Crazy Canucks
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The Crazy Canucks was the nickname for a group of
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
alpine ski racers from
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Jungle Jim Hunter,
Dave Irwin Dave Irwin (born July 12, 1954) is a former alpine ski racer who represented Canada at two Winter Olympic Games and won a World Cup downhill. He was one of the " Crazy Canucks", a group of Canadian downhill racers who rose to prominence on the W ...
, Dave Murray,
Steve Podborski Stephen Gregory Podborski (born July 25, 1957) is a Canadian former World Cup and Olympic downhill ski racer. Racing career Born in Toronto, Ontario, Podborski started skiing at the age of two and a half at Craigleith Ski Club in Craigl ...
, and
Ken Read Kenneth John Read (born November 6, 1955) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada. He was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill. ...
earned themselves a reputation for fast and seemingly reckless skiing in the downhill event.


History

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. Other similar nicknames included "
Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
Canadians." These five men were at the top of their game and better known in Europe than in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. Once they hit the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
, they consistently challenged the Europeans on the World Cup circuit at a level previously unseen. Canadian Corner is a
section Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...
of the
Lauberhorn The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald, north of the Kleine Scheidegg. Its summit is at an elevation of above sea level. Lauberhorn ski races The mountain is best known for th ...
downhill course near
Wengen Wengen () is a mountain village in the Bernese Oberland of central Switzerland. Located in the canton of Bern at an elevation of above sea level, it is part of the Jungfrauregion and has approximately 1,300 year-round residents, which swells t ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. The heavily twisting curve at the left-hand transition to the Alpweg is named after the Crazy Canucks,
Dave Irwin Dave Irwin (born July 12, 1954) is a former alpine ski racer who represented Canada at two Winter Olympic Games and won a World Cup downhill. He was one of the " Crazy Canucks", a group of Canadian downhill racers who rose to prominence on the W ...
and
Ken Read Kenneth John Read (born November 6, 1955) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada. He was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill. ...
, who fell there in
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. Four of the five "Crazy Canucks" live on today; Murray died of
skin cancer Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the Human skin, skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells (biology), cells that have the ability to invade or metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. It occurs when skin cells grow ...
in 1990 at age 37.
- Crazy Cool "Legend of the Crazy Canucks - January 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2013
The downhill course at Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Creekside, utilized for
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
and
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
races, was named for him. In 2006, it was announced that the four original Crazy Canucks would receive stars on
Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame () in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 de ...
, inducted as one group. The only other ski racer on the walk is Canadian alpine legend
Nancy Greene Nancy Catherine Greene Raine (born May 11, 1943) is a former Canadian Senator for British Columbia and an Olympic alpine champion voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century. She was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Greene Raine wo ...
.


TV film

''Crazy Canucks'' was a
TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...
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 Lucas Bryant (born September 28, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor, best known for his role as Nathan Wuornos in the Syfy TV channel series '' Haven'' (2010–2015). Early life Bryant was born in Elmira, Ontario, Canada to Susan Hodges Bryant ...
(Read),
Curtis Harrison Curtis Harrison (born December 31, 1978, in Welland, Ontario) is a Canadian actor. Harrison co-starred in the Sci-Fi series '' 2030 CE'' and played Steve Podborski, one of the skiers known as Crazy Canucks The Crazy Canucks was the nickname f ...
(Podborski),
Kyle Labine Jonathan Kyle Labine (born April 7, 1983) is a Canadian former actor. His brothers Tyler Labine Tyler Labine (born April 29, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is best known for starring in the film ''Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,'' the televisio ...
(Murray) and
Robert Tinkler Robert Tinkler is a Canadian voice actor who provides voices for a number of cartoons and anime shows. He voiced Max in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', Delete in the children's animated series ''Cyberchase'', Pelswick Eggert ...
(Irwin).


See also

*
Erik Read Erik Read (born May 31, 1991) is a Canadian World Cup alpine ski racer specializing the technical events of slalom and giant slalom. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, he represented Canada at two Winter Olympics and five World Championships ...
,
Jeffrey Read Jeffrey Read (born 1 October 1997) is a Canadian World Cup alpine ski racer. He specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G, and made his World Cup debut in January 2018. Read is the son of the alpine ski racer Ken Read (b.1955), on ...
* Julia Murray


References

{{reflist


External links


The founding of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team
* ttps://archive.today/20140129231544/http://www.sportshall.ca/collections/ken-read-collection/4304/ken-read-collection-5/ Canada's Sports Hall of Fame– photo of Crazy Canucks at 1976 Winter Olympics – (Read, Hunter, Irwin, Murray) *Crazy Canuck
IMDb
Alpine skiing Canadian male alpine skiers Nicknamed groups of sportspeople Nicknamed groups of Olympic competitors it:Nazionale di sci alpino del Canada#I Crazy Canucks