This is me with the late, great Guy Lafleur. He was my first hockey hero. When I was maybe 6-7 years old, my uncle gave me a Guy poster which I proudly displayed in my bedroom. While he was not the same Guy of the 70s, he was still a great player. When he retired with the Canadiens, Larry Robinson and Mats Naslund became my favorite players.

I got to meet my first hero when I played in a charity hockey game for the Boys and Girls Club on Friday January 23^rd, 2015. It started out a nice morning but turned into a stormy day. I was teaching in Charlottetown in the morning and then after my morning class started out back to Summerside for the charity game at Slemon Park Plex. The snow had picked up and it was drifting terrible on Route 2. I made it to Hunter River, but the Department of Transportation had closed that part of the highway after the Hunter River Irving. I had to cut across countryside roads to get to Crapaud and then made it to Middleton past the old Irving location but ran into more trouble with drifting.

I finally made it back to Summerside and to the rink. I was the third player there; two teachers from Cape Breton drove in a storm to make the game. About 20 minutes later Guy Lafleur walked in the dressing room. What a friendly guy. We had a great chat. He was the coach for the game. I got to start on a line with another Habs great, Steve Shutt. 

 

 Terror in Canoe Cove- 1963

Sat. Nov. 2^nd- 1963

 

This story that appeared in the newspaper on Saturday, November 5^th, 1963 was certainly no ordinary Hallowe’en prank; more like a Hallowe’en nightmare for the family involved. According to media reports, Mr. and Mrs. Perley Shaw and their nine children of Canoe Cove had their home besieged by a group of unknown assailants who surrounded their home. The assailants broke three windows, threw rocks and large stones at the house, and tried to knock down one side of the home with a 10 foot long log. When Hallowe’en night came to an end for this family, the family’s car was upended, and the family dog was killed. During the assault on the home, the family hid in the upstairs of the home. Since the family did not have a telephone, Mr. Shaw got one of his sons out a window to seek help where he would then run all the way to a neighbour’s house located a quarter of a mile away. The media reported one child is recuperating from bronchitis and another with a fractured skull as a result of the incident.

 

Gerry Fleming Card

This card is from probably my favorite American Hockey League card set. The team set of the Fredericton Canadiens is from 1992-93. This set was sponsored by Ben's Bakery, Village, and Pepsi. Notable baby Habs in this set besides Fleming include Oleg Petrov, Paul Dipietro, Donald Brashear, Turner Stevenson, and Jesse Belanger.

Here is the listing of all cards in this set: https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/cards/setdetail.php?set_id=424

The 6’5, 240 lbs Fleming, has ties to PEI.Fleming played four seasons with the UPEI Panthers from 1986-87 to 1990-91. He also played on the Allan Cup-winning Armour Fence Islanders team in 1990-91.

Stats with UPEI according to Legends of Hockey Website: https://www.hhof.com/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=14949

UPEI Statistics

Season          GP      G        A      Pts.
1986-87         20       19       11       30
1987-88         23       11       15       26
1988-89         17       11       23       34
1990-91         9          2          6        8

Fleming was one of my favorite Fredericton Canadiens players. I watched him play numerous times at the Charlottetown Civic Centre whenever the Canadiens were in town to face the PEI Senators. His highest point total in the American Hockey League occurred in the 1992-93 season, where in 64 games played, 9 goals, 17 assists, 26 points and 262 PIMS. In 11 NHL games, he was held pointless but had 42 PIMS.

For additional information on Fleming’s time in PEI, here is a great story in the Guardian Newspaper:

https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/sports/hockey/former-panther-gerry-fleming-enjoying-time-developing-future-nhlers-105956/

Haunted Garage- Hallowe'en 2018

Hallowe’en Editorial – October 31st, 1950, in the Guardian

Hallowe’en

Witches, ghosts, goblins et al will be on the prowl tonight. Citizens will be called to “shell-out” with appropriate eatables and haunting expeditions will become guests for loot. Oddly enough, taking part in Hallowe’en haunting is apt to be a death blow to superstition in the rising generation.  While ghost stories leave their mark on the impressionable minds, actually dressing up and taking part in a carnival of spirits gives the youngster a very matter of fact attitude towards psychic phenomena. The seriousness of pranks has declined for many years, very likely because of parties being organized which are much more fun than wanton destruction. The vigilance of the police has no doubt been another important factor in bringing about improved behaviour by the spirit world.  A splendid innovation has been made by the Charlottetown Kinsmen in holding annual Hallowe’en parties to which all youngsters of the city and environs are cordially invited. This event has grown in popularity from year to year, and tonight’s big party at the Armouries, starting at 7 o’clock, and including games and amusements, treats and prizes for costumes, should set a new mark for attendance and enjoyment. This outlet for junior high spirits is an ideal solution to the Halloween problem, and it is hoped that parents will cooperate to as wide an extent as possible.