Our Best of June, Super Moon, Rob Ford, Blue Jays, MMVA, etc.

 

RANDY RISLING -  Cyclists get a rare opportunity to ride traffic-free along the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway for the Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart. June 2, 2013.

 

Arrivederci numero Sette, Raptors Andrea Bargnani traded

Steve Russell, Staff Photographer, @RussellPhotos

 

It is always strange when a long time player gets traded or retires.

I seem to always think about the pictures that they gave me.

Andrea Bagnani, numero sette, was a challenge for photographers. His teammates had that one trait that photogaphers love. Great expressive faces. (see links below)

Andrea's face revealed nothing!

Oddly enough his face factors in my favourite story about him.

I was tasked with photographing him for our season kick off section.

I had ideas, I was promised time, I scouted Italian tailor shops, restaurants and magic venues.

Something magic happened, the time frame I was promised vanished, ergo, the big concept photoshoot.

I was given a 15 minute window in between events at a venue I had never seen before.

I was limited to a simple portrait.

Struggling for an idea I found some old raptor tattoos.

I pasted one on the seven footer's face and snapped a couple frames.

Time to go!

Problem, the tattoo wasn't coming off after the shoot!

Took a lot of elbow grease and a few Italian words, don't think he was thanking me, to get the tattoo off. 

 

Raptors number one pick would wear number seven.

 

Toronto Argonauts kick off season with a 39-34 win over Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Rick Madonik, @RMadonik & Steve Russell, @RussellPhotos

 

STEVE RUSSELL - Jason the Argonaut mascot in the tunnel before the Boatmen open the season.

 

Boris Spremo C.M. inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

Retired Toronto Star photographer Boris Spremo, his career spanned four decades,will be inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame in October.

Here is just a very small sample of his images over the years.

We included a couple from Boris' favourite subjects, Trudeau and the CN Tower!

Also Chris So interviewed Boris after the announcement, see it here.

Boris Spremo with his 1959 Cadillac outside Queen's Park Monday afternoon. - David Cooper

 

Private David Juliusson cleans his Liverpool Musket at Fort York. Juliusson is dressed in the 8th Regiment uniform from the 1813 Battle of York.

 

Boris loved to get the high angle, construction of the Toronto Dominion Centre.

 

Angelo Tramonti polishes the statue of Queen Victoria, the nine bronze statues at Queens Park get an annual cleanup.

 

Snow Birds fly over Niagara Falls.

 

Sir John A. Macdonald monument in Queen's Park.

 

Expo 67 Montreal.

 

In an emotional outpouring of joy that even heavy rain could not dampen, Toronto fans went wild at the return home of Team Canada after winning the Summit Series in 1972. Here, as they festoon themselves along the concrete arcs over City Hall pool in Nathan Phillips Square last night, they cheered themselves hoarse for their hockey heroes, who beat Soviet national team by four games to three after a disastrous start to the eight-game series that made many experts fear possible defeat and humiliation. 

 

Johnny Bower. September 11, 1968.

 

Harold Ballard on ice, March 29, 1984.

 

Harold Ballard and wife Yolanda, June 27, 1989.

 

Harry Rosen flashes a new line of coats  at his Bloor Street location.

 

Stompin' Tom Conners in procession on his way to Convocation Hall to be hooded.

 

Alfred Hitchcock. July 9, 1970.

 

Garth Drabinsky back at centre stage -``I've been involved in the varied facets of the arts for the last 25 years, and I expect to be involved for at least the next 25,'' Former LIVENT boss Garth Drabinsky tells very few media representatives at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Drabinsky confirmed he will mount Athol Fugard's "The Island".

 

Robbie Robertson, December 3, 1987.

 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono at Press Conference at the Ontario Science Centre. December 17, 1969.

 

Alice Cooper at Varsity Stadium September 2, 1972.

 

Toronto Star photographer Boris Spremo's NNA award winning picture of John Diefenbaker in Barbados. Diefenbaker is pictured in silhouette reading in a lounge chair during this period when he was writing his memoirs. 

 

Mel Lastman debates at Metro Council, March 29, 1988.

 

Mel Lastman dresses as a Matador for the running of the moose on Bay Street.

 

David Crombie on the Polson Street Pier.

 

Trudeau

 

Pierre Trudeau in his office.

 

Margaret Trudeau balances trays of sandwiches as she hops a fence, April 12, 1977. She was staying at her sister's house in Winchester, a suburb of Boston.

 

Trudeaumania:  During his first term as Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau draws a crowd as he approaches Toronto City Hall for a rally.

 

Pierre Trudeau plays frisbee.

 

The young Princess of Wales was charming and glamorous at a state dinner in Halifax hosted by the Prime Minister. She and Prince Charles were making their first official visit as a couple in 1983.

 

Pierre Trudeau hams it up with media on an airplane.

 

The Queens Park riot.

 

Spremo got knocked over and his pants ripped in the riot.

 

 Sam Kank studies the sculpture "Draped Reclining Figure" made by Henry Moore-1953, at the Henry Moore sculpture centre at Art Gallery of Ontario.

 

Spremo and the Pope, or as the Pope.

Pope John Paul II - Quebec City: Sept. 10, 1984 - The Pope kisses a young boy on the forehead during a walkabout. 

A quick story about Boris on this Papal tour...

While Boris Spremo was covering the Papal visit in 1984, he was on a the Pope John Paul II's train that ran from Sherbrooke to Trois Riveries.  The day was cold and people gathered at the stations to catch a glimpse of the Pope pope who was in the last car of the short four car train. The Pope was sitting by a window with a light on him so that people at the stations could see him as the train crawled past. The media were in the first car of this train and quickly became bored. Spremo folded up one of the blow up cushions into a shape similar to that of the Pope's Mitre. He was egged to go to the window and a table cloth was draped over him, a monopod was placed in in his hand as a staff and one of the TV crews provided a light. Boris provided a Papal wave. So as the train would slow down for the stations, people, cold and wet, would take a picture of the "Pope" in the first car and then turn away before the last car reached them.  Well, officials figured out why people were turning away and Spremo got in some trouble, he was worried for his job.  The incident was told in a Toronto Sun column and some TV picked it up too. The long term effect, Boris was hired just after he retired in 2001 to shoot a book on the World Youth Day Cross for the Vatican.

 

 

World Youth Day Cross, entrusted to the young people of Canada by Pope John Paul II made the journey across the Canada in preparation for World Youth Day which will was held in Toronto. 

 

 

George Chuvalo. Spremo and the Champ were quite close. Boris even gave the heaveyweight some lessons and George loved to take pictures.

 

George Chuvalo fights Muhammad Ali at Maple Leaf Gardens.

 

Terry Fox

 

March 17, 1984.

 

Boris and the CN Tower.

Perched 440 meters above Toronto and 9 meters out from the growing CN Tower iron worker Larry Porter pulls at the hook of giant crane as he installs the outriggers that will be used to lift the restaurant.

 

 CN Tower construction with the Flatiron in the foreground.

 

 

 

 

 

Spremo on assignment May 1965.

 

Other Retired Toronto Star Photographers

Rick Eglinton

Ken Faught

Mike Stuparyk

Tony Bock

Jim Wilkes 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandre Despatie retires from the springboards and towers.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

 

I covered his first Olympic dives and his last.

In between Aleandre Despatie won three world championships and a pair of Olympic Medals.

Well done!

 

Fifteen year-old Alexandre Despatie at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, September 30, 2000. Despatie ended up finishing in fourth on the ten metre platform.

 

Our Favourites from May 2013: Jays, Leafs, Ford

 

RICK MADONIK - Mick Jagger, of The Rolling Stones, on tour in their 50th year of playing as a band. More on the Rolling Stones!

 

Leafs beat Bruins 2-1, Toronto begins to be-leaf!

David Cooper, Lucas Oleniuk, Carlos Osorio, Rick Madonik & Steve Russell

 

CARLOS OSORIO - David Brown cheers on the runners and the Toronto Maple Leafs on the Key Gardner Beltline just south of Davisvile Avenue. Runners lace up their sneakers and hit the pavement for the 17th annual Sporting Life Run on Mother's Day.

 

Lead by James Reimer, Leafs win game 5.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

 

Wow! What a game!

And double Wow for James Reimer! He stole the game!

 

Bruins fans arrive at the TD Garden hoping to see the home team close out the series.

 

A day with the Toronto Maple Leafs from morning to bitter end.

Rene Johnston, Rick Madonik, Lucas Oleniuk, Steve Russell & Tara Walton

 

Five Toronto Star photographers follow the Toronto Maple Leafs through the morning skate and falling to the Boston Bruins 5-2.

 

TARA WALTON - Toronto Maple Leafs Jay McClement tightens his skates during Monday's afternoon practice.

Toronto Maple Leafs bust out with a big win against the Bruins.

Steve Russell - Staff Photographer - @RussellPhotos

 

Right after the pre-game skate, the game nets are brought out.