Sonia Scurfield – Co-Owner of Calgary Flames from 1985-1994 passes away

The only Canadian woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup has passed away at the age of 89. It was in ‘89 during the Calgary Flames Game 6 win – off Joe Nieuwendyk to Lanny McDonald, straight into the net – that Sonia’s name was immortalized on the silver cup for champions.

According to Global News Calgary – Sonia Scurfield, who had been diagnosed with cancer two years ago, took her last breath at the Calgary Foothills Hospital just after 7pm MT, yesterday June 14th, 2018.

Sonia took over the responsibility of co-ownership of a NHL team after the death of her husband Ralph Scurfield, who was a prominent business figure in the city. Ralph was one of the original owners who brought the Calgary Flames over from Atlanta.

Ralph was well known for his humanitarian work, and the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business had named Scurfield Hall in honor of him.

I remember walking by the painting of Ralph in Scurfield hall over my many years at the University. I never did know the story on Sonia until the recent sports piece done by Chris Simpson of Sportsnet.

The Calgary Flames had also created a Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award, which is given out each season to the Flame that showcases dedication and leadership on the ice, and is also involved in philanthropic work in the local community. The recipient of the award this year was Travis Hamonic and his family for their work on the D-Partner Program to help kids.

by Renu Sahota