Hockey remains great Canadian unifier as nation plans to celebrate its 150th birthday in 2017

Tee Chambers, Butch Pellow, Aldee Martel

In 2017, Canada will celebrate its 150th birthday as a nation, and my thoughts turned recently to an anecdote shared in a classroom where I was taking a course in twentieth century European history more than 40 years ago now.It was at Waterloo Lutheran University, now Wilfrid Laurier University.

 Dr Jacques Goutor had arrived in Canada more than 40 years ago now, and the first thing I learned from him was that hockey kept Canada together. Well, he didn't actually come out and say that exactly, but on the first day of class he told us about his arrival in Canada from France.

Dr Goutor told us that upon arriving in Toronto, he went out and bought the newspapers and the headlines were LEAFS WIN STANLEY CUP! It was 1967, our Centennial year as a nation, and the Toronto Maple Leafs had defeated their arch rivals the Montreal Canadiens in six games. It was to be the last time the Leafs would win Lord Stanley's mug.

All so typically Canadian for our Centennial year -- a team from the heart of English Canada wins the Stanley Cup but the focus for the celebrations of the centennial is on Montreal, the major French Canadian city which hosted Expo '67, and the cup is named after an Englishman who was Governor General at one time. Trust me on this one! It is such as this that contributes to keeping the country together and safe-- the invisible hand of Canadian compromise!  Of course, the weather is the other great unifier.

Dr Goutor, who at the time had little knowledge of hockey and its importance to Canadians, said he decided to stay here because it had to be a safe place if the headlines were about a sporting event. He was raised in France and lived through the horrors of World War II and its aftermath.

To this day, I watch the headlines in Canadian newspapers, and headline writers are ecstatic on those days they can proclaim victory for their local hockey team when it wins a title or even a key game. 


They are beside themselves with joy when Canada wins internationally. But they know their audience. Hockey keeps it all together in this vast and magnificent land where we will travel great distances for a hockey game, and complain about the other great Canadian unifier, the weather.

In 1972, during the Canada-Russia series, for example, classes were cancelled at Chapleau High School, and students crowded around television sets to watch that key game which Canada won.

Our passion for hockey of course begins at the local level. Growing up in Chapleau, the  Huskies, in various incarnations were  the pride and joy for much longer than I have been around. Growing up there in the 1940s and 50s my hockey heroes were local, especially the late Garth ''Tee" Chambers, who to this day I believe was better than any NHL player who ever donned skates.

When I returned to Chapleau to teach, shortly thereafter I was "hired' by the 1970-71 Midgets to coach them. Yes, they actually "fired" their coach and I took over, and that is a story in itself. 

At that time though, the focus was on the Chapleau Junior "B" Huskies who played in the International  Junior "B"  League, and in 1967 won the league title, as well as NOHA title. It was their first year in the league too, and artificial ice had just been installed in the Chapleau Memorial Arena.

Chapleau Trappers 1949

The coaches of the day were the late Keith 'Buddy' Swanson, Lorne Riley, who had been an outstanding goalie, and Earle Freeborn, one real tough defenceman in his playing days who also served as the Mayor of Chapleau. Saturday nights were hockey night in Chapleau, and the great community unifier, especially when the Wawa Travellers were in town. 

A few years later, again after receiving a visit from hockey players, the Chapleau Intermediate "A" Huskies were born and our arch rivals in the Northland Intermediate Hockey league were the Timmins Northstars. 

Jr B Huskies 1966-67 Champions

For three years it was a struggle to beat them in the league semi-finals but in our fourth year we did, and it was like we had won the Stanley Cup. We won in Timmins but soon received reports that back in Chapleau, the celebration had begun with horns honking and a party underway.

And so, from local unheated hockey rinks, many of them called barns,which was surely the case in Chapleau until 1978, where rivalries among communities bring people together to cheer on their own team, to national and international championship series, Dr Goutor was right. It is a safe country in which to live.

At this Christmas time, in what often seems like a deeply troubled world, I hope we reflect on those things bringing Canadians together, yes. like hockey, rather than the things dividing us, and continue to make our nation the best place to live as we celebrate our 150th birthday.

It is likely too much to hope that the Leafs will win the Stanley Cup though. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

The Chapleau Trappers of 1949. a junior team sponsored by Mrs A.W. 'Hockey' Moore. Back from left H. Fortunato, Rev Howard Strapp, B. Collings, M.McAdam, C. McAdam, R. May, T. Godfrey, J. Dillon, F. Lucky, T. Collinson. Front from left R. Longchamps, Daddle Swanson, Tee Chambers, D. Chambers, R. Morin, Y. Morin, R. Burns.


Chapleau Jr B Huskies 1966-67  Back from l: Andre Rioux, Lorne Riley, Merrick Goldstein, John Babin, Ray Larcher, Mickey Jurynec, Greg Vaughan, Robert Morin, Reg Bouillon, Gerry Boucher, Jamie Broomhead; Front: Corky Bucci, Jean- Claude Cyr, George Swanson, Richard Morin, John Loyst, John Laframboise, Ted Swanson, Bud Swanson and missing Bruce Pellow, Bruce Fortin. 

Big year in hockey planned in 1948 as Rev. Howard Strapp returned as president and Vern Goldstein named chief "whistle tooter" at annual meeting of Chapleau Hockey Club

Names Below Click to Enlarge

When Rev. Howard Strapp tried to step down after serving three terms as president of the Chapleau Hockey Club at its annual meeting in 1948, the members insisted that he accept another term, prompting him to say, perhaps rather appropriately, "I've been railroaded". 

Mr. Strapp, the minister at Trinity United Church at the time, was praised for his hard work and endless efforts that have helped to build the highly efficient Chapleau club, according to a report in the Chapleau Post.

The hockey club had overall responsibility for competitive Junior and Intermediate teams as well as the local hockey league with teams that played weekly in the "old old arena" on Lorne Street, on the site where by 1951, the Chapleau Memorial Community Arena was located. The Trappers, the Junior team, was sponsored for years by Mrs. A.W. 'Hockey' Moore after whom the arena in the Chapleau Recreation Centre is named.

Joining Mr. Strapp on the executive were N.W. 'Newt' Pellow as vice president, Ovide Cote as secretary-treasurer and executive committee members J.E. Edwards, F. Hamlin and A.E. 'Gussie' Evans all of whom would be involved the club's activities. 

The Chapleau Post also reported that Vern Goldstein was reappointed to the position of "whistle tooter" or referee in chief. Mr. Goldstein reported to the meeting that as a result of his attendance at the annual meeting of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association in Kirkland Lake, Chapleau would be entering both the Junior and Intermediate teams in the league playoffs in 1949. At this time in Chapleau's history, teams travelled by train to play in other communities.

As an aside, the first reference I have found to a road trip was in 1893 when a local team travelled to Sudbury. Unfortunately, they lost 2-1 to Sudbury.

Mr. Goldstein also reported that as soon as Highway 129 opened, Chapleau would be placed in the Soo Line League with teams from Little Current, Espanola, Blind River, thessalon and other communities outside of Sault Ste. Marie. 

The same issue of the Chapleau Post reported  there was a "very good possibility" that a car would travel over the road in January 1949. In fact, it happened. On a cold winter day, January 30, 1949, Highway 129, was declared officially completed.

Mr. Goldstein had also been reconized by the NOHA as a First Class Official Referee who may be called upon to travel and referee games in other Northern Ontario centres. He also planned to attend a referee school in Sudbury.

Names below Click to enlarge

After Mr. Cote delivered the club's financial statement which showed a favourable surplus, the Chapleau Post reported editorialized that "It sounded like the Dominion budget, with every detailed item listed on the balance sheet. This serves to illustrate how well the club is being conducted from a business point of view."

Regarding the local league, the report said it was too early to discuss players, coaches and team setups but even at this early date in November (remember they played on natural ice at the time), many street corner conversations were being held and the "boys are beginning to get things lined up. A big year in hockey is approaching."

My sincere thanks to Ken and Beverly (Yanta) LeClaire for sending me the Chapleau Post. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

TRAPPERS
The Chapleau Trappers of 1949. a junior team sponsored by Mrs A.W. 'Hockey' Moore. Back from left H. Fortunato, Rev Howard Strapp, B. Collings, M.McAdam, C. McAdam, R. May, T. Godfrey, J. Dillon, F. Lucky, T. Collinson. Front from left R. Longchamps, Daddle Swanson, Tee Chambers, D. Chambers, R. Morin, Y. Morin, R. Burns.
 HUSKIES
The Chapleau Huskies Intermediate team of 1949. Back row are from left O. Robinson, D. Swanson, L. Riley, G. Lucas, Tee Chambers, F.Goheen, K. Strapp, T. Collinson, 'Sonny' Bignucolo, D.O. Payette (manager), P. Serre, R. Hamlin, G. Payette. Front from left, Yen Hong, B. Evans, R. Sonego, Ross Thornton (coach), T. Jardine, A. Mione, J. Morin, M. Mione, C. Fiaschetti.

Chapleau Trappers of 1949 supported by Mrs. A.W. Moore but local hockey team made road trip to Sudbury in 1893

The Chapleau Trappers of 1949 were primarily sponsored by Mrs. A.W. "Mrs Hockey" Moore, after whom the arena in the Chapleau Recreation Centre is named.

Most of the players were from some of Chapleau's oldest families, and many had returned home after serving in the Canadian forces in World War II.

But Chapleau had hockey teams long before 1949.. I have just learned that a Chapleau team travelled to Sudbury in 1893 and played  in the city's first enclosed skating facility in the area, Martin's Rink, built in 1892 and during that year, a group of men formed teams for the first game of hockey in Sudbury during the winter carnival.


The first inter-town hockey game played in Sudbury was on March 13, 1893 against Chapleau. Sudbury won the match with a score of 2-1.

The early hockey games were much different than today's style. The first games were played by teams of seven with no player substitutions. Instead of three periods, there were two halves and scoring a goal was called "taking a game". There were no linesmen and only one referee, an amateur who knew the basic rules of the game and volunteered for the task.

The first indoor rink in Sudbury was nothing like what we are accustomed to today. These were unheated, wooden buildings that were numbingly cold in the winter. There was no artificial ice, which meant that in the spring, the ice would turn to slush, making it almost impossible to play hockey (although efforts were still made).  Brings back memories of Chapleau winter carnivals when thaw would hit before artificial arrived -- which Mrs. Moore in large part made possible.


I am looking for Chapleau hockey stories. If you played, coached, managed, refereed, served on executive, or have simply supported hockey in Chapleau between 1885 and now, I would like to hear from you, and if you have photos, super bonus.

My email is mj.morris@live.ca or contact me on Twitter at michaeljmo or on Facebook at michaeljmorris2

Thanks..MJM