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Lakeshore Advance, 2013-08-28, Page 5Wednesda , ' ust 28, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 5 Community Unwavering devotion to wife made Siebert a true hero Zurich's 'Babe' Siebert was known as one of the toughest players in a rough game. I lis fast, aggres- sive style of play earned him the 1 -fart Trophy, two Stanley Cups and a spot in 1 iockey's Hall of ;ape. Yet, it was his off ice t ..ration to his 'invalid' wife that made him a legend with hockey fans. Charles Albert Siebert was born in Plattsville on Jan. 14, 1904. The youngest of five chil- dren born to William and Emnia Siebert, he was nick- named `Babe: In 1910, the Sie- berts moved to Dashwood and then to Zurich where Babe's father ran a general store. Young Siebert, according to the 'Zurich Iteral!' grew 'into a husky boy with a liking for ath- letics: Ile played baseball 'fast and fair' in the Zurich -Exeter League but it was in hockey that he excelled. Siebert left Zurich to play hockey in Seaforth. In 1922, he played in the Ontario I Jockey Association for the Kitchener Greenshirts and, later, the Nia- gara Falls Cataracts. In 1924, while playing in Kitchener, he met 18 -year-old Bernice Mill- hausen, a female hockey fan. They married and had two daughters Judy and Joan. In 1925, Siebert played his first NHL game with the Mon- treal Maroons. He won his first nley Cup with the Maroons 926. Siebert was part of Montreal's famed S -Line with Hooley Smith and Nels Stewart. 'Ihe Hockey Hall of Fame called the S -Line the leagues 'most feared' scoring squad. Siebert had a reputation for points and Column David Yates penalties. In his seven seasons with the Maroons, Siebert earned 157 points and led the team in penalties with 619 minutes. Siebert was a 'digger; who could get the puck and deliver it to any teammate positioned to st'ol'e. With exceptional speed, and strength, Siebert was impossible to stop. With a vio- lent on ice temper, Siebert was a vicious adversary in a fight. In an era When brawling was part of the gallle, S011le of Sie- bert's thrashings shocked even hardened hockey fans. Ilis hard knuckle fights often provoked jeers from the crowd. The S-LIne was broken up in 1932 when the cash strapped Maroons traded Siebert to the New York Rangers. He won his second Stanley Cup ring in 1933. Although Siebert didn't score in the finals against Toronto he spent 10 minutes in the penalty box. In 1934, he was traded in mid-season to the Boston Bru- ins. 'Pensions In the Bruins dressing room ran high as leg- endary Boston defenceman Eddie Shore refused to speak to Siebert. 'Ihe feud stenuned from an earlier incident when one Maroon player pinned Shore to the ice while Siebert savagely beat his face to a bloody pulp. Yet, off the ice, Siebert was it 'soft spoken' and devoted fam- ily roan. Siebert was ever faith- ful to his wife, Bernice, who was paralyzed in the spine and legs while giving birth to their sec- ond daughter Joan. Much of Siebert's income Wellt to pay for his wife's expensive medical bills. With a crippled wife, Sie- bert (till the household chores and raised their girls. Before every game fans silently watched Siebert carry his invalid wife to her box and then retrieve (ler afterwards. It ‘vas a moving scene that endeared his) to hockey fans everywhere. 'Montreal Gazette's sports editor, Elmer Ferguson, wrote that 'the Babe would become embroiled in fistic battles. Per- haps he would suffer penalties and earn the disfavour of the crowd by his bruising style of play. Perhaps the game would make hila seem like a crude and uncouth person, rough and brutal. From the dressing room, the Babe would stride along the promenade until he reached the chair where his fragile bit of an invalid wife sat. Bending down, he would kiss her, then he would gather her up into his great muscular arms, stride out of the rink, and deposit her carefully in a waiting car that would take her home to the kid- dies that he adored SO much.' One biographer noted 'those things were never in the head- lines' but were known through- out the hockey world. Although he had three good seasons with Boston, It seemed Siebert's best hockey years were behind him. In 1936, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Coach Cecil Hart still saw potential in Siebert as a defencenian rather than a forward. Ihe change reinvigorated Sie- bert's career. In his first season, Siebert won the I tart 'Trophy for Most Valuable Player. 'the fol- lowing year, he became the Canadiens' teals captain. in 1939, knowing his playing days were ending, Siebert became the Canadiens' head coach. It seemed that financial secu- rity had filially been achieved to help pay for his wife's imedical bills and remain active in the sport that lie loved. Yet, tragedy prevented hila from taking up his new position. On Fri. Aug. 25, 1939, while vacationing at his parents' Dome in Zurich, Siebert took his daughters swimming by the old wooden pier at St. Joseph's beach with childhood friend Clayton Hoffman. Siebert swat(( after an inflata- ble tire, which got away from one of his daughters. About 150 feet from shore, Siebert was about to grab the tire when he shouted for help. A Zurich woman, Burnette Mousseau sit- ting in a nearby automobile saw his) 'throw up his arms' and go under the water. She alerted 1 ioffman who dove into the lake in his street clothes to rescue his friend. After failing to find Siebert, Hoffman ran to Napoleon Can - tin's home to phone for help. Dozens of men and a fishing boat from Grand Bend ((ragged the Waters near St. Joseph's shore. It was not until Monday morning that his brother; Frank, caught his lifeless leg with a grappling book and retrieved the hockey star's body. Siebert, a strong swimmer, seems to have been seized with a cramp and drowned. His body was taken to I loffman's Funeral I tome, where Reverend (:.1;. t Ieckendorn of the Zurich Evangelical Church conducted the funeral service. I lis remains were taken to Kitchener for burial. Tributes flowed in to the wid- owed Bernice Siebert from all over North America. NI 11, Presi- dent Clarence Campbell called Siebert's sudden death 'a tre- mendous shock. I lis death also left his family in (lir(' financial straits as all of the money had been spent on medical treat - 1111'1115 for his wife. A benefit hockey game was held for Babe Siebert's family on Oct. 29, 1939 between the Canadiens and an NHL all-star team. 'the game raised $15 000 for the family. it was also the forerunner of the annual all- star game. In January 1950, the A. C. Sie- bert Memorial Arena Was opened in Zurich as a tribute to 'Babe: 'throughout Siebert's 15 seasons in the NI11,, he scored 140 goals and earned almost 1,000 penalty minutes. Charles Albert Siebert was inducted into the Hockey I lall of Fame in 1964. Yet, for many, it was the unwavering devotion of this strong ratan off the ice to his crippled wife that made him a true hockey legend. Lambton County museums Strategic Plan - community survey The County of Lambton is in the process of developing a Strategic Plan for the three museums in the Cultural Services Division: the Lambton 1-leritage Museum, the 011 Museum of Canada and the Lamb - ton County Archives. The plan is being completed with the assistance of consulting firm Golder Associates. The Lambton County Museums Strategic Plan is county led and com- munity driven. Input from the com- munity will be solicited through a survey that will be available from August 7 - 27, 2013. The survey is an opportunity for the public to provide focused feedback regarding their experience with one of the three museums, and also to comment on the other two museums. Questions will focus on how the three museums have served the community in the past and how changes can be made to better serve the community in the future. The survey can be completed online at https://www.surveymon- key.com/s/QM63GXQ or by hard- copy available at the t.aunbton !Writ - age Museum, the 011 Museum of Canada, the Lambton County Archives, or any local library branch. The survey will he followed by a series of three workshops in mid- September that will engage community members in discussions about their vision for the Lambton County Museums. Sessions will he hell( at the following locations and times: September 16 - (i:30 pm -11:00 pm at the I,aunhton 1 leritage Museum September 17 - 5:00 pm -6:30 pm at the Sarnia Library September 17 - 7:30 prat -9:00 pin at the Oil Museum of Canada. For more information call 5I9- 243-2600, visit http://tinyurl.conl/ MttsetttnsStrategicl'lan or email heritage.museumecounty-Iantbton. on.ca. For more information about Lambton County, visit www. ia1111t0110111ine.ca.