Chapleau was once known as the "premier sporting town of the north", according to Vince Crichton in Pioneering in Northern Ontario.
The sports played were baseball, hockey , football (soccer) lacrosse, curling and softball. Vince noted that it was "remarkable that a large number of excellent players of all games came from this small community" adding that the Sudbury Star was always lavish in the acknowledgment of the ability of participants from Chapleau
The first athletic field was situated where the YMCA building and annex were on Lorme Street but it had to be moved to Grey Street north when the YMCA was built in 1908. The playing field and athletic park was on the east side of the street adjacent to the Protestant cemetery.It was an excellent location as it extended across what became Connaught Street. It was also conveniently located for people to reach as ir was within walking distance.
In the summer months there was baseball practise on the field every weekday evening. The senior and junior players would be there and paired off to form teams. Often the juniors would play the senior players and attracted a large crowd of spectators.
Despite this happy situation in 1925 the town council despite protests from the players and public divided the portion fronting Grey Street into lots for homes. Council decided to build a field in the golf course area across the river, Apparently it was a poor substitute as there were not many cars in Chapleau at the time and people would not walk there. as a result there was a decline in baseball and football.
As the effects of the Great Depression were being felt in the 1930s some form of sports was needed and the public school board permitted use of the school grounds but in the 1940s the Chapleau High School grounds were made available. It became the place for some great fastball starting after World War II. Lights were later installed.
The high school field is the one I remember and many of the players were also on local hockey teams in an excellent town league in the winter months. The best of the best hockey players joined the Chapleau Intermediate Huskies and a Juniior team in the later 1940s . They preceded the Chapleau Intermediate A Huskies of the 1970s and the Chapleau Junior B Huskies founded in 1966.
By the 1950s Bob Grinton who had spent much of his youth in Chapleau returned as an official with the Canadian Pacific Railway and came to realize that youth were being excluded from ball teams. He obtained a large parcel of land at the east end of Elgin Street which became a Little League baseball field known as Grinton Park. The Chapleau Recreation Centre was located there in 1978.
Along the way football and lacrosse disappeared from the scene with curling still on the agenda for sports minded citizens. A curling rink was built on Pine Street and moved to the recreation centre. The first two arenas were on Lorne Street with the original replaced with the Chapleau Memorial Community Arena being opened in 1951.. It became the Mrs A.W. Moore Arena as part of the recreation centre in 1978.
So much for background!!!! Over the years I have been asked who was Chapleau's best hockey player. I have left that one alone until now but recently it has been suggested to me again. I have not worked out all the details yet but this week I will include photos of some hockey teams to get you thinking about it. By the way I know my ten favourites.
If you have ideas how we might decide please let me know. My email is mj.morris@live. ca or message me on Facebook
ERRATA Thanks to Margaret Rose (Payette) And Bobby Fortin for sending me correction from column of November 7 . George Tremblay's brother was Noel not Neil as I wrote. Thanks for correction!!!
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