Mallard's Team of the Week — 1968 Nelson Junior Maple Leafs
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The last time Nelson won the Cyclone Taylor Cup, Kootenay Forest Products and CP Rail were major employers and the Dog ‘N Suds (current site of Bogustown Beer & Wine Store on Nelson Avenue) was the teen hangout.
The year was 1968 when hockey legend Fritz Koehle coached this group of locals to the Cyclone Taylor Cup.
The team finished the West Kootenay Junior B League without a defeat.
The Nelson Junior Maple Leafs then dispatched the winner of the Okanagan League before sweeping Vancouver’s Grandview Steelers in the best-of-three series to clinch the provincial crown.
With the 2014 Cyclone Taylor Tournament hosted at the NDCC Arena, staff at Mallard’s Source for sports thought it was best to honour the champs as Team of the Week.
The team includes (in no specfic order), goaltenders Darvin Gierl and Rod Silver.
Defence, Al Arnett, Bob Borgeson, Bruce Ferguson and Jim Jempson.
Forwards, Jim Boyce, Bob Charter, Bob Fitchner, Terri Kinrade, Bob Jeffs, Doug McMullin, Bruce Rossini, Rich Vulcano, Terry Wickstrom, Larry Zimmer, George Karasz and Hoggy Carmichael.
Coaching staff was Fritz Koehle (seen far left wearing white Leaf jacket), manager Ross Allen, trainer Gerry Keohle, Rudy Boates and president Don Porteous.
