Gary Ekhart Thode

CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ CURLING CHAMPIONS

Gary Thode, Gary Cooper, Orest Hryniuk and Roy Husfmith became the first team from Saskatoon to ever win the Canadian schoolboys curling championship, beating Alberta in the final game of the 1951 tournament at Nelson, B.C. Thode, Cooper and Hufsmith were holdovers from a Saskatoon Tech team which lost in the provincial finals in 1950. Hryniuk joined them for the 1951 season. They won the city championship, went through the northern playoffs undefeated and beat Chuck Day of Grand Coulee two straight in the provincial final. Going into the final draw at Nelson, Thode’s Saskatchewan team and Alberta were tied at the top of the standings, each with seven wins and one loss. Down one after eight ends, Thode counted three on the ninth and then held Alberta to one for a 9-8 victory. It was the first of two Canadian titles for Thode, Cooper and Hufsmith and the first of four for their coach, Ken Moir.

In 1952, Gary Thode, Gary Cooper, Doug Conn and Roy Hufsmith made curling history. This highly talented quartet from Tech Collegiate was hoping to bring another Canadian School Boy’s championship to Saskatoon. Under the guidance of coach Ken Moir, Tech had won the Canadian title in 1951. Orest Hryniuk had been the second. With Conn throwing second in 1952, Thode’s team captured the Northern playdowns, although it took a three-ender in the ninth end to win the game. In the provincial, Thode downed Dick Clarke of Moose Jaw two straight, 11-3 and 9-6.

One week later the boys were in Moncton, New Brunswick, where they won nine straight to win the title. This team became the first Saskatoon team to win back-to-back Canadian championships, and the only team to record an eight-ender, in a game against Quebec.

Gary Thode (skip), Roy Hufsmith (lead), Doug Conn (second), Gary Cooper (third)

(Source: The Saskatchewan Sports Hall Of Fame)