[MEDIA] Canadian Press 10.23.03 Canadian wrestling icon Stu Hart remembered fondly by fans and peers

http://canada.com/sports/story.html?id=EE5A0D54-A5F4-4CC7-B231-7DD8B294A4A2

Canadian wrestling icon Stu Hart remembered fondly by fans and peers
  
BILL GRAVELAND   
Canadian Press  

Thursday, October 23, 2003
  
CREDIT: (CP /Adrian Wyld) 
  
Stu Hart's daughters Georgia (right) and Ellie Neidhart carry the
remains of their father after a memorial service. (CP /Adrian Wyld)

CALGARY (CP) - Wrestling patriarch Stu Hart was remembered not only
for his contribution to the sport, but also for his love of friends
and family at his funeral service Thursday.

Hart, 88, the creator of Stampede Wrestling, died last week after a
bout with pneumonia, a stroke and failed kidneys. "Stu worked hard to
make a good living and provided well for his wife and children. But he
also worked hard to be a good friend to those around him and a good
and honest man to everyone he met," said Alberta Premier Ralph Klein,
a longtime friend who delivered one of six tributes.

The premier has wrestling ties of his own - his father, Phil (The
Killer) Klein was once a professional wrestler and referee.

"In many ways Stu embodied the best of the Alberta spirit," Klein
said. "He had drive, energy and ambition, but he balanced those
qualities with fairness, compassion and a more than healthy sense of
humour."

About 500 people crowded Calgary's First Alliance Church for the
service. Amid the flowers and portraits of Stu was an arrangement with
a miniature wrestling ring. Mourners included a who's who of the
world's wrestling fraternity, including Vince McMahon, chairman of
World Wrestling Entertainment, and wrestling stars Chris Jericho and
Chris Benoit.

"I don't think anyone can really comprehend how much Stu Hart's
contributions were and will continue to be through generations of
generations," said McMahon. "To a certain extent, in our world at
least, he put Calgary and I daresay Canada on the map. Without Stu
Hart, so many of our fans all over the world would have missed out on
many precious moments."

Benoit, who trained with Hart, said Stu always led by example. 

"I believe I learned more off of watching him live his life than I did
in the ring."

Seven of Hart's eight sons became pro wrestlers, including Bret, the
Hitman, and Owen, the Blue Blazer. His four daughters all married
wrestlers.

"I recognize the man that I've always longed to be is the one I first
thought my father was," Bret said in his tribute. "My dad's motto was
always to do your best and keep your promises, and he raised all his
children with respect and love and integrity and caring."

Before the 2½-hour service began, wrestling fans waited outside the
church to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.

"I was hoping to see Hulk Hogan because he was supposed to come," said
Andrew Leicht. "I've been a fan since I was 7. I used to watch Hulk
Hogan versus Andre the Giant."

Hart was a talented athlete who played football for the Edmonton
Eskimos and became a champion wrestler, but it was his moves outside
the ring that made him famous.

He founded Stampede Wrestling, the Calgary-based regional circuit
which started in 1948 and flourished for decades before the World
Wrestling Federation, now called World Wrestling Entertainment, pushed
local promoters out of the picture.

Hart helped launch careers for dozens of grapplers, including Andre
the Giant, the British Bulldogs, and the Junk Yard Dog. Their skills
were honed in the Harts' fabled "dungeon," a wrestling ring in the
dark basement of the family's twin-gabled, red-brick Calgary home.

Family members have said Hart had struggled since his wife, Helen,
died in 2001 after 53 years of marriage.

The couple lost a son, Dean, to kidney failure in 1990 and a
13-year-old grandson, Matthew Annis, to flesh-eating disease in 1996.
Their youngest son, Owen, plunged to his death on pay-per-view TV when
a stunt went horribly wrong in 1999.

Hart was a member of Canada's Wrestling Hall of Fame and became a
member of the Order of Canada in 2001.