The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Red Nelson, a one-time Flin Flon Bomber turned SJHL referee, passed away over the weekend. He was 72. The Saskatoon native moved to Flin Flon in 1954 to play for the Bombers. As a goalie, Nelson replaced the netminder for the end of the 1953-54 season. He played his final season with the Bombers in 1955. Nelson spent the next 17 years as a referee for the SJHL, Winnipeg Central Hockey League and minor hockey. In a previous interview with The Reminder, Nelson stated that "when the IOSC (Roller Goodwin Memorial) tournament was held, I had refereed pretty well all the guys in that tournament." Nelson had attributed his knowing so many local people to his refereeing and also his time as a painter at HBMS. Former Bomber teammate Len Bolton says Nelson was "a friend to everyone." And he adds "...just a friend to everyone." Bolton also described Nelson as determined when it came to the Bombers. "Back then goalies didn't have masks to wear and Red got hit in the head with the puck," recalls Bolton. "Once he came to, the first thing he asked was if the puck went in the net." The former Bomber worked at HBMS, along with other Bombers. He began at the company in 1954 and and retired after 33 years in 1987. According to Bolton, "whatever he (Nelson) put his mind to, he always did the best he could, whether it was golf or hockey or whatever."
