In a little over a month, countless Canadians will come together to witness ice hockey action at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. Among the 12 nations competing for the men’s ice hockey gold, Italy is set to participate, while the host country’s women’s team will be one of eight contending teams.
Interestingly, Italy’s hockey program has strong historical connections to Canada, especially northern Ontario. Aldo Maniacco, a native of Sault Ste. Marie who passed away last year, was one of several players from the region who represented Italy’s men’s Olympic team in 1956. This marked the first time the country hosted the Games, which were held in Cortina d’Ampezzo 70 years ago.
In preparation for the 1956 Games, Italian heritage players from Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, and Thunder Bay were scouted by Italy’s national team to form a competitive squad. These individuals obtained Italian passports and relocated to their ancestral homeland with aspirations of excelling in professional sports and competing on the global stage.
Many players from northern Ontario, including Maniacco, Carmen Tucci, Bernie Tomie from Sault Ste. Marie, and Ron Furlani from Sudbury, successfully made it onto the 1956 Olympic team. Despite not making the Olympic roster, other players like Florio Guarda, Ron Dotter, Don Lato, and Dickie Gioia also ventured to Italy to pursue hockey careers.
The descendants of the Cortina Canadians, as they were known, are now dedicated to preserving the legacy of these players. Brye-Anne Maniacco, the late Aldo Maniacco’s granddaughter, and Bill O’Donnell, a relative by marriage, are actively researching the team’s history with the goal of creating a comprehensive documentary.
Italy’s hockey team secured a seventh-place finish among ten teams at the 1956 Olympics, which remains the country’s best performance in the sport at the Games. Despite a challenging start, Italy redeemed itself in the consolation round by winning all three remaining matches.
Following the 1964 Olympics, Italy opted to exclude North Americans from its national team, leading to a decline in performance. However, players with Italian heritage from the Western Hemisphere were welcomed back into Italy’s hockey program two decades later, with strong representation from northern Ontario.
The contributions of players like Tom Milani, Robert De Piero, and Gene Ubriacco from Thunder Bay and John Parco from Sault Ste. Marie continued to shape Italy’s hockey legacy in later years. Although most members of the 1956 team have passed away, their impact endures, with their achievements celebrated to this day.
Brye-Anne Maniacco expressed regret that her grandfather would not witness the upcoming Olympics but takes pride in the enduring memories he has left behind. Several players from the 1956 team, including Bernie Tomie, are still alive today, underscoring the lasting impact of the Cortina Canadians.
The Maniacco family is currently seeking funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to produce a documentary honoring the Cortina Canadians. Bill O’Donnell emphasized that this story transcends local or regional boundaries and is a testament to the remarkable legacy these individuals have bestowed upon Canada.