Chapleau 2012 begins with hockey from Chapleau to Senneterre to Florida

Names at Bottom

Henry Byce recently sent me a photo from a hockey tournament he attended in 1979, and it struck me as a great way to end 2011, and begin 2012 which for many of us will be defined as "CHAPLEAU 2012" as we head home to celebrate at the 90th anniversary reunion festival of Chapleau High School. The dates are June 29 to July 2, 2012.

Here is Henry's email:

"Hey Chief, continuing with your hockey theme, I thought I would include a "blast from my past". This photo was taken in 1979. It was a hockey tournament in Senneterre Quebec. I don't know how we did in the tourney, but I know we had fun. You coached and taught most of us in this picture. As a kid watching the Huskies was one of the greatest memories I have, and to have 2 great players as our coaches was awesome. With the high school reunion fast appraoching, I hope I get a chance to see and talk to many of my former team mates.

Thanks Chief".

Yes, Henry, I did coach and teach most of you on that team when you were playing Midget hockey in 1982-83 and kindly called the your team "The Chiefs" after my nickname, which was actually given to me by the 1970-71, Midget hockey team.

Let me explain for those who don't know how I came to be called Chief.

One day at practice, Keith McAdam called me "MJ", and having become "Mr. Morris" by virtue of now being a s teacher at Chapleau High School, I appropriately lost my temper, letting the team know I was Mr. Morris to them, and I stormed from the dressing room downstairs in the old Chapleau Memorial Community Arena. 

Through the door I could hear the players discussing the situation when suddenly Lionel Corston spoke up. 

"I have it,"Lionel said, "we will call him the Chief. We are the Indians and he is the Chief." (I use the word Indians in the context of this anecdote.)

The players agreed, and led by team captain Jamie Doyle. they came through the dressing room door and each one in turn with a smile on his face, said "Hi Chief". What could I do? The kids had won a big one and they knew it.   CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE ...

Names at bottom

The coaches of Henry's team were Pat Swanson and Paul McDonald, both of whom as he says were "great players" on the Chapleau Intermediate A Huskies of the Northland Intermediate Hockey League from 1975 to 1979. a team I also coached and managed, sharing those duties over the years with Doug Prusky.

Regarding Henry's hope that he gets a chance to visit with many of his former teammates at the CHS reunion, Charlie Purich is hoping that a hockey reunion can be included in the festivities. Let me know if you are interested.

After receiving Henry's email the other day, I hauled out two photos to include with this post, one of The Chiefs and the other of me with some members of the Intermediate A Huskies in Florida about 1978.

Shortly after I posted I received an email from Mark Dillon, who played on the team in Senneterre and then THE CHIEFS,


Here is Mark's message:


Glad to see the pictures of hockey past from Henry and the Chiefs. The Senneterre tournament we were in the "B" Division, which was above us,( I think we were "C" back home) and we lost in the final to Val D'or before a packed house. We were a contact team and unaware that Quebec wasn't. After a few (french term) " Placage" penalties we took the contact out of our game lol. Great showing by all made it very memorable for me. 


The Chiefs team made up of:  standing  yourself, Gary Murphy, Doug Hong, David Freeborn, Jamie Doyle, Mike Payette, I think Jean Marie Besnier, Rory Foran, David McAdam playing out, Donald Omer Landry, Mr. Bellevance. Kneeling Shawn Russell, Mark Dillon, Shane Gilham, Barry Hong missing is Billy Scheer.


 I was lucky to play with you guys since there was no midget team in minor hockey to play for that year. I always  laugh at the picture. Jamie is holding my hair back after my mom complaining about the bangs in my eyes. I believe we won the regular season but lost to Swanson and the guys in the playoffs. 

Thanks so much to Mark and Henry for their memories. 
 

HENRY'S TEAM: Back row (l-r) P.Swanson(coach), D. Desbois, D. Morrison, D. Dionne, D. Lafreniere, C. Vezina, T. Broomhead, J. Rioux, A. Barsalou Middle row M. Dillon, K. Dillon, M. Houle, P. McDonald(coach)

 Front row A. Madore, R. Martel, M. Lingenfelter, T. Sawyer, H.Byce, J. Castonguay, D. Vandal


HUSKIES IN FLORIDA: Back from left Jim Gill, Dave McMillan, MJM, Danny Vaughan, Brad Prophet, Chris McMillan, and kneeling Bill Scheer, Pat Swanson

WINTER IN CHAPLEAU by jody terio

WINTER IN CHAPLEAU

glimpses of snow banks falling 
salt
momentos in dark black dots of old pieces
familiar 
once a part of your life and melted
in snow in spring, a mitten, hockey glove puck.
Recovered          
My mother tied the mittens on with string  
made of wool by grandma watson they would shrink
and muffle, get smaller and smaller
til they only fit the smallest, then got lost 
under snow.
Red or blue.
And i would know a friend 
only by her snowsuit.  Her face wrapped
up frost on the eyelashes, we are marching
down the road to school.
Every day.  I hardly remember 
but for the marching. 
Can’t remember undressing.  Except for
puddles. Far reaching into  corridors.
And shoes inside of boots
A mother doing six of them.  Boots with buckles
Heaps of them
at the door, at home,
at friends, coats and boots
sweaters, hats, snowpants.  Everything is
shiny slick, damp. 
And finding yours in the pile, yours 
are red this year. Passed down through
hundreds of distant brothers and sisters
you are fittest red cheeked
and hungry for soup hot chocolate.

                                                   -jody terio

jody terio is the daughter of Joan and George Theriault. She is the artistic director of Little Red Theatre. http://www.littleredtheatre.on.ca/home.html

John Theriault wins 2011 Buckwheat Award as Bob Fife, Chapleau hockey, figure skating and the Fifties tops in popularity on Michael J Morris Reports

John Theriault emerges as the winner of the second annual Buckwheat Award for 2011 on Michael J Morris Reports for his photo feature on the Chapleau Intermediate "A" Huskies who played in the Northland Intermediate Hockey League from 1975 to 1979.

LINK TO JOHN'S PHOTO FEATURE http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2011/03/john-theriault-presents-chapleau.html

Bob second from right seated 1972 Pres of CHS Student Council

My feature on Robert Fife, from Chapleau, who is now Ottawa Bureau Chief of CTV News, actually had the most page views of any story in the history of the blog, but is ineligible for the award because I wrote it. http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-fife-from-chapleau-winner-of.html

Tee Chambers, Butch Pellow, Aldee Martel 1954

Visitors sure seem to like hockey as the next most popular was a photo feature on Chapleau hockey from 1910  to 1967. A Chapleau team actually made a road trip to Sudbury in 1893.http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2011/02/chapleau-hockey-moments-from-mcewen-cup.html

Coming in fourth was anoher photo feature of Chapleau in the 1950s with pictures provided by David McMillan. http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2010/08/chapleau-in-fifties-trip-down-memory.html

Sally (Uugo) Crichton

In fifth place was a feature on the Chapleau Figure Skating Club, to which many of the community's figure skaters contributed. Special thanks though to Ann (Card) Morin and Pat (Purich) Russell. http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2011/04/chapleau-figure-skating-club-annual-ice.html

The Buckwheat Award is named after my beloved cat who died at over 20-years-old in 2009. The first winner was Michael McMullen with a story on growing up in Chapleau.

Congratulations to John, and thanks to everyone who helped me with Michael J Morris Reports in 2011.