Priceless hockey moments in Chapleau provided by Charlie Purich

Knowing that I would be in Florida when my Chapleau Moments deadline approached, I decided to do hockey and contacted Charlie Purich for some hockey memories.

I also have heard from Jennifer Harvey-Cyr telling me about the recent Chapleau Atom champions, so as hockey season gets underway, I wanted to encourage everyone to go to the arena and show support. 

Having coached Midget and Intermediate hockey in Chapleau, I know the great feeling when there were big crowds on hand, and also disappointment when we had to play in a largely empty arena.

When Charlie played hockey in Chapleau, he was known as "the catalyst" of the Chapleau High School hockey team in the 1960s when Dr Karl A Hackstetter was the school's principal.

Charlie went on to play at Laurentian University, and has been playing ever since. And, he continues to be interested in Chapleau. Here are some of his memories. I have made some comments in  brackets.

Charlie circa 1964

"Defeating Terrace Bay on their ice to win the North Shore trophy in the second game of a two,game total goal series. Tied 9-9 in Chapleau. Won next game  9-8 after being down 8-4 on their ice, with 12 minutes to play."

"The many games vs Wawa. Fans loved the action. At times, brutal games so good skating trumped the nastiness. Playing in Wawa could be intimidating."
Junior B Reunion
"A particular game in Blind River where Eddy Bignucolo stopped 54,shots. I think it was a tie. I was playing for Laurentian and drove over to join the team. (Eddy's brothers Albert and Ernest (Sonny) were also great Chapleau golatenders. Sonny was killed while on active service in Canada's armed forces and his friends donated a trophy in his memory. It was played for at winter carnivals).

 "As a kid, watching the Huskies skate onto the ice during the Winter Carnival.Recall one time when a bagpiper led the team around the rink in the pre game. Earle Freeborn led the players. A vision locked in my head - every young hockey player couldn't wait to play for the Intermediate club." (I am older than Charlie and I too recall the thrill of watching the Intermediates skate onto the ice going back to just after World War II in the old old rink.



The late Garth 'Tee' Chambers was my hockey hero and still is).



 "Leading 3-2 in a game in town. I had the puck and was skating down the ice and turned to skate back to,our end.Method in my madness was to kill time. Buddy later asked me what ta hell I was doing. Earle (Freeborn) and I laugh about that to this day." (Buddy of course is the late Keith J 'Buddy' Swanson, hockey coach extraordinaire who with Lorne Riley and Tom Welch founded the Chapleau Junior 'B' Huskies)

Junior/Intermediat Reunion 2001

"A scene in the Sudbury Arena one weekend. Looked up into the stands to see Earle and Buddy sitting there.. Big thrill just to see them. (Charlie was playing for Laurentian)

And this one: "Being so proud to have played hockey in my hometown of Chapleau-Priceless!"

My sincere thanks to Charlie for taking time to provide some memories and to Jennifer for contacting me. I hope all will support minor hockey. Charlie I am sure speaks for all of us who played and/or were involved in hockey  --- PRICELESS!!!  Maybe time for a reunion!

Note: I didn't have all the names for the reunion photos so hope you know them all... That happens when I am travelling and forget to get names. I will add them when I get home/

My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Chapleau on national sports championship map as Doug Hong curls and Jason Ward plays hockey

See below for details

Chapleau has been on the national sports map in hockey and curling from Whitehorse, NWT to Dundas, ON, in 2014 as Doug Hong and Jason Ward were members of winning teams.

Doug was the lead on the Northern Ontario bronze medal winning team at the Canadian Senior Curling Championship while Jason played for the Dundas Real McCoys who won the Allan cup, emblematic of senior hockey supremacy in Canada since 1908.

Jason and Charlie

Doug, of course, for the few who may not know him, is from Chapleau, a member of the Hong family, outstanding athletes all. His grandfather established the Boston Cafe now the Redwood which is still in the family operated by his father Jim.

Doug has also been a great hockey player and golfer over the years.

As an aside, Doug played on the last hockey team I coached in Chapleau.

When I learned from Doug's cousin Kim that he would be playing in a national curling championship I contacted him.

Doug replied: "The team that represented N.O. last year did not fare so well therefore, we have to go up there early to play in the relegation round.  Double knock out, four teams for two spots. Hope to get through that and play in the round robin Championship."

That proved to be an understatement, according to a Sudbury Star story by Bruce Heldman who wrote: "The Northern Ontario reps won bronze the hard way, playing a possible record 16 games at a national event after three pre-qualifying games, 11 round-robin games, a tiebreaker and a semifinal, all in nine days."

Doug

Doug also won the Most Sportsmanlike Player Award.

“You only have to be around Doug for a short while and you have a smile on your face,” Robbie Gordon one of his teammates told the Sudbury Star. “He keeps the atmosphere light and shoots well and sweeps like a dog and has a great eye for the stone and what it is doing and has physical strength unmatched in any senior curling I have seen. It is important to have someone like that on your team.”

“Doug has been to five Canadian events and that is the third time he has won the sportsmanship award, and that is voted on by the players, so that tells you everything,” Ron Henderson added in the Sudbury Star story.

Turning to Jason Ward and the Allan Cup, Charlie Purich kept me informed on the series played in Dundas where he lives.

After the Real McCoys defeated the Kenora Thistles in the semi final game, Charlie sent me an email, "Jason Ward got one goal and three assists."

Born in Chapleau, Jason played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and other professional teams. Charlie, who worked as a volunteer at the Allan Cup, had met Jason earlier -- although they did not know each other in Chapleau. Small world!

Charlie still plays hockey and for about 50 years he has been the "catalyst" wherever he played -- and as a volunteer at the Allan Cup too.

In the final game against Clarenville Caribous from Newfoundland and Labrador, the Real McCoys won their first ever Allan cup with a 3-2 overtime win.

Charlie and Ray

Charlie's final sports bulletin: "Ray Larcher, my grandson Finn and I watched Jason and the Real McCoys win the Allan Cup in a thrilling overtime to defeat a strong team from Newfoundland."

Ray, who was a hockey star in Chapleau playing for the Chapleau Junior "B" and Intermediate "A" Huskies had sent me a message on Facebook that he would be there.

Ray "cool" as always

Congratulations to Doug Hong and Jason Ward on their success, and thanks to Charlie Purich and Ray Larcher. That old saying was never truer: "You can take the boy out of Chapleau, but you can't take Chapleau out of the boy".  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

PHOTO CREDIT

2014 Canadian Senior Curling Championships Sportsmanship Awards: Doug Hong (NO) and Catherine Derick (QC) (Photo James MacKenzie) from Canadian Senior Curling

SEE ALSO ICE TIME WITH JASON AND CHARLIE http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.ca/2014/03/ice-time-in-dundas-as-charlie-purich.html

 

Ice time in Dundas as Charlie Purich and Jason Ward involved in Allan Cup hockey championship

The winner of the 2014 Allan Cup will be decided in Dundas, Ontario in 2014 and two Chapleau boys will be involved.

 

The Allan Cup, a part of Canada's history since 1890 is the Canadian Men's Senior AAA Hockey Championship.

 

Charlie Purich, known as the "catalyst" of the Chapleau High School hockey team in the 1960s when Dr. Karl A. Hackstetter was principal, who then played at Laurentian University, and for numerous teams in Dundas over the years where he lives will be a volunteer.

 

And Jason Ward, who was born in Chapleau on January 26, 1979, and went on to play in the Ontario Hockey League, National Hockey League and American Hockey League is winding down his career playing for the Dundas Real McCoys who will be participating in the Allan Cup.

 

Jason started his NHL career after he was picked by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, 11th overall in the 1997 draft. He also played for the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning. While playing in the AHL in 2002-2003 he won the Les Cunningham Award as Most Valuable Player.

 

Jason had the remarkable distinction of scoring his first NHL goal on his first shot, in his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on December 3, 1999.

 

He also played on Canada's Silver Medal team in the World Championship in 1999.

 

Interestingly, from 1968 to 1971, Charlie played for the Dundas Triple Intermediate 'A" team, and now another Chapleau boy is there playing in the Allan Cup competition. Charlie says Jason is "a stalwart" on this year's team, and they met recently -- both born in Chapleau but not knowing each other.

 

"The chat about Chapleau was wonderful," Charlie said.

 

Charlie was in touch  by email to tell me the news, and shared some Chapleau hockey memories. Charlie paid tribute to Keith 'Buddy' Swanson for his encouragement about hockey and life.  He continues to play in two leagues near his home in Ancaster and still enjoys pulling off the "Buddy Swanson Taught" move--"deke to the left and whatever happens!!!"

 

Chapleau players from back in the day will understand what happens after the deke to the left.

 

Charlie added that any time any time one gets to talk about hockey in Chapleau, one gets the "nostalgic feeling" of "having played with Earle (Freeborn), Buddy (Swanson), Zeno (Andre Rioux), Dave Futhey, the Mizuguchi's (Roger, Mark, David), the Bignucolo boys (Albert, Eddy, Joey) and many, many more."  I have added full names where needed.

 

Even when Charlie would return home and watch hockey he never failed to be impressed with the similarity between J.C. Cyr and Reggie Sonego doing their "end=to-end crowd standing rushes". Great comparison Charlie!

 

Charlie's email continued. "Playing Intermediate hockey in Southern Ontario casts a comparison to any of the Intermediate teams from Chapleau. They would be great matches, even today. Talking about hockey in Chapleau reminds us of what's important, like heading to the old Chapleau Arena to play at 6:00 am at 30 below or trying to dodge the 3 inch cracks on the natural ice that was the base for the skills we learned about hockey."

 

Jason's parents are Steve and Irene (Fortin) Ward. His grandfather Bill Ward was manager of the Royal Bank in Chapleau from 1970 to 1975.

 

Charlie and Jason will both be at the Allan Cup. If you are in the Dundas area from April 14 to 19, try to stop by and chat with about "ice time" with two Chapleau boys. Thanks for the memories Charlie and all the best Jason at the Allan Cup.  My email is mj.morris@live.cau

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homebrew and otherwise hockey part of the Chapleau High School experience since the 1920s with plans underway to be part of the 2012 reunion

See names at bottom

Whenever I receive an email from Charlie Purich with "Excited" as the subject line, I know he is going to share something about hockey in Chapleau with me. 

Such was the case last week when Charlie emailed me with the news that the Chapleau High School 90th anniversary committee had given him the go-ahead to work on a hockey reunion as part of the activities for the reunion in 2012. It is all very tentative at the moment, but looking back at the history of Chapleau High School, hockey was an important part of life with school teams and of course the Huskies on which many students played. 

Back in 1929, just seven years after CHS opened, a writer in the school's magazine called 'High School News' wrote a column called "Homebrew and Otherwise" taking  those who ran junior hockey in Chapleau to task for importing players when there were local players available.

"Now with the beginning of this season, 1929-30, we find imported hockey players in town and we find about thirty town boys suitable (after a few weeks practice with a coach) for Junior hockey. Why there are so many imported boys in town nobody but the committee seems to know," the writer noted. I have had this article for many years, and believe it was written by Jim Morris, my father, or so I was told by the person who gave it to me.

The thirty players were juvenile age players who the writer says have been promised to the junior team, and if accepted, Chapleau would have a "Homebrew Junior Hockey team by the end of the season."

Meanwhile, with the (natural) ice already forming in the arena, the Juveniles, with a close connection to CHS, are "eagerly engaged" in selecting players for four teams. John McClellan, teacher, later the school's legendary principal coached juvenile hockey. The team captains, all CHS students at the time were W. Murphy, F. St. Amand, Gordon McKnight and Newt Pellow.

Playing on one of the Juvenile teams with Mr. McClellan as coach were Gordon McKnight, Jim Morris, Donald Robinson, Eric Young, William Moore, Bobby Perpete, C. McAdam, Joe Crichton and Romeo levesque.

The article concludes that it is hoped that by end of the season, Chapleau will have a "homebrew" junior hockey team. Sorry I can't tell you the result of their efforts in 1929-30, so will fast forward to the years when CHS had  a highly competitive team.

In the 1950s the school had a team that played in the town league and against outside competition, and by the early 1960s, the school yearbook was calling Charlie Purich 'the catalyst of the hockey team." By the way, Charlie's father, Jimmy Purich donated the first trophy to Chapleau Minor Hockey in 1953, and I have just recently received a photo of the winning team from Ken Schroeder, for a later day. Charlie's sister Pat (Purich) Russell lives in Chapleau.

After graduating from CHS, Charlie played for Laurentian University, and was a member of its 1966-67 Ontario Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship team.

David Futhey, Bruce Pellow, Darryl Downey

Darryl Downey, who played on CHS TEEM as it was called, wrote to advise that the team played in the Chapleau Mercantile Hockey League, noting that members of the Chapleau Huskies were on other teams -- mentioning Earle Freeborn, Tonto Pilon, Albert Tremblay, Gilles Boisvert plus "imports that joined up when they arrived to work in the banks, lumber companies, etc."

" I remember one time we went to play in Marathon and John Futhey Sr. got himself, David Futhey, and I a ride in the head end of a train that Eric Young was engineering.  What a blast!  Those were the days, my friend."

That trip would have been more than 30 years after Eric Young had been playing hockey in Chapleau on the Juvenile team. Eric, the younger brother of Dr. William Young and Dr. G.E. Young, excelled at many sports. 

After Highway 101 opened to Timmins in 1962, Chapleau began to play teams from the Porcupine area. 

Ted Swanson, Jack Boucher, Brian Corston, Larry Wright

When Dr. Karl Hackstetter returned as CHS principal in 1963, he became an ardent supporter of CHS TEEM, never missing a game, and going to the Redwood afterwards to celebrate victories. (I assume.)

After hearing Charlie's news about a hockey reunion as part of the CHS 90th anniversary reunion, I wanted to share a bit about high school hockey in the community. With the arrival of the Chapleau Junior "B" Huskies in 1966-67, high school hockey teams became part of Chapleau's history, as fans supported the team in the International Junior 'B' Hockey League, with over 90 percent of the players being "homebrew" throughout its history, and students at Chapleau High School. 

Before someone points it out to me, the homebrew teams changed a bit in their composition with the arrival of the Chapleau Intermediate 'A' Huskies in 1975, but that is a story for another day. 

I will keep you posted on the progress of the hockey reunion and just want to pass on that Charlie says local contacts are needed to make it happen. Email me at mj.morris@live.ca and I will pass it on.  As Darryl wrote, "Those were the days my friends," and what great stories will be told. Thanks to Charlie Purich, Darryl Downey and Lark Ritchie. 

NAMES FOR CHS TEEM... Thanks to Merrick Goldstein for help with names

 Here is the 1965 CHS TEEM.. Back from left: Peter Grey, John Babin, Jim Lapp, Richard Morin, Bruce Pellow, Jim St. Amand, David Stevens, Mike Tangie, J. Parker (coach), Brian Corston, Darryl Downey, Keith Corston, Merrick Goldstein. Kneeling: Larry Joyce, Albert Bignucolo, David Futhey, Reg Bouillon, Gerry Boucher, Ted Swanson. (Lark Ritchie photos)