Canadiens Organization Hosts The Society For International Hockey Research

by Robert L on May 19, 2009 2:01 AM EDT Comment 17 comments

I will subtitle this piece, "Brushes with Hab - ness, media - ness, and wonderful day of learning about people involved in the game of hockey, while somehow losing my tour group inside the Bell Centre". This will be a lengthy, but worthwhile read for regulars of this site or anyone inquisitive of hockey behind the scenes. I sincerely hope that it captures something for you that enriches your hockey knowledge. My May 16 day at the Bell Centre, in the company of SIHR members, NHL alumni, sons of former Canadiens players, and Habs media was as enlightening a day as I have ever lived. I hope that you can share in the enthusiam of what I have learned. Your comments, each and every one, are welcomed, and will be personally addressed.

Six months ago, when I first became a member of the Society for International Hockey Research, I never envisioned a day quite like this past Saturday. For a fanatic of the game and it's origins, the 10 hours spent inside the Bell Centre were an eye opener and a jaw dropper all in one. I had a great time!

It's one thing to be in a room with 55 other like minded hockey fanatic souls, and it's entirely another feeling to be dwarfed by both their presence, knowledge and respect for the game of hockey. Amongst them, I was meek, to say the least.

For those unfamiliar with the SIHR, it is a fast growing network of writers, former players, statisticians, collectors, broadcasters, academics and just plain hockey buffs, who have been practicing their hobby, pretty much in isolation for years.

The Society is a non profit organization which is entirely operated by members who volunteer their time. Through membership dues, donations and grants, the group produces newsletters, the annual journal and maintains a web site. Their mandate is to promote, develop and encourage the study of the game of ice hockey as a significant international athletic and popular social institution; to establish an accurate historical account of hockey through the years; and to assist in the dissemination of the findings and studies derived from research.

The web site is absolutely atounding. There is no other comparable hockey player and team database as voluminous on the internet. At last count, the site features 15,161 teams and 117,630 players profiles from every possible corner of the globe. The SIHR's Ernie Fitzsimmons enters the majority of site data, and he is a stat maniac with few peers.

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Great read, Robert. It’s interesting to me the contrast between some hockey sons, who enter the game with a sense of entitlement (I can think of one or two offhand), and some who come into the game with perhaps too much humility, and feel the burden of their hockey heritage too keenly. Dan Geoffrion stands out as another example of the latter; his major-pro career was far shorter than his father’s, and he didn’t even want his own son to play the game, because of the expectations on the name. Somehow, Blake found hockey the deep South, anyway, and is now a Preds prospect.

Also good to see that the past is the past for you and HIO.

SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there)

by Doogie2K on May 19, 2009 9:49 AM EDT reply actions

Good point!

Both Danny and Hull Brothers Bobby Jr and Blake played in Cornwall, and their was a contrast in their demeanor that was apparent even from a distance. Dan was proud but humble, the Hull boys brash and cocksure. I’d spoken to Blake about Brett one time, and he alerted me that he would be a player one day. Blake said that at 14 Brett had his father’s shot – I never forgot that. If Brett was anything like his brothers, a trait that got him where he ended up had to be his complete disregard for people’s opinions good or bad. He just flat out didn’t care what anyone thought.

by Robert L on May 19, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Brett was cocky in many ways, but it generally served him well. Some Canadians never forgave him for turning his back on Team Canada for being left off the World Junior squad one year, and playing for USA, mind you.

I’m actually thinking specifically of a Bentley brother’s son who was a Leafs prospect in the 70s (the name eludes me), but history is littered with guys who thought they deserved more than they had because of who Daddy or Uncle were. Hockey being a meritocracy, they quickly learned otherwise. ;)

SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there)

by Doogie2K on May 21, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I gotta get in on this someday, I’ll just need to learn more habs history first, and learn to write and then make $30 so I can pay for the membership, then maybe I can.

Howie Morenz is for some reason my favorite player. I’ve never seen him play, all I have done is read about him, and I like what I’ve read.

~~~aroundthehabs.blogspot.com~~~

by gillis on May 19, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions

The SIHR is awesome. There are people among them who may know little of the NHL actually, as they specialize in early times, minor leagues, or whatever nook and cranny that grabs their fancy.

I’ve got about seven seasons of Canadiens years written that feature Morenz that I have not posted yet….it’s amazing stuff!

by Robert L on May 19, 2009 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t get it. You became a fan in ‘69, you started writing on EOTP in ’06… how do you have seven years of Habs history featuring Morenz in stock? Where do you get this information? Is it that you’ve read it somewhere and remember it? Is it a collection of stories you’ve been told? Or is it just on wikipedia?

~~~aroundthehabs.blogspot.com~~~

by gillis on May 20, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Robert means..

that he has blogs/articles ready to go, but is waiting publish them online.

You’ll notice on this site, that Robert has been chronicling the Habs seasons from day one, and adding them in order to his site.

He doesn’t rush them as he posts them with extensive and unflawed detail (more than what Wikipedia can provide) and are well worth the wait.

by yathehabsrule on May 20, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions

All of the above minus wiki. It comes from a cross section of lots and lots of books read, in addition to an okay memory.

by Robert L on May 20, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Always learning something new everyday!

I had no clue that this organization existed.

Just perusing the SIHR site, what I can look at until I join, and it’s a gateway to volumes of information.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention Robert! Great work, as always.

Kevin

P.S. I gotta join just for the one-game wonder list…..gotta know who the “Moonlight Graham” of hockey is :)

by yathehabsrule on May 19, 2009 10:00 PM EDT reply actions

Earlier this evening, I received a very nice note from the Morenz family thanking me for the post. It was more than I expected. Howie #3 also sent a very rare photo that I have added to the post. It is the one of Howie in a practice jersey.

I hope you join Kevin – it’ s well worth it. It’s a site I spend at least 10 hours in each week. The information there is absolutely astounding.

The SIHR gather in May and October of each year and will be in Belleville come October. As I have just learned – you never know who will show up!

by Robert L on May 19, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Sounds good!

That sounds like a plan my friend.

I could even drop my girlfriend off at her mom’s for the weekend as she lives just outside of Belleville…lol

She can tolerate me watching games and playing, but she’s clued in that I’m a bit of a hockey “geek” too…lol

Glad to see you had the chance to meet Mr. Houle again. I trust that he was a better Bell Centre tour guide than the poor young lady that was thrown into the pool of well-Habs educated HIO summiteers…lol

by yathehabsrule on May 20, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Ian Cobb is in Belleville as well.

Houle was awesome every step of the way. Unfortunately, when he showed at Baton Rouge last October, we were all in the midst of that hastilly done raffle. I felt his visit and the passing out of gifts overlapped a bit much. I apologized.

Your girlfriend would have a good chat about that geekness with my wife!

by Robert L on May 20, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Robert,

Thanks for another fine piece. No doubt the Canadiens organization is generally very good to fans and former players. But the Gazette story noted that while the Canadiens invited Morenz’s daughter, Marlene Geoffrion, to the unveiling of the Morenz statue, Morenz’s son and grandson (Howie, Jr. and his son) were not invited. Thus their recent visit was the first time they saw the statue. That was quite an oversight. I do hope the Canadiens organization listens to Howie Jr.’s request about the Morenz photo on display.

by Peter Young on May 21, 2009 1:21 AM EDT reply actions

So do I. Howie’s # 2 and 3 visited the Molson Centre in 2000 and later wrote to the Canadiens asking that it be changed. They had been assured it was and found out over the weekend that it hadn’t. The Habs class has gone a little AWOL in their regards. I wish I had the finances to correct it myself.

by Robert L on May 21, 2009 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions