Norm Lenardon, who scored the most important goal in Trail’s long and storied hockey history, has died at 89.
On March 12, 1961, Lenardon sent his West Kootenay hometown into euphoria after putting a puck behind a Soviet goaltender in a rink in Geneva to clinch the World Hockey Championship.
Heading into the final match of the tournament, the Trail Smoke Eaters, representing Canada, were deadlocked with Czechoslovakia with 13 points each in seven games. To win a tiebreaker on goal differential, the Smokies had to beat the Soviet Union by four.
They were en route to doing just that, holding a 4-0 lead after two periods before the Soviets got one back, making for an anxious finish. The Canadian Press described what happened with under two minutes left:
“Norm Lenardon, one of the most popular players on the Canadian team, brought a wild ovation from the pro-Canadian Swiss crowd of 12,500 when he scored unassisted … He slapped the puck high into the Soviet net and went sprawling on the ice. The Canadians went wild with joy. At the game’s finish, Lenardon was half carried from the ice by his cheering teammates.”
Lenardon recounted the moment countless times for the rest of his life to audiences who never tired of hearing it. You can watch it below.
Norman Lenardon was born in Trail on Oct. 20, 1933 to Giulio and Amabile Lenardon. His father worked at the smelter and saved up to build a house and bring his wife and daughter to Canada from Italy. Norm attended Central School and Trail-Tadanac High School, but left school at 17 to begin a bricklaying apprenticeship at the smelter.
Lenardon grew up playing hockey in Trail. His career as a fine right winger in the Western International Hockey League stretched from 1953 to 1967, mostly with the Trail Smoke Eaters, but he also had a few stints with the Rossland Warriors.
While league statistics are incomplete, Lenardon scored at least 200 regular-season goals and 365 points. The year the Smokies went to the World Championship, he led the league in goals with 40. He was named to the first all-star team in 1964-65 and to the second team in 1955-56. He also had a three-game professional call-up with the Seattle Americans of the WHL in 1956-57 and coached the Smoke Eaters from 1969-71.
In 1971, Lenardon left the smelter to start Norman’s Restaurant, which is now Cafe Michael. He and wife Gene operated it until 1986, whereupon he returned to the smelter for a few more years until retirement. All the while he was the chief keeper of the ’61 Smokies flame. He was among the key organizers of a WIHL reunion held in Trail in 1999 and featured prominently in the 2021 documentary Trophy Town.
Lenardon died Tuesday. Survivors include his son Tim, who played in the NHL for Vancouver and New Jersey, daughter Theresa, who was a track and field star, and daughter Maria.
Lenardon’s passing leaves four surviving members of the 1961 team: Ed Cristofoli, Mike Legace, Gerry Penner, and Dave Rusnell. Six others have died since 2019, including three last year.
