HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1975-06-26, Page 68Our history is short
but we look forward to serving you
for present and future styles.
Celebrate Seaforth's Centennial Year
in "present" and "future" styles
from the
"The Pretty Store with the Arch"
60 Main Str > t, Seaforth
Arti work 9 no money
(By V, J. Lane)
First let me explain this is not
my type of writing. I know there
are ,several who participated in
this at that-time still living who
could do a much better job than I
but rather than risk the yossibility
of it going unnoticed, I am going
to tell the story. After all it does
present u lesson for the younger
generation and brings back
memories to the ones older who
participated in it, and attended
most if not all of the games in
those days.
Perhaps it should be explained
why the league was formed. In
those days there was no work and
no money. If you hada job cutting
wood or choring for a farmer
$1.00 a day was tops. Factories in
cities and towns,,, likewise had
nothing to offer. Around Seaforth
at that time we had something to
eat, you made your own fun and it
had to be cheap.
I am told by some at that time
"young fellows" from
Tuckersmith, Robert . Archibald,
Doigs, McCartneys, Art
Nicholson, perhaps more held a
meeting in. Ott Dick's Hotel for
the purpose of forming a Jr.
Farmers Hockey League.
Farmer's league hockey was Ilan in depression
Donates Cup
Some of them contacted, Thos.
McMillan3' M.P. for Huron, to
donate a cup, which he did. The
teams involved were to be
• Sproat's brick yard, Mill road and
Winthrop.
Someone contacted me by
phone to know if I could put a
team in front' St. Columban,
knoWing I loved the &One and had
played some in prior years. I
agreed to give it a try; attended a
meeting with the arena manager,
Mr. Chas. Holmes; andle agreed
• to Jet us play a double header
,Saturday nights for a fee -of 25c
eachHe didn't think of.. gettft
any paying customers, but after
the first Saturday the fan
participation, Mr. Holmes was
contactred and agreed to charge
.15c fan admission and pay each
club $5.00. They could have some .
means, of buying sticks, etc. he
was also to pay the referees Russ
Holmes and Gordon Muir 'to
handle the games.
The rules were strict. You
could not use a player from
ou}side your area. Players could
inot be participating in other
organized ,'hockey and must be
farmers or belong to a farm
organikation.
Now for the benefit of those
List Saturday I hitched up Maud
And to myself did say,
"I'll just put on the old fur coat
And drive to -Own today."
I'll go and see that hockey game
Between these well known teams,
The Orioles from the Mill Road
And St. Columban's Greens.
Who won the game? Don't ask me
that,
'Tis not for me to say,
The Greenshirts took the silver
cup
And carried it away.
The Orioles won the honour
Of fighting to the end;
When the Greenshirts met those
stalwarts,
They found them hard to bend.
Vince Lane wait burning up the
ice,
He's captain of the Greens;
He took some bumps and gave
some too
He's always there, it seems.
Joe and; Emmett and George
Malone
Are nimble on their feet
The way they got about the ice,-
It gave the fans a treat.
Park and pool
who are not familiar with hockey
as played in those days— first of
all this was natural ice. The old
arena was purchased by Ball —
Macaulay about 1948.
No Red Line
There was no red line in those
days; no forward passing or body
checking, except behind the blue
line, no 'kicking the puck.' You had
to stick handle the puck in centre
ice much more than today. Each
team was allowed two subs.
The game at that time was
more often interrupted by rule
infractions, kicking the puck,
offsidepasseS,etc.and was not as
fast as to-day with the red line
forward passing, but in my
opinion had more stick handling
and in some ways was more
interesting to' watch.
Strangely enough when the
four teams were picked and
agreed upon, there was no team
that had any great advantage, 2
or 3 goals at the most. The
lineups of the four teams as they
appears in the 30 - 31 season I am
listing here. The McMillan • Cup
was in competition for several
years after and games became
more and more professional • with
different . teams entering,
different-players and it became a
'30-'31 Line Ups
Mill Road: Goal -
Geo. McCartney. Def. W.
Wright, Wilson McCartney,
Centre Don Dale, Wings Art
Nicholson "Lark" Coleman, Subs
D. McIntosh, Zape Elliott.
Winthrop: Goal. Bill
Montgomery, 'Def.. Scott, Little,
(Centre) Neil • Montgomery.
Wings, Tim EAton, Dorrance,
Subs - Scott, A. Montgomery.
Brick Yard: Goal J. McMillan.
Def.: Paul & Jim Doig. Wings;
R. Archibald, G.Reynolds. Sub. -
McKay, F. Reynolds.
St. Columban - Goal - H:
Matthews. ?Def.: V.' Lane, Leo
Hicknell Ctre.• J. Daly, Wings,
J. Morris, J. Malone, Subs. e.
Malone, J. Moylan.
Some of these players are now
deceased.
The final playoffs were at St.
Columban VS Mill Road which is
described in the final games by
Art B.Hill in his writing at that
time.
Although the competition was
keen with everyone giving his
best, there was never a display of
poor sportsmanship or any
temper flareup. Although the
fans were from the surrounding
townships, including a great part
of the town cheering for their
Now that young Donnie Dale, my
friends,
Looked pretty good to me;
The way he buzzed around
rink
Was very nice to see.
And there's another pair of boys,
Jim and ,Davey by name,
VVhate'erthey do, they're always
fair,
They always play the game.
There's another lad named Elliot,
From out nigh Varna town,
Who came out best from every
test
And won himself renown.
Again I say, please do not ask,
Who 'tas that won the game,
The Green Shirts won the silver
cup
TheOrioles, they won the fame.
When comes the harves time
again,
They'll stop to talk a spell,
And say: "It was a dandy game,
And didn't we do well?"
I put old Maud into the barn,
And to myself did say:
"I'll just take off the old ftir coat
And call this day a day."
favourite teams,to my knowledge
there was Never a flareup there.
No Money
My answer for this is' simple.
As I have mentioned, at that time
no one had men* If' a small
minority had, it didn't appear that
way. All we had was friends and
none would sacrificethat to settle
arguments.
(Continued from Page 26)
Street. Free movies add free
skating were also provided foe the
children.
In the early years of our club,
the annual Christmas visit to the
people in Huronview. Home was
started and has continued without
interruption to this day.
The war years saw the Lions
Today it's much different.
Everyone hat money, lit least
they appear to h ave. Friends are
not so .important, :Ifyou have
money everything is so inflated
that you cannot Pei') but wonder
when it will "blow up".
Are we not now wondering why
$omewherehetWeen the 30's and
the present'vi,hy someone did not,
invent a safety valve to protect an
explosion?
I trust that my description of
one of the happaings of those '
days as related to yon in my own
awkward way, will serve as a
remembrance to ' Centennial
readers and perhaps as well be of
some value to others who were
only in blossom at that time.
donation to the Lake Joseph
Camp for the blind and numerous
other worthwhile. charities.
The record of the Seaforth
Lions Club- during its fifty-one
years history, is one that each
Lion can be justifiably proud of,
and with renewed determination,
vision, concern and dedication we
look forward to the eventful years
of service that lie ahead.
The final game
By Art B. Hill (Bill Hart) in a 1931 Expositor
that
involve in paper drives, scrap
metal collections and many other
patriotic endeavours.
Other noteworthy activities of
the Seaforth Lions Club included
sponsorship of Boy Scouts; Cubs
Girl Guides and Brownies,
financial support to many sport
and athletic groups, a $5,000
donation to the Seaforth'
Community Hospital a $1 500
FARMER'S LEAGUE CHAMPS, 1936' — The Egmondville team won the 1936,
championship in the local league described by Vince Lane in his story. "In the photo,
from rear, are J. McLean, R. Rintoul, H. Finnegan, C. Rintoul, C. Kruse, R.
McGregor, E. Brown, A. Nicholson, J. Nicholson, C. Trott, V. Bell, D. Dale, J.
Flannery, G. Kruse, C. Flannery, R. McGeoch, A. McLean and F. Kling.
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, JUNE 26, 1976 —27