You never know how someone’s passing is going to affect you until they actually pass away.
When I moved to Prince Albert way back in May of 2001 to work for the Daily Herald as a full-time sports reporter, the first two people I basically met after Daily Herald staffers were Donn Clark and Bruce Vance. The introduction came at a Raiders annual general meeting shortly after I arrived in town.
Clark at the time was holding the roles of Raiders head coach and general manager. Vance had recently at that time arrived in town as the team’s new director of marketing. In recent days, I have been struggling with the fact that both are now gone from this life.
Clark passed away on March 2, 2019 just two days shy of his 57th birthday. We share a March 4 birthday. Vance passed away this past October 18 at age 63.
Cancer got both of them. Looking back to that first meeting in May of 2001, I thought we would all seemingly live forever and be in hockey forever being fairly young like I was back then.
I never thought Clark or Vance would not live to see their respective 65th birthdays. For both, I knew the end was coming in their cancer battles, but it still doesn’t prepare you for when it will happen.
Clark was inducted as a builder to the Raiders Wall of Honour on March 1, 2019. Younger brother and famed Toronto Maple Leafs alum Wendel Clark accepted the honour on Donn’s behalf that night in a pre-game ceremony at the Art Hauser Centre. That was a sign that Donn might be in his last days, but I didn’t expect he would pass away the next day.
For Vance, I noticed he hadn’t been as active as he usually had been on social media for the last month and a half leading to his passing. When word came out he had passed away, an unusual empty feeling hit me inside, which was similar to when Clark passed away. You were faced with the reality you would never see them again anywhere in this world.
Vance often said that Clark was his best boss. On October 20, 2023, Vance was inducted to the Raiders Wall of Honour as a builder.
He loved the fact his plaque would sit next to Clark’s on the wall. It seemed fitting that fate had it work out that way. The two also spearheaded the “Bring Back the Magic” campaign that raised funds to renovate the Art Hauser Centre and continue to make the Raiders viable in the WHL.
Both approached their cancer battles in similar styles and with their own personal takes. Clark faced the battle in a gruff old school manner that had a positive take. He was determined that disease wasn’t going to prevent him from driving a tractor, riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle, flying an airplane or doing whatever else he wanted to do that day.
Actually, I didn’t realize Clark enjoyed riding Harley Davidson motorcycles or flying airplanes until after he was let go by the Raiders in January of 2008. He liked to keep some things in his life private, and sometimes you made surprising discoveries of his interests or subjects he had knowledge of.
I remember a classic random that came out of him during a Raiders bus trip during the 2003-04 campaign. There was a movie being played on the bus, and Clark watched it for five minutes and said the flick had to be based off a John Grisham novel and went into talking about the common characteristics of those books.
I was dumbfounded and thought to myself, “Where did this come from?”
Clark also had the classic farmer stubbornness from the older generation, which seemed to allow him to live past various dates doctors said he would pass on by. Vance, who wrapped up his time with the Raiders in 2015, and I agreed once that Clark would somehow find a way to beat the disease due to his stubbornness. Clark gave it the good fight until the disease finally got him.
Vance took his own positive spin to his battle with cancer. During his first battle with cancer from November 2013 to July 2014, I wrote to Vance on social media that he had to beat the disease so he could walk his daughters down the aisle and dance at their weddings.
Vance replied with my “Stanks” nickname adding that was a fantastic thing to say. You could feel through the keyboard he was pretty pumped about that idea.
I never imagined that in his second battle with cancer he would get registered as a marriage commissioner, and on September 23, 2023, he performed the ceremony to marry his daughter, Briane, to Dylan Folmer. Vance said that might have been the most treasured thing he has ever done.
Actually, his positive approach to battling cancer took a level that had never been seen before when he was diagnosed as being stage four and terminal in August of 2020. From that time of his diagnosis to his passing this past October 18, Vance lived more than most would in their lifetimes. By this time, he was already cemented as a Prince Albert community icon.
On top of presiding over Briane’s wedding, Vance made trips to see the Toronto Blue Jays in spring training and play in the regular season, to Toronto Raptors games and Maple Leafs games. He got in many visits with friends, celebrated a big 60th birthday party, saw his daughter, Jessica, be inducted to the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame, worked as part of the committee that oversaw the Esso Cup in 2023, attended Jessica’s graduation from the University of Toronto, took part in a “Team Bruce” night put on by the Prince Albert Northern Bears female under-18 AAA hockey team, attended his induction to the Raiders Wall of Honour, accepted honours as the Kinsmen Sportsman of the Year in Prince Albert, made as many Raiders games as possible and celebrated four Christmas seasons and various other holidays.
As crazy as that sounds, that list I just made isn’t even a complete one. Still, it seemed like if there was an uplifting moment to get to in his life, Vance, who was inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, made sure he got there, and he enjoyed it when he got there.
Vance also said he was going to ensure he had some of Clark’s stubbornness in his battle with the disease. Overall, I lost count of how many dates Vance lived past where doctors said he would pass on.
All of these memories got their start due to having ties to the Raiders. Any time I am at the Art Hauser Centre, there is an opportunity for a memory to come back and chuckles come from good natured jabs from the old days.
The last time I saw Vance in person was at one of the Raiders home games from the 2024 WHL Playoffs. I still expect to see Clark and Vance in the future at some special Raiders function, even though I know that is not possible. They have to come in spirit.
The passing of Clark and Vance aren’t the only Raiders passings in recent years that have affected me. Every time I go shoot pictures in the northwest corner of the Art Hauser Centre by the glass, I look down the front row behind the net expecting to see Doug Winterton in his customary seat.
Winterton had a long history with the Raiders that included a stint as team president in 1979 and 1980. He was still helping in the media and scouts lounge as late as the 2019-2020 campaign. He passed away in July of 2020 at age 91.
When I walk into the rink, I sometimes still expect to have a chance meetings and chat with Ron Gunville. He was the Raiders director of player personnel who passed away at age 48 in December of 2018. He played a huge role in finding players for the Raiders WHL championship winner in 2018-19.
After seeing Adam Herold suit up for the Raiders against the Blades in Saskatoon as an associate player call up on March 17, 2018, I have times I think he is going to be showing up on the Prince Albert blue-line as a 17-year-old rookie regular. He passed away a short time after that road contest as part of the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy on April 6, 2018.
Whether someone was with Raiders for a long time or a short stint, a void is felt when they pass away. The memories they leave behind seem to be cherished that much more.
Darren Steinke is a Saskatoon-based freelance sportswriter and photographer with more than 20 years of experience covering the WHL. He blogs frequently at stankssermon.blogspot.com.
