'On the ice in zero weather, falling down drunk, while our young
beautiful wives hated our guts, broom ball'.
Good fun for the early twenty-something crowd. It would probably kill
me today however.
Bill Cooper
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
22 comments:
Yup - I remember broomball on the ice - I thought it was the only way to play the game.
In the early 70's I went to Nfld as a teacher and ended up teaching some phys. ed. They'd never heard of broomball on ice so I introduced them to it.
A few years after leaving I went back for a visit and found that they now had leagues all over.
Just a bit of Verdun influence!!
jim,i played a lot of broomball,i played for the osborne
molsonaires and then with melvins mauraders named after mel pepin,we all wore
black hoodies and looked like a bunch of monks.we played at brown park and
lasalle.does any one out there remember those teams.late 50"s and early
60's
I remember waching and playing broomball.I also remember Mel Pepin,he married one of the Whites I think Wendy on Fifth Ave. Nice man.I lived next door. Gary
Hi Gary,
Just wanted to let you know that Wendy was married to George Wybro (they are both deceased) and the other sisters were Hillary, Shirley & Lorna. If I remember correctly, Mel was married to Hillary. I see Mel's brother Jimmy Pepin every now and then. He is a drummer with Karnac Shriners Bagpipes & Drums and I am a drummer with Aleppo Shriners Bagpipes & Drums here in Boston and usually meet up in Hanover New Hampshire.
Alan Archibald
Do you remember a ice hockey 'coach' in the fifties they called Fergie?
He actually had a hockey team at Wilibrord Park. They wore sweaters
with a cartoon, that said Fergie's Gang on the front. I played for him
once although I couldn't skate very well. He would ask prospective
players if they had skates, and if they did, they were on the team. He
took the players no one else wanted, and gave them a chance to
participate. They didn't do so bad one year because some of the better
hockey players in Verdun decided to play for him out of respect for
what he provided for the less talented boys in Verdun.
"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of
value."
- Albert Einstein
I remember him with great fondness.Even my older brother played for him. As I did. He also had a basebell team. I couldn't play either game very well. But if you wanted to play and had the equipment. You played. He took any kid that came along. If you didn't know any better you would think he was a bum. He was not much to look at and almost never shaved. But I believe he was one of God's angels, because he made us feel like worthwhile kids and worthy of his efforts. A lesson in life. Don't look on the outside, but at the heart and soul. Winston Allison
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I remeber Fergy well in fact I think he was
coaching the same time as my Dad who coached hockey. Anybody who went on to play
in the NHL played first at the outdoor rink at Willibrod Park,ie: Bucky
Hollingsworth,Donny Marshall,Scotty Bowman and Dollard St.Laurent.If anyone
rembers being at some of these games you could also see Mel Martins' Mum
screaming at the other players for touching her son.
Margo
i too remember old fergie,i played hockey for him one year.he
always had a runnie nose in the winter.he lived just up the street from me on
osborne.i think he had a paper route i don't remember if it was the star or
gazette.a nice man and would give any kid a chance to play hockey.
From Bobarchi, What great memories, because I played on a team at Brown park
which I think was Wilson if my memory is correct. Also I know Mel Pepin from
the Elevator business.
ArialI think he also worked for
the parks department and looked after the rinks.
B.C.
I remember our city's favorite sport in the early 60s:
'On the ice in zero weather, falling down drunk, while our young
beautiful wives hated our guts, broom ball'.
Good fun for the early twenty-something crowd. It would probably kill
me today however.
Is this a popular sport in 2005? Great memories.
Stay warm,
Second Avenue.
I remember playing BroomBall at lunch time when I was at V.C.H.S.They had a rink in the school yard. Steve
Broom Ball / Late Night Hockey Broom Ball and Late Night Hockey are available at the Culver Ice Arena. Ice is billed on an hourly basis. For a quote on the hourly fee, telephone Barbara Takahashi at (514) 398-5719 between the hours of 11:30 am and 6:00 pm. Credit Card or Cash Only (No Checks) plus a $50.00 deposit regarding noise in the parking lot. Players supply their own gear (Sticks, brooms, pucks, balls, etc.) Rental figure skates provided at $3.00 per pair and hockey skates at $4.00 per pair (Exact Change Only). Players are not to enter the Ice Surface until Zamboni gates are closed. Players must pick-up all loose tape, trash, and debris off the ice and surrounding area at the end of their ice time. Players play at their own risk. Rink will supply the hockey nets. Culver Ice Arena LLC is not responsible for accidents. Players are limited to 50 people ($5.00 for each additional person). There must be a 2 week notice for any changes or cancellations. Absolutely No Alcoholic Beverages Permitted. Absolutely No Smoking In the Building. Schedule is subject to Change.
http://rha.uoregon.edu/wiki.cgi?BroomBall http://www.alphadk.com/photos/index.php?gid=20050922-Broom_Ball http://www.firstarena.com/rrbroomball.asp BYOB BRING YOUR OWN BROOM
Here a link on broomball eguipement and all. http://www.broomball.net/ Steve
Broomball! A blast from the past. I played with a team at Northern Electric during the 50's-60's. I remember playing in tournaments all over the Montreal area, up to St. Jerome, at times like 2-3:00 AM. We tried all kinds of footwear including running shoes to get better traction for running on the ice, but none were too successful. But...... a note for any current broomball players. I began curling last year and was told I should wear at least one "gripper" for safety reasons (us seniors need all the help we can get!). What an amazing piece of "equipment"!! It looks just like the "sole rubbers" we used to wear on our good shoes many years ago, except the amazing thing about this gripper it does not slide on ice!! You just slip them on your regular shoes. They can be purchased at Canadian Tire for about $8-$10 each. (Most curlers only use one so they can slide in one foot!) Art
In 1975 they started a broomball league in Lasalle called "Happy Drinkers Broomball League". Of course at first it was all men then around 1976 the girls started playing too. I believe they stopped playing in 1995. They just had a 20 year reunion in October and I went to it. It was great to see people that you have not seen since 1978 (when we moved to Alberta). I believe it was Bill Emery who actually started the Broomball League there and Bev Barton who started the girls one. Lots of COLD nights for sure! The reunion was at the Erin's Sport Club in Verdun. Connie
Hi Margo, We will never forget Mrs. Martins screaming at other players not to touch her son!! I relate to Ricky Martin , I can still hear my Mom wishing the woman would shut up (under her breath of course,as us Irish Catholics are known to be very polite)....hummm cookie
Are they still having organized broom ball games in Verdun?
Bill
I attended a broomball reunion in 2005. Most of the players were from the Happy Drinkers Broomball League which was started by Bill Emery (he passed away a few months ago). It was a lot of fun. I have a few picture from it if anyone is interested. Connie
Re.Broomball Remember going to old city hall on Church..getting a permit for I think about 2 or 5 bucks..and going to Willibrord Park to get the rink to play broomball...sometimes ball hockey.. Man broomball at around -25 with the wind on a Saturday afternoon. What were we thinking...lotsa fun and memories... Lad
Bill: Hope all is going well in HI, never got there my son returned to the Mainland and then Iraq, he is at the Pentagon now. I am still kicking, talked to Billy Keagan a couple of weeks ago, he is outside Toronto, will visit him when I visit my sister. Take Care Pat L
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