Celebrating Leaside’s sports pioneers

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO

As we reflect on the past 110 years of Leaside history, we can’t help being grateful for those pioneers in establishing athletic organizations and sporting facilities for our community. We also celebrate the many outstanding athletes who continue to inspire us. Since 2013, the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame has honoured those who have played a role in the rich heritage of sport in the community and we continue to celebrate them as the past, present and future of our neighbourhood’s rich tapestry.

Notable Leaside Sports Hall of Fame inductees

(in alphabetical order)

George Armstrong

George Armstrong played 21 seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs. As captain for 13 of those seasons, he led the team to four Stanley Cup victories. He also coached local sports including girl’s baseball at Trace Manes Park.

Howard Birnie

Birnie has been president of the Leaside Baseball Association since 1973. He has participated in baseball as a player, a coach and an umpire locally, nationally and internationally. Birnie has also acted as the president of the Toronto and Ontario baseball associations.

Teri-Lynn Black Calleri

In 1982, Black and her partner Mirko Savic won the Canadian Junior Ice Dance Championships. In 1986, she became a coach for the Leaside Skating Club, a position she held for almost 37 years.

Mike Bradwell

In Grade 13, Bradwell was named football player of the year and led Leaside to their first tier one playoff win in the school’s history. He played with the Argos for four seasons, winning the Grey Cup with the team in 2012. For two years as an Argo, Bradwell was an assistant coach with the Leaside High team.

Jack Caffery

Jack Caffery signed contracts with both the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey) and the Milwaukee Braves (baseball). The first “home grown” Leasider to play in the NHL, Caffery played three seasons and finished his hockey career in the EHL. As a ball player, Caffery played mainly at the AA and AAA levels for eight years.

Rich Ferguson

Rich Ferguson was a track and field sensation, who, at the age of 19, was ranked the top junior runner in North America. Ferguson represented Canada at the 1952 Olympics and at the 1954 British Empire (now Commonwealth) Games. At the 1954 games, he set the Canadian record in the “miracle mile” race against Roger Bannister.

Cal Gardner (father)

After returning from serving in World War II, Cal Gardner played 12 seasons in the NHL. As a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he won two Stanley Cups and was twice named to the All-Star team. Gardner went on to coach the Kingston Frontenacs in the EPHL.

Arthur (Laurie) Irwin

Laurie Irwin started coaching both men’s and women’s basketball in the 1920s, winning multiple Toronto and provincial titles. As president of the Canadian Amateur Basketball Association, he was manager of the Canadian team for the 1948 Summer Olympic Games. As a senior executive at Canada Wire, Irwin garnered the company’s support of the Leaside Baseball Association, which included sponsoring teams and funding the construction of both scoring booths at Talbot Park.

Catherine (Carpenter)

Lansdowne

Catherine Carpenter represented Ontario as a speed skater in the first Canada Winter Games in 1971, winning two gold medals and a bronze. She also represented Canada at the 1972 Winter Olympics. She went on to spend 36 years as a phys-ed teacher at Leaside High School.