Another Roadside Attraction: The Channel Cat

Being that it's the Victoria Day long weekend, I had some extra time to get some errands done this weekend as Monday is a holiday. Normally, this would be a weekend where I would be planting vegetables in my garden, but the near-freezing temperatures that have settled over Manitoba have made that nearly impossble. Instead, I got a few things done around the yard, and I was up early enough to visit another well-known gigantic statue in the province!

Today's adventure took me north to Selkirk, Manitoba which sits about 40 minutes north of downtown Winnipeg. As per the 2021 census, Selkirk had 10,500 residents at that time, but the city feels like it has grown in the five years since those numbers were recorded. The city was incorporated in 1882 and named after Scotsman Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, who was granted the right to establish a colony in the region. Among the attractions found in the city are the vertical lift bridge that connects Selkirk and East Selkirk, the Marine Museum of Manitoba, and a Canadian Coast Guard base. But Selkirk is getting its credit today for another attraction that's hard to miss.

What About The Statue?

We'll start with the sign affixed to the statue's base that explains how this statue came to be known as "Chuck". As you can see, it honours Chuck Norquay, a local fisherman, who helped Selkirk earn the reputation of being the "Catfish Capital of the World", and it was thought that his efforts should be recognized. While the original plaque just had some generic info about "Chuck the Channel Cat", the new plaque seen to the right was added after Chuck Norquay tragically drowned in 1993. This new plaque honours Chuck Norquay nicely, and the old plaque was moved to another side.

Officially, "Chuck the Channel Cat" sits at 168 Main Street in Selkirk, directly in front of a Smitty's restaurant. The fibreglass statue was erected on May 23, 1986, but it was originally slated to be placed in Selkirk Park. A petition featuring 900 signatures along with feedback from community surveys had Selkirk city councillors reconsider the location, eventually landing on placing it downtown in the business district for all to see. Depending on which website you check, the statue is one of 25-feet, 33-feet, or 36-feet tall, but the City of Selkirk maintains that it's 11 meters (36 feet) tall from the bottom to the tip of Chuck's tail. In 2024, Chuck was restored after years of weathering as he was repaired and got a new coat of paint to make him look stately once more. Five days from today, Chuck will officially celebrate his 40th birthday by standing proudly in downtown Selkirk!

What's The Hockey Connection?

I could speak about how proud Selkirk is of the MJHL's Selkirk Steelers or the CRJHL's Selkirk Fisherman. I could point out how Selkirk was one of the locations used for games during the 2007 IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship, and how the city hosted the Telus Cup in 2009. Historically, the original Selkirk Fishermen competed for the Memorial Cup, former NHLers Andrew Murray and Neil Wilkinson both called the city home, or how Selkirk's first indoor arena, the Alexandra Rink, was built in 1907 until it was demolished in 1955.

Instead, I want to focus on one individual who made a world of difference in the NHL. Jimmy Skinner was born on January 12, 1917 in Selkirk, Manitoba where he learned to play and coach hockey. Skinner played with the Indianapolis Capitals before breaking into coaching, and a 1950 incident in Barrie, Ontario saw the fiery Windsor Spitfires coach suspended for a month and fined $50 after he was convicted of assaulting an usher! I'm not sure of the details of that event, but we'll leave the criminal assaults involving Skinner for another future article on HBIC.

In 1954, Skinner was reportedly the choice of Jack Adams to replace the departing Tommy Ivan as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. With ownership having approved Skinner's hiring, Adams made it clear that the decision hung on Skinner who seemingly could not decided whether to take the job or not. However, he would accept the position eight days later at the age of 37, seven years after retiring as a player. His hiring saw him take over the defending Stanley Cup champions' coaching role as well as coaching against the NHL All-Stars to open the 1954-55 season. It ended as a 2-2 tie.

The end of the season would see the Red Wings qualify for the playoffs as the NHL's top team for the seventh season in a row. They knocked off the Boston Bruins in the opening round, and met the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final. In the seventh game of the series played at the Detroit Olympia, Skinner coached the Red Wings to a 3-1 in for their second-straight Stanley Cup championship!

Midway through the 1957-58 season, Skinner surprised everyone when he resigned from his position, forcing the Red Wings to name Sid Abel as the head coach for the remainder of the season. It would be revealed that he had an illness that forced him to step away from his duties, but he would return to the Red Wings in a front office capacity where he would work as their head scout and general manager among his various titles until he retired in 1983!

For those that may not know, Jimmy Skinner also worked at his father's business which is now a Manitoba landmark in Skinner's Restaurant! Skinner's Restaurant is located in Lockport, Manitoba and is 15 minutes south of Selkirk and 25 minutes north of Winnipeg. It started out as a hot dog stand where people could purchase "[h]ot dogs for a dime" and "french fries for a nickle" in 1929, and Jimmy Jr. would return in the summer to help his father run the restaurant while bringing some of the Detroit Red Wings players with him where they made some money serving and cooking food! How cool is that?

Selkirk has a solid hockey history, but Jimmy Skinner should be the name that comes to mind when Selkirk, Manitoba is mentioned. Perhaps Skinner is only overshadowed by Chuck the Channel Cat when it comes to famous icons from the Manitoba city, but there are some cool things to see if you're interested in visiting Selkirk, Manitoba!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!