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SASKATOON — Thirty-six years after the disappearance of Saskatoon-born hockey player Duncan MacPherson, the former NHL draft pick and coach is still deeply missed by his family, who continues to honour his life while seeking clarity about what happened to him in Austria in 1989.
Duncan's parents Lynda and Bob MacPherson were grateful to filmmaker Biljana Perovic of Metafilm for creating a new Death on the Glacier documentary about Duncan, finally telling the story of their son’s life. The documentary, which was aired on Austrian national television, is a collaboration with CTV Saskatoon.
For Lynda and Bob, the disappearance and later the news about the death of their son, shared in the documentary, still hit a nerve as Lynda recalls how their world turned upside down almost four decades ago.
Duncan was 23 when he vanished in the summer of 1989. He was on his way to Scotland, where he was hired to coach the semi-professional hockey team in the city of Dundee. He chose to visit old friends and see Europe’s sights before heading to Dundee, where he was scheduled to arrive Aug. 12.
His family became worried and began looking for him when he did not show up in Dundee. They realized something was wrong when Duncan failed to report for his coaching job in Scotland, as their son was always known to be responsible.
“We knew right away something was wrong when Duncan didn’t arrive for his new job in Scotland. He was always responsible and dependable. The investigation of Duncan’s death was deeply deficient and, at times, misleading, and we continue to seek clarity where we can," said Lynda MacPherson.
Six weeks later, a car he had borrowed from one of his friends was discovered in the parking lot of a ski resort at the foot of the glaciers in the Stubai Alps in Austria.
His last known contact was with an employee of the ski resort where he rented a snowboard on Aug. 9. The employee told investigators he spoke with the former NHL prospect and last saw him leaving the resort alone to hike and snowboard before nightfall. He never returned and his whereabouts were unknown.
It was only after 14 years that Duncan’s remains were found and recovered in the middle of the ski slope, near where he was last seen alive. What happened to him on that day remains a mystery, raising more questions rather than providing answers for his family to get closure.
Lynda told SaskToday that their lives changed forever, but with the support of their family, friends and their entire community, they found the strength to navigate the painful and challenging journey.
“For us, speaking about Duncan from time to time is a way of honouring him, as is supporting efforts to ensure families receive proper investigations when tragedy occurs,” said Lynda.
She added that living through Duncan’s loss remains a challenge for them. Even though it has been almost four decades since his death, it still hits hard. However, they were surrounded by people whose compassion and messages of support were a big help.
“What has helped us through it has been the steady compassion of people around us. Quiet gestures, kind messages, and the way friends and community members have stayed connected over the years. That kind of loyalty has meant so much to us,” said Lynda.
In a social media post, Lynda thanked their family, friends, the local hockey community and everyone who believed that knowing the truth still matters, including Austrian national broadcaster ORF for telling their son’s story with honesty and compassion – a step toward truth and accountability.
"What we want the Saskatchewan community to know is how grateful we are for the support shown during those early days of our search, and for the kindness that has continued over the years,” said Lynda.
“That said, I don’t want to burden readers with the complexities today — my focus here is simply to honour Duncan and to thank the many people, friends and strangers, who have supported us. We hope people remember Duncan for the wonderful young man he was — kind, generous, hardworking, loyal and deeply loved by everyone who knew him. And more than anything, we hope that when people think of him, they remember him with a smile. Most of all, we honour him by remembering the joy he brought to our lives.”
Lynda said for now, they will be content to remember their favourite moments with Duncan, who was known to be adventurous, athletic, full of life and someone who enjoyed spending time with his friends. And despite hockey being his first love, he enjoyed every sport he tried, embracing new challenges and bringing that same enthusiasm to everything he did.
