Gibraltar connection
by Reg Reynolds
ice hockey’s
rock of gibraltar
photos and images courtesy Jean Bouchard, Emile’s son
My favourite ice hockey team is playing in its 100th season and as part of the anniversary celebrations the club has retired the jersey of defenceman Emile Bouchard, a.k.a. ‘The Rock of Gibraltar’.
Emil Bouchard with four replica’s of the Stanley cup during the 1990s
Lord Stanley’s Cup When Lord Stanley of Preston went to Canada as Governor General (1888-1893) he developed an interest in the relatively new game of ice hockey. Stanley, who was Colonial Secretary in 1885 and 1886, was first exposed to the game at Montreal’s 1889 Winter Carnival. The Montreal Gazette reported that he “expressed his great delight with the game of hockey and the expertise
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of the players”. Lord Stanley’s whole family became enthusiastic about the game. Two sons Arthur and Algernon formed a new team called the Ottawa Rideau Rebels and Arthur played a key role in the formation of the Ontario Hockey Association which runs amateur hockey in the Province to this day. In the interests of promoting the game Lord Stanley decided there
When a player’s jersey is retired it is hoisted to the ceiling of the home arena and no player will ever wear that number again. Bouchard wore No. 3 for 15 seasons (eight as captain) for the Montreal Canadiens of Canada’s National Hockey League and during that time the ‘Flying Frenchmen’ as they were nicknamed captured the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the playoff championship, four times. Almost every Canadian has played hockey (Canadians don’t use the adjective ice but call the other game field hockey) and virtually every Canadian home will boast a table-top hockey game. My brother Ricky and I received our Newspaper caricature from February 1953 first version of the game under the Montreal heroes win the champitree at Christmas 1955. I picked the onship that season. It was to be the red team, he picked the blue team first of five in a row much to my and to this day I support the red- delight and the envy of my little jersied Montreal Canadiens and he brother. I do remember that Bouchard cheers for the blue-shirted Toronto was big — six-foot-two and 205 Maple Leafs. As a Western Canadian my af- pounds — and was a ‘stay at home’ filiation to the Quebec-based Ca- defenceman who rarely ventured nadiens is an unusual one. Until past centre ice and was almost imexpansion in 1969 there were just possible to get past. It was the latter six teams in the National Hockey ability that earned him the nickLeague and only two of those were name “Rock of Gibraltar.” Sadly in recent times both our in Canada — Toronto and Montreal. Most of the fans in Ontario teams have fallen on hard times. were English speaking and rooted Although Montreal has won a refor the Toronto Maple Leafs while cord 24 Stanley Cups the last win the majority in Quebec were French came in 1993. Rick’s Maple Leafs speaking and cheered for the Mon- who have won a second-best 13 treal Canadiens, who were also Cups haven’t won since 1967, beatknown as Les Habitants after the ing my Habs 4-2 in that best-ofseven series. first French settlers of Quebec. This season things look pretMost other Canadians tended to support the American teams ty bleak again as the Canadiens — Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit are currently 18th in the 30-team Red Wings, New York Rangers and league and Ricky’s Maple Leafs are Boston Bruins because those teams 28th. Now, however, we can cheer had formerly been based in West- for other Canadian teams as there ern Canadian cities and tended to are three in the West — Vancouver draw most of their talent from the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames and another in the Prairie Provinces. My recollections of Bouchard are East — Ottawa Senators. Emile “The Rock of Gibraltar” faint because I was only eight years old when he retired in 1956. But Bouchard celebrated his 90th birthDad had purchased our first tele- day on 4th September, 2009 and vision set that year and I was able was on hand for the retirement certo watch Bouchard and my other emony in December. n
should be an annual challenge cup. He purchased a decorative bowl, forged in Sheffield, England for ten guineas (650 pounds in today’s money). He had Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup engraved on one side and From Stanley of Preston on the other. The first winners of the Stanley Cup in 1893 were the Montreal Hockey Club and the last winners in 2009 were the Pittsburgh Penguins. Every year the names of all the players on the winning team are engraved onto silver rings so now the once small bowl is supported by a huge base making it one of the largest trophies in the world of sport.
“Butch Bouchard” as he was also known as captain in his prime
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010