Hal Sigurdson | |
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| Born | (1932-07-01)July 1, 1932 Churchbridge, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Died | January 16, 2012(2012-01-16) (aged 79) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Occupation | Sports journalist |
| Known for | |
| Awards | |
Harold Bjorn Sigurdson (July 1, 1932 – January 16, 2012) was a Canadian sports journalist. He started writing for theWinnipeg Free Press in 1951, then covered theCanadian Football League as a writer, television commentator, and radio host. He became the sports editor ofThe Albertan in 1964, then served as the assistant sports editor of theVancouver Sun from 1966 to 1976, where he covered theNational Hockey League. He returned to Winnipeg as sports editor of theFree Press from 1976 to 1989, and reported on hockey in Manitoba and theWorld Hockey Association. He also wrote the "Down Memory Lane" series of sports histories, and retired in 1996. He was named to the roll of honour of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, and was inducted into the media sections of both theManitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and theCanadian Football Hall of Fame.
Harold Bjorn Sigurdson[1][2] was born on July 1, 1932, inChurchbridge, Saskatchewan,[3] and had Icelandic heritage.[4][5] He grew up on the family's farm near Churchbridge, moved to Winnipeg in the 1940s, and attendedDaniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute.[1][5] As a youth, he played rugby football,[6] and basketball.[7]
Sigurdson began working for theWinnipeg Free Press as acopy boy during the late-1940s, when the paper's sports editor,Maurice Smith, gave Sigurdson the opportunity to report on junior basketball.[7] Sigurdson started his full-time sports writing career in 1951, and began coveringCanadian football and theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in 1957.[8] He was a frequent commentator on televised games for theCanadian Football League, and hosted radio shows onCFWM-FM andCJOB-AM in Winnipeg.[6]
In January 1964,The Albertan named Sigurdson its sports editor,[6] where he reported on football games for theCalgary Stampeders.[8] He later served as the assistant sports editor of theVancouver Sun from 1966 to 1976, and covered both theVancouver Canucks and theNational Hockey League.[5][9]
Sigurdson returned to theFree Press in March 1976, to succeed Maurice Smith as the sports editor, who talked Sigurdson into returning to Winnipeg.[10] He coveredjunior ice hockey andsenior ice hockey in Manitoba, and theWorld Hockey Association. He also wrote the "Down Memory Lane" series of sports histories, and served on theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum selection committee.[3] He served as the sports editor until 1989, then as a sports columnist until he retired in 1996.[1][5] He wrote his final sports column in theFree Press on June 28, 1996.[7]
Sigurdson was married to Merelyn, and had two daughters and two sons.[11] In his recreational time, he participated in curling, golf, and ten-pin bowling.[6] He died fromAlzheimer's disease on January 16, 2012, in Winnipeg,[5][9] at theSaint Boniface Hospital.[2]
Sigurdson was known to his colleagues as "Siggy",[8][12] and often joked that the hockey people he met over the years, spared him "the need of getting a real job".[5][9]Jeff Blair described him as a good mentor, and that Sigurdson "had a real eye for detail", was "really fair" and was "a guy who stressed pride and craft".[5] Bill Redekop described Sigurdson as "the thinking man's sportswriter, providing insight instead of outrage".[4]
TheDow Breweries Canadian Football Reporting Awards twice gave Sigurdson an honourable mention for the best reporter in the country.[6] He was named to the roll of honour of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 1991.[13][14] He was inducted into the media category of theManitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993,[3][15] and was inducted into the Football Reporters of Canada section of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1994.[8][16]