Randy Turner
Inducted 2024
Primary Outlet
Winnipeg Free Press
There’s a photo of Winnipeg Free Press reporter Randy Turner from a time he was writing a feature story related to youth hockey and, with his pen clenched in his teeth, Turner is helping a young player snap the cage to their helmet.
The moment captured was vintage Turner – laser-focused on getting the story but always taking time to be a kind human.
Turner, who passed away from cancer at age 57 on March 13, 2019, was a gifted writer known for his sharp wit, clever sense of humour and self-deprecating charm. But above all, Turner was recognized as a preeminent storyteller, a dedicated journalist and a joyful, loyal friend to those who knew him.
Hailing from Boissevain and a graduate of Red River College’s Creative Communications program, Turner began his journalism career at the Selkirk Journal. He joined the Free Press in 1987 and spent 31 years informing and engaging readers as a reporter and columnist.
While sports writing was Turner’s first love, he began his Free Press career on the rural beat and moved to the sports department in 1993. He covered the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1993-95 and the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1997-99 before becoming the newspaper’s sports columnist.
He covered five Olympic Games, world junior hockey championships and Stanley Cup and Grey Cup playoffs. He returned to the news department in 2010, writing mostly feature stories.
“What made him such a gifted journalist was his ability to observe and to listen well before he started piecing his words together so wonderfully, whether he was writing about sports or any other subject,” former Free Press sportswriter Ed Tait said.
Turner was a two-time National Newspaper Award winner and seven-time nominee. He authored three books, including Back in the Bigs and The First Season, which chronicled the return of the Winnipeg Jets, and City Beautiful, which explored Winnipeg’s architecture.
His impact on Manitoba’s hockey history was recognized when he became the first recipient of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame’s Ed Sweeney Memorial Award.
Randy Turner was inducted into the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Media Roll of Honour in 2024.
The moment captured was vintage Turner – laser-focused on getting the story but always taking time to be a kind human.
Turner, who passed away from cancer at age 57 on March 13, 2019, was a gifted writer known for his sharp wit, clever sense of humour and self-deprecating charm. But above all, Turner was recognized as a preeminent storyteller, a dedicated journalist and a joyful, loyal friend to those who knew him.
Hailing from Boissevain and a graduate of Red River College’s Creative Communications program, Turner began his journalism career at the Selkirk Journal. He joined the Free Press in 1987 and spent 31 years informing and engaging readers as a reporter and columnist.
While sports writing was Turner’s first love, he began his Free Press career on the rural beat and moved to the sports department in 1993. He covered the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1993-95 and the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1997-99 before becoming the newspaper’s sports columnist.
He covered five Olympic Games, world junior hockey championships and Stanley Cup and Grey Cup playoffs. He returned to the news department in 2010, writing mostly feature stories.
“What made him such a gifted journalist was his ability to observe and to listen well before he started piecing his words together so wonderfully, whether he was writing about sports or any other subject,” former Free Press sportswriter Ed Tait said.
Turner was a two-time National Newspaper Award winner and seven-time nominee. He authored three books, including Back in the Bigs and The First Season, which chronicled the return of the Winnipeg Jets, and City Beautiful, which explored Winnipeg’s architecture.
His impact on Manitoba’s hockey history was recognized when he became the first recipient of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame’s Ed Sweeney Memorial Award.
Randy Turner was inducted into the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Media Roll of Honour in 2024.