When I Grow Up...I Want to be a Belfast Giant
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
Calgary businessman, Jim Yaworski, became part-owner of the Belfast Giants ice hockey team last May and he said, "it's been a love affair ever since."
Yaworski has always been an avid collector of hockey jerseys and he recently spoke to The Celtic Connection about how his hobby led to his involvement with the Belfast Giants.
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BELFAST GIANTS owner Jim Yaworski standing beside the embedded Canadian loonie in the Belfast Giants logo at centre ice in the Odyssey Arena.
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“I always wanted a Giants jersey,” he said, “ever since I saw a Venture program five years ago about the Belfast Giants. I guess, it’s kind of shake any family tree and an Irishman will fall out. Anyway, my sister-in-law and some other folks had always said, ‘we’ll get you a jersey...we’ll take a look when we’re over there’. But it never happened.”
That all changed on a flight back to Calgary from South Africa, when Jim Yaworski found himself sitting next to a young man and they struck up a conversation. Jim said, “we started talking and the conversation got into hockey and I lamented the fact that I didn’t have a Giants jersey.
“He looked at me and said, ‘look no further, I’m the captain of the Belfast Giants’. His name is Shane Johnson and he is from Brandon, Manitoba. Shane and I chatted a little bit further and he told me that the Giants were in financial trouble and they needed someone to step-up and would I be interested.
“So, on another trip back, I stopped into Belfast and met the guys and basically we did our deal in about half an hour. It’s been a wonderful experience. The other two owners of the club are Albert Masland, who is a Canadian living in the UK, and a fellow named Jim Gillespie who lives in Houston. Jim was born and raised in Belfast and worked there for a good part of his career. He now splits his time between Belfast and Houston. So, there’s the three of us.”
Jim Yaworski was born and raised in the north end of Winnipeg, Manitoba. And with his Ukrainian last name he grew up being called a north-end Irishman, which was a joke in Winnipeg because their last names were always so hard to spell.
Moving to Calgary in 1995, he started a small software company called Teilhard Technologies, which has now become a larger software company that has branched out specializing in oil and gas software.
The Belfast Giants were the league winners for the 2005-2006 season and won the Monteith Cup which is presented to the winners of the league in British ice hockey. It is emblematic of the league championship and former NHLer, Theoren Fleury, was a big part of that win.
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JIM YAWORSKI, owner of the Belfast Giants with star player Theoren Fleury of the Belfast Giants, holding the Monteith Cup which is presented to winners of the league in British ice hockey.
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“The guys played with a lot of heart,” said Yaworski, “and Theo lead the league in scoring, and he also lead the league in penalty minutes. So, he was as feisty in Belfast as he has ever been in the National Hockey League.
“Theo has been embraced in Belfast and he has embraced Belfast. He has really enjoyed his time there. I don’t know if he’s going to stay, but I know that as far as his life going forward, or what his life going forward means, Belfast is going to be always looked upon as a very important part.”
Speaking about a situation that was reported in the North American press regarding an incident with Theo Fleury and some fans in Basingstroke, England, Jim said, “that situation had to do with some fans that really went over the edge.
“I called the referee after the incident and he assured me that, first of all, there was no intent on Theo’s side, and that the folks that were reporting the story over there hadn’t got any of the information from him or from the league, they’d taken it off a referee’s website.
“Well, with Theo, you know that he is low hanging fruit and what you have to realize is where the guy is going to, not where he’s coming from. He has overcome some tremendous obstacles and he’s healing. Trouble in the past but looking forward to a bright future.
“I can honestly say, that Theo has never, ever missed a request to go to a hospital, or go to an event where children are. I’ve never ever seen him not sign an autograph. Sometimes on our trips the bus is 15 to 20 minutes late, a half to an hour late because Theo is in the arena accommodating requests from people all over the UK who have come to see him. Some of them have even named their children after him. I can point to three specific instances, where I’ve met young kids named Theoren after our Theo.”
Randy Turner from The Winnipeg Free Press spent 11 days in Belfast, visiting the club and watching the Belfast Giants play. Yaworski said, “I have heard some of the Irish fans say that Turner summed it up best when he said, ‘Theo is Northern Ireland on skates’.”
In the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, there are no anthems played before the hockey games. There are no Celtic green or Ranger blue jerseys allowed to be worn in the arena; only hockey jerseys. The only flags allowed to fly are Canadian flags. There’s even a Canadian Loonie embedded at centre ice in Finn McCool’s tooth on the club’s crest.
“Hockey is a game that’s inclusive,” said Yaworski, “I’ve never heard of a religious issue in playing hockey in Canada and that attitude just sticks with the players over there. It’s not an issue.”
Upon reflection, Yaworski said, “it’s kind of special how hockey has evolved in Belfast, and how it transcends borders. For the life of me, I never thought that I’d be doing what I’m doing now. It just happened and five years from now, I may look back and say that this was one of the worst things that I ever did, but I think that I’m probably going to say, it’s one of the best things I ever did
“I can tell you right now that I’ve got memories that are priceless from the Giants. I’ve heard some of the things that the kids say, and a lot of them are looking at our team and saying, ‘jeez, I’d love to be a Giant!...and you know, you can’t replace that.”
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For more information about the Belfast Giants Ice Hockey Team, go to their website at: www.belfastgiants.com.
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