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A contingent of 31 members and guests made the trek to Chicoutimi, Que., on the weekend of October 21–23 for SIHR's northernmost meeting to date.
On Friday evening, hosts Stéphane Harvey and Jocelyn Flamand held a meet-and-greet at Hôtel le Montagnais. Many members also took advantage of the chance to watch the hometown Saguenéens hold on to beat the Moncton Wildcats 3–2 at Centre Georges-Vézina.
At Saturday's business meeting, graced with the presence of quite possibly the two youngest attendees ever, Sylvie Cook and Christopher Lansdale, President James Milks provided an update on the Ottawa Lord Stanley memorial monument, a project led by Past President Paul Kitchen and founding member Jim McAuley.
The committee has reached agreement with the National Capital Commission and City of Ottawa on a site, and will soon seek to raise $5 million and launch a nationwide design competition.
Milks acknowledged the work of Past President Lenard Kotylo and Honorary President Ed Grenda in submitting SIHR's successful application for a renewal of the Ontario Heritage Organizations Grant. Kotylo said he simply used the template Grenda had originated, and "just had to plug in new figures."
Executive Vice-President Jean-Patrice Martel commented on SIHR's growth in several key areas. More than 50 members hail from Quebec (une douzaine of whom were in attendance), and he estimated that female membership stands at between 5 and 6%. He suggested the time may be right for Montreal to establish a local chapter, as Toronto has successfully done. SIHR continues to enjoy a good relationship with the Quebec media.
Noting that back issues of the Journal have been digitized and are available to members on the SIHR website. Martel felt it would be helpful to create an index of these articles, an idea supported by Secretary Lloyd Davis.
Treasurer Paul Bruno's report underscored the group's solid financial situation, buoyed in large part by a $5,000 donation by Robert Colborne, chair and CEO of Pacific Western Transportation. Milks noted that there was growing pressure to pay suppliers electronically rather than by cheque. A policy was adopted whereby electronic payments drawn from SIHR's PayPal account must be vetted and approved by two of the Society's three signing officers.
Davis reported that membership stood at 516 and was particularly robust in Quebec (55) and B.C. (31). Two members had been added from Down Under, while the U.K. was home to 12.
Milks, reporting on behalf of the Website Committee in the absence of chair Ernie Fitzsimmons, reported that data input had slowed down. Montreal-area member Nicolas Chabot had approached Milks about automating the addition of the current year's NHL stats. Milks also spoke about quality control and attribution of sources as challenges to be addressed.
Milks added that, once his term as president is over, he will work to implement a more user-friendly SIHR website, including the automation of new member accounts. Currently, new members must wait for access to the website.
Paul Bennett of Halifax inquired about SIHR's presence in the social media. SIHR already had a Facebook page, but not a Twitter feed. The Facebook "wall" is open to all members to post information. Bennett suggested that a hashtag be created to help Twitter users find and share information about SIHR.
Since the meeting, a Twitter feed has been launched (@sihrhockey), which Davis is administering. Tidbits about member accomplishments, meeting details, and hockey history in general will be posted. The hashtags #SIHR and #sihrhockey point to information about the Society; others, such as #hockeybooks and #hockeyhistory, will also be of interest. The public is welcome to follow SIHR on Twitter, and the Society has more than 60 followers at press time.
Minor Pro Committee chair Jim Mancuso said his group are seeking help with their latest project, "The Greatest Administrators in Minor Pro Hockey." Please contact Jim at +1-315-733-0519 if you can assist.
Speaking for Hockey Research Journal editor Iain Fyffe, Mancuso said the Journal team was looking for additional pairs of eyes to help with proofreading. Davis will handle production chores.
SIHR's other traditional media outlet, the SIHR Newsletter, was the subject of extensive and at times passionate discussion. Kotylo pointed out that an edition of the newsletter had not been published prior to the Fall Meeting, suggesting that members had not been properly notified of the meeting.
Davis responded that more than 90 percent of members have provided email addresses, and were contacted that way several times, beginning on Sept. 8. Information was posted on the website, and letters were sent to those without addresses. He said these notices would have been issued regardless of whether a newsletter had been published, and he felt members had received the same notice as for any previous meeting.
Ultimately, a motion was passed directing the Executive Committee to consider and resolve issues surrounding the newsletter.
Kotylo spoke about the passing of SIHR member Joe Cronin and said that, like other members, he had amassed a wealth of information. He felt it was incumbent on SIHR to preserve these legacies and recommended that the Society contact heirs and inquire about parts of their collections being donated to SIHR. Potential stumbling blocks included competition from auction sites, the inability of SIHR to issue tax receipts for donations, and the question of where materials would be housed.
Just before breaking for lunch, Milks presented Harvey and Flamand with copies of a booklet about Georges Vézina and Jack Darragh, prepared by Paul Kitchen and translated into French. They also received copies of Pucklore and Bill Fitsell's How Hockey Happened.
After lunch, the group was addressed by Marc Fortier, general manager of the Saguenéens, for whom he starred in the 1980s. (See Fitsell's article on page X.)
Member presentations were led by what was perhaps the most creative topic in SIHR history: Benoît Clairoux's "Hockey Night in Benville." Richly illustrated with his own artwork, Clairoux documented the table hockey tilts between himself and his older brother over several seasons. It wasn't all fun and games, though: Clairoux's meticulous record-keeping of these matches revealed interesting statistical parallels with NHL hockey. For example, 85% of NHL goals have been scored by forwards, 14% by defenders. In "Benville," the split was an eerily similar 84-15.
Monika Moravan gave a talk on Canada's role in the development of Icelandic hockey. She attended the Iceland International Ice Hockey Tournament between October 6 and 9 in Reykjavik; it was the largest hockey tourney in Icelandic history. The event is put together by non-governmental organizations and funded entirely at the grassroots level by participants. Toronto-area hockey player Deirdre Norman organized the tournament, while SIHR member Liz Pead was also involved.
Mancuso ran the anchor leg, with a history of the Central Hockey League, which had commenced its 20th campaign.
Orillia, Ont., was announced as site of the 2012 Fall Meeting (see story, p. X). Fred Addis, curator of the Leacock Museum, will play host. Members then visited the gravesite of Georges Vézina, at nearby Saint-François-Xavier cemetery, where Guy Villeneuve gave a talk. Later, members gathered to watch the Leafs–Canadiens game. Needless to say, emotions were mixed when Toronto prevailed 5–4 in overtime.
Sunday morning saw Team Quebec and Team Ontario renew their rivalry at the Centre-Optik ball hockey rink. Referee Jocelyn Flamand set the tone with a rousing version of "O Canada," while les Québécois retained possession of the Fitsell Cup.
