Loss Of An All-Time Great

I don't usually post things like this, but the loss of Randy Turner from the Winnipeg sports scene and the Winnipeg Free Press is something I haven't really had time to process until today. I've only met Turner a few times and I don't think I made any impact on him whatsoever, but his work certainly made an impact on me. He was an exceptional reporter, a great writer, a phenomenal storyteller, and a wonderful man who lost his battle last week at the age of 57 to cancer. Winnipeg has lost one of its best advocates for all things happening in and around the city way too young.

Elliotte Friedman wrote this today in his 31 Thoughts article on Sportsnet's website:

It's true when Friedman speaks of Turner's reporting as he did some of the best work I had the pleasure of reading. His piece on Rooster Town was some of the best reporting about something most Manitobans didn't even know existed. He wrote an excellent piece while talking to dozens of people about how small-town life depends on the local hockey rink. He exposed the problem of chewing tobacco in hockey after being turned down for interviews by many of the very people using chewing tobacco. All of those stories and many more can be found on the Winnipeg Free Press site as they celebrate Randy Turner's best pieces with the newspaper.

I crossed paths with Randy while covering the Manitoba Moose for a short time on this very blog. He asked how I managed to convince the team to give me press credentials, and I told him sheepishly that the Canucks had granted me access as I was writing a weekly piece for their fan forum. He smiled at me and said, "We all gotta start somewhere on the road to greatness, kid," and went back to watching the action on the ice.

I've never forgotten those words as one of the true greats and most respected reporters in Winnipeg and Manitoba didn't denigrate me for being a blogger or web presence while sitting in the press box - a place where journalists and TV media gathered to exchange stories and chat. Instead, he was warm and welcoming - something I've not always experienced in some press box situations. While I can't claim Randy Turner made me a better writer, his words were something that I needed to hear in an online land where blog readers often flock to the bigger sites, leaving smaller sites like mine looking for a foothold.

He likely wouldn't have remembered me or even saying those words. I doubt he would have even remembered me the next morning when he was writing his next story. But that one line made Randy Turner special to me in his own way, and I feel that the local newspaper, the city of Winnipeg, and the province of Manitoba lost a big piece of the province last week as Randy Turner's stories connected all of us in this province.

Good reporters with an exceptional ability to write are rare in today's world. Randy Turner was our gem in Manitoba, and he will always be the standard when it comes to the next reporters and writers. Rest in peace, Randy. Your impact on me will never be forgotten.

Until next time, raise your sticks high in honour of Randy Turner!