Nicol, Bob

Year Inducted / Année Intronisé:

1988

Province / Province:

Ontario

Category / Catégorie:

Curler, Team

Biography / Biographie:

Robert ‘Bob Nicol of Thunder Bay, Ontario was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

The year 1982 will be remembered as the year that northwestern Ontario first left it’s mark in the sport of curling at the world level. That year the Al Hackner rink of Thunder Bay went on to claim the illustrious Air Canada Silver Broom, emblematic of world curling supremacy. The road that led Skip Al Hackner, 3rd Rick Lang, 2nd Bob Nicol, Lead Bruce Kennedy and 5th man Al Fiskar to the world title was a long and well-fought one.

Winning the right to represent Thunder Bay at the Northern Ontario Tankard, the Hackner rink defeated the Jack MacFarlane rink of Sault Ste. Marie 8-4 in the final game. From there it was on to the National Championships at the Labatt Brier held in Brandon, Manitoba. The previous year Hackner had placed 2nd at the Brier, and was eager for a win. The rink went on to defeat the Brent Giles Rink of British Columbia in a decisive 7-3 victory, claiming only the 2nd Canadian Men’s Curling title win by a rink by northwestern Ontario. This victory earned the rink the right to represent Canada at the World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkircken, West Germany.

In the final game of the World Championships, the Hackner Rink faced the Jurg Tanner rink of Switzerland, the defending world champion. In the 9th end Hackner was leading 8-7, and moving into the 10th end Hackner drew to the button recording a 9-7 final. This victory marked only the second time that a Canadian rink had won the world title since 1973, and was the first of its kind for northwestern Ontario.

For their outstanding contribution to the Canadian sporting world, these exceptional curlers received the Sports Excellence Award from the Government of Canada, were named the 1982 Ontario Sport Team of the Year and, in March of 1988, were inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.