Chapleau Junior 'B' Huskies win league and NOHA championships in Canada's Centennial Year of 1967

names below

I took a course in twentieth century European history from Dr Jacques Goutor, back in the 1960s 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.

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. Dr Goutor became a Professor of History at the University of Western Ontario. He retired in 1996, and died a couple of years ago. 

Meanwhile, in 1967, as Canada was marking 100 years as a nation, in Chapleau, the headlines could have been CHAPLEAU JUNIOR 'B' HUSKIES WIN LEAGUE AND NOHA CHAMPIONSHIPS, although I don't have a copy of the Chapleau Sentinel to confirm it.

As our nation marks its 150th anniversary in 2017, I have been looking back at the community's history, and the amazing success of the Junior 'B' Huskies in their first year in the International Junior 'B' Hockey League in 1966-67, stood out as an outstanding moment in sports.

In 1965, artificial ice was installed in the Chapleau Memorial Community Arena, largely because of the efforts of Mrs. A.W. 'Hockey' Moore, after whom the present arena is named, raised most of the funds to accomplish it.

Mrs Moore

In the summer of 1966, according to an article by Keith 'Buddy' Swanson, a "chance meeting" on a golf course between Tom Welch, publisher of the Chapleau Sentinel, and a director of the Wawa Travellers, led to the founding of the Chapleau Junior 'B' team, and its entry into the International Junior 'B' Hockey League for the 1966-67 season.

Buddy

Buddy, Tom and Lorne Riley founded the team. Buddy and Lorne had coached a pretty good Midget team the previous year, and Buddy coached the Intermediate 'B' Huskies to the Northern Ontario Hockey Association title, winning the Max Silverman Trophy.

Off Buddy and Lorne went to Wawa for a league meeting where they received tentative approval to become part of the league for the 1966-67 season. However, back in Chapleau, the response was not all that enthusiastic, as only J.M. 'Jack' Shoup,  showed up, other than the founders, at three different meetings. Tom Welch urged them to continue anyway, and they did.

Lorne

They went out into the community and recruited an executive with Tom as the first president. The executive included Arthur Grout, Earle Freeborn, Albert Tremblay, Jack Shoup, Ken Stevenson, with Roger Mizuguchi responsible for advertising and public relations. Sonia Vaughan became treasurer.

Lorne became the coach with Buddy as manager, while Andre Rioux was trainer. Richard Morin was named the team captain.  

The roster included Merrick Goldstein, Reg Bouillon, Ted Swanson, George Swanson, J.C. Cyr, Corky Bucci, Greg Vaughan, Robert Morin, John Babin, Gerry Boucher, Bruce Pellow, Ray Larcher, John Laframboise, Jamie Broomhead, John Loyst and Mickey Jurynec. 

Unfortunately, Lorne became ill and was unable to complete the season as coach so Buddy took over bench duties, and Lorne attended all the games and they discussed strategy between periods.

They finished the season in third place with 14 wins, eight losses and two ties which meant they met Wawa Travellers the first place team in round one of the playoffs. They had not enjoyed much success against the Travellers in regular season play --- and it looked like the Huskies would be eliminated quickly.

The Travellers took a 3-0 game lead in the best of seven playoff round, and then ...

The Huskies bounced back to tie the series at 3-3. In the final game, the Travellers had completely collapsed losing 13-3 to the Huskies.

In the finals against the Sault Michigan Indians, the Huskies won it in seven games and were the winners of the Mac Nicholson Trophy as league champions.

But their season wasn't over. Two weeks later they played Kapuskasing for the Northern Ontario Hockey Association Junior 'B' title and the Colin Campbell Trophy in a two game total goals series. The Huskies won 13-5.

And now, as Canada marks its 150th anniversary as a nation I believe it is good to reflect on those moments  in our history that brought us together, rather than divided us. Fifty years ago, Buddy Swanson, Lorne Riley and Tom Welch, the players and the executive of the Chapleau Junior 'B' Huskies made it happen in Chapleau  Dr. Goutor was right about Canada.

Huskies at 40th anniversary reunion 2007

I based this column on excerpts from the two articles that Buddy wrote about the team in 2009. He wanted to tell the story of that remarkable year. HAPPY CANADA DAY!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Names TOP PHOTO  1966-67 Huskies 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. 

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. 

Fond memories of growing up Chapleau return for wonderful moments at Harry 'Butch' Pellow party

I took a course in twentieth century European history from Dr Jacques Goutor more than a few years ago 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 the last time the Leafs would win Lord Stanley's mug. As an aside Dr Goutor was one of the best professors I ever had and went from Wilfrid Laurier University to the University of Western Ontario. He died recently.

Tee Chambers, Butch, Aldee 1954 & Aldee and Butch 2014

All so typically Canadian for our Centennial year in 1967-- 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 has contributed  to keeping the country together and safe-- the invisible hand of Canadian compromise!

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 of Canadian daily newspapers, and headline writers are ecstatic on those days they can proclaim victory for their local hockey team when it wins a title, and are beside themselves with joy when Canada wins internationally. In Chapleau, hockey often has dominated the front page headline from the Chapleau Post to the Chapleau Sentinel to the Chapleau Express.

Fast forward to Toronto, October, 2014. The Leafs have still not won another Stanley Cup, but there we were, more than 60 present and past Chapleau residents, gathered for a party at the home of Brigitte and Harry 'Butch' Pellow. We had travelled from many places for this occasion, and of course, when two or more Canadians meet together, two topics arise -- hometown hockey, and that other great Canadian unifier, the weather.

Chapleau hockey players from Yen Hong who was playing Intermediate hockey in 1949, to his brother Jim, to their respective sons Bill and Geoffrey, who played at home in the late 1970s, to representatives from the 1950s of my vintage in minor hockey and Chapleau High School teams were all there. (They even let me be in the group photo as a hockey player as knowing I was not headed for the NHL, I gracefully retired after one year and became a referee. Thanks guys)

 Baisel C, Mike McM Mrs Broomhead, David Mc, Richard Pilon,Tim Goodwin Charlie White, Ken S, Boo Hong

Jim E, Butch, Ian Macdonald, Dr Frank B

Imagine, 60 years later, the "famous" game for Chapleau Bantam supremacy was still on the agenda. Mike McMullen, who was there with his wife Alison (McMillan), had scored the winning goal in overtime. Frank Broomhead, was there and later I was able to send him a photo of his grandmother, Mrs. Broomhead presenting the Algoma Dairy Trophy to the winning team.

But we also played road hockey and river hockey, and for some reason I was a much better player in those venues.

In a story Butch Pellow wrote a while back, he captured the Hong brothers and others so well and I share part of it again with you.

"

Jim E on left, Mike McM, Yen

Think of that slap shot by Hong, Hong, Hong, or one of the really big guys when it accelerated over the ice ridges and soared away out over the river; or at you directly, then veered away as it embraced the ripples. Can you recall the sound of the skates cutting through the crisp surface as they raced for the puck, can you recall the whack, slap, and clicking of sticks on each other and on the ice? 

"What about the yelling and chanting and the code words that defined the play. “..over here” “…pass it, pass it”; “…go, go go”; “he scores!” etc….; wild enthusiasm and true abandonment because it would be dark very soon and there were very few lights to mark the way home.

Tout le gang

"Do you remember how the Hongs played hockey and skated? Yen sprinted, was light on his feet, very fast and dipsy-doodled like no one else (except maybe Max Bentley). He even bore the nickname “Ziggy”. Jim was a powerful steady and fast upright skater and a great stick handler as I recall; and our friend Boo skated low, took long steady deliberate strides and always made skating fast look easy; he also had his skates rockered so there wasn’t more than a couple of inches touching the surface."   

Harry 'Boo' Hong was not with us as he has passed away, but we remembered him, and it was delightful that his wife Donna was with us from Vancouver. Of course the conversation turned to so many other topics. Some of us had not seen each other in more than 50 years since our days at Chapleau High School.

Bill C, Butch, Joy (Evans), Jim H on right

But it seemed like only yesterday since we were growing up Chapleau, hanging out in the Boston Café, going down the lake, attending dances at the Legion or Town Hall basement, travelling over the gravel road to Racine Lake for awesome parties the home of the Martel family, preparing for the annual Cadet inspection, banquet and dance, cheering at hockey games in the old old rink and Chapleau Memorial Community Arena, in the electrifying atmosphere of home town hockey, driving around the streets of Chapleau aimlessly in the evening but never too far from Main Street just in case something really big happened, going to house parties, attending church services on Christmas Eve, and the list is really endless.

Ken S, MJM , Yen, Dr Bill Pellow

We were growing up Chapleau and at Butch and Brigitte's party, all were discussed as laughter abounded all day. Those were the days my friends and we thought they would never end, and just maybe for another moment they came alive again at this party

On a very personal note, it was the highlight of 2014 to be with so many old friends as the song says "to pass the time of day" knowing that the greatest resource a community has is its people. My friends -- throughout its history, that has been and is the Chapleau brand. I extend my most sincere best wishes for the holiday season and Christmas to all. Every blessing, and my apologies once again for mixing metaphors!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

HOCKEY PLAYERS 2014 pic  Back Jim Machan, Vince Crichton, Ian Macdonald, Geoffrey Hong, Mike McMullen, Seated MJM, Frank Broomhead, Bill Cachagee, Butch, Jim Hong, Bill Hong,  (kneeling) Yen Hong, Aldee Martel, Ken Schroeder

 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.

.The CHS team of 1956-57. Back row from left: David McMillan, Doug Slievert, Stan Barty,Thane Crozier, Clarence Fiaschetti (teacher and coach), George Lemon (principal) Second row: Doug Espaniel, Roger Mizuguchi, Bill Cachagee . Front are Jim Hong, Bert Lemon, Harry Pellow, Ken Schroeder, Robbie Pellow (Mascot) Marc Boulard, Harry Hong, Jim Machan, Ron Morris. Note that Clarence was playing on the 1949 Junior team, and was also first CHS student to return as teacher.

Thanks to Harry Pellow, Ken Schroeder, Diane (Dowsley) Richardson, Mike McMullen for photos