72 games in Europe, in the months leading up to the second World War. They defeated Nazi Germany twice in Berlin in games that had Swastikas decorating flags and programs. In 1961, Trail faced off against the Soviet Union鈥檚 Red Army team at the height of the Cold War, and beat them soundly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge feat,鈥� added Barrett. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e playing against trained soldiers. These (Trail) guys worked in a plant by day, and scored goals at night.鈥�
The Smoke Eaters legacy and influence goes well beyond the bounds of southeastern BC and D鈥橝rcangelo and Brennan were integral in fleshing out additional storylines for the filmmakers.
In particular, that of Trail WWII pilot Steve Saprunoff, whose Smoke Eaters sweater that was given to him by Mickey Brennan, may have saved his life.
A former mascot and stick-boy for the Smoke Eaters, Saprunoff鈥檚 plane was shot down over Germany in 1944, and the young man became a prisoner of war. His fate changed when a German prison guard noticed the Smoke Eaters jersey he wore under his flight jacket for luck.
The guard was a huge hockey fan and had watched the Smoke Eaters play Team Germany in Berlin in December of 1938. He smuggled food to Saprunoff, who survived the ordeal and returned to Trail after the war.
Another Trail hockey figure, Mike Buckna, became the father of Czech hockey and coached the Czech national team, the only team to score against Trail at the 鈥�39 championship.
鈥�(Anatoli) Tarasov, the father of Russian hockey, called the 鈥�39 Smoke Eaters one of the greatest teams, amateur or professional he鈥檚 ever seen, and he patterned his team after their style of teamwork, passing and possession of the puck,鈥� added D鈥橝rcangelo.
鈥淭he inspiring story of Trail is just remarkable, when you consider it鈥檚 only made up of about 10,000 people. What a team can do with a hard work ethic and team play and pride and confidence.鈥�
The accomplishments are considerable, considering that many of the Trail players were Cominco employees with families, who played senior hockey more for enjoyment than a grasp at fame or fortune.
鈥淭hat compounds it, they worked a whole shift at Cominco which wouldn鈥檛 be easy, and then go and practice,鈥� said D鈥橝rcangelo. 鈥淎nd in the case of Bobby Kromm, I was around in those days watching their practices, he worked them diligently. He worked them into great condition and Normy (Lenardon) told me in the final game against the Russians going into that third period they felt confident they could hold on and win because they were in great shape.鈥�
The additional interviews are many and varied, and include talking to 鈥�61 Smoke Eater goalie Seth Martin鈥檚 wife Bev, who offered an insightful perspective from the spouses. Barrett also had the pleasure of interviewing Olympian Gordie Robertson before he passed, former Trail Times editors Bruce Hogle and Murray Grieg, and Trail native and former NHLer Cesare Maniago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very much Canadian story,鈥� said Barrett. 鈥淭he 鈥�39 and 鈥�61 Smokies are our two pillar pieces within it. All the other pieces will get woven into the historical winds, adventures, and journeys.鈥�
The documentary is expected to be completed next year, with hopes of playing at the Toronto International Film Festival.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 one of the most amazing stories in Canada.鈥�
sports@trailtimes.ca
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