Crazy Canucks

The Crazy Canucks was a group of World Cup alpine ski racers from Canada who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Jungle Jim Hunter, Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, Steve Podborski, and Ken Read earned themselves a reputation for fast and seemingly reckless skiing in the downhill event.[1]

The Crazy Canucks at the 2006 Canada's Walk of Fame ceremony (Ken Read, Steve Podborski, Dave Irwin)

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.[2] Other similar nicknames included "Kamikaze Canadians."[3]

These five men were at the top of their game and better known in Europe than in North America. Once they hit the European hills, they consistently challenged the Europeans on the World Cup circuit at a level previously unseen.[1][4]

Four of the five "Crazy Canucks" live on today; Murray died of skin cancer in 1990 at age 37.[5] The downhill course at Whistler Creekside, utilized for World Cup and Olympic races, was named for him.

In 2006, it was announced that the four original Crazy Canucks would be receiving stars on Canada's Walk of Fame. They would all be inducted as one group. The only other skier on the walk is Canadian skiing legend Nancy Greene.

TV film

Crazy Canucks was a TV movie 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 (Read), Curtis Harrison (Podborski), Kyle Labine (Murray) and Robert Tinkler (Irwin).

References
  1. Ballard, Sarah (January 27, 1988). "Wild and crazy guys". Sports Illustrated. p. 66.
  2. " Archived July 4, 2013, at Archive.today" - Dave Irwin Foundation "The Crazy Canucks" - Retrieved April 4, 2013
  3. Scammell, Ron (December 9, 1978). "The Kamikaze Canadians". Montreal Gazette. The Canadian (insert magazine). p. 10.
  4. "" - CBC Digital Archives "The Crazy Canucks, more famous in Europe". Retrieved April 4, 2013
  5. "" - Crazy Cool "Legend of the Crazy Canucks - January 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2013
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