Hometown Honours

[Staniowski]

Lionel Conacher Park, Toronto, ON.

Not just a hockey player, Lionel Conacher was well-known for his excellence in several sports.

 

[Staniowski]

Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre, Brantford, ON.

 

[Staniowski]

Gordie Howe - Saskatoon, SK.

Gordie Howe statue

Kinsmen Gordie Howe Arena

Gordie Howe Campground

Gordie Howe Bridge

Gordie Howe Bowl

Gordie Howe Sports Complex

 

[Staniowski]

Gordie Howe - Floral, SK.

Gordie Howe was born near the location in the photo, around the rural community of Floral, Saskatchewan. He moved with his family to Saskatoon when he was an infant. The Howe house in Floral was 15 km or so southeast of downtown Saskatoon. They lived close to the downtown area of Saskatoon.

 

[Staniowski]

Guy Lafleur - Thurso, Quebec.

Arena Guy Lafleur

Also a street: Rue Guy Lafleur

 

[Staniowski]

Paul Henderson - Lucknow, ON.

 

[frontsfan2005]

Parc Patrick Lalime in St. Bonaventure, QC.

 

[JianYang]

Pat Quinn had a street named after him near Roger's arena in Vancouver. I think this is fairly new.

 

[Staniowski]

Max Bentley and Doug Bentley, Delisle, Saskatchewan.

The small town of Delisle is located about 45 km southwest of Saskatoon.

 

[Staniowski]

Steve Yzerman Arena in Nepean, ON.

Nepean was formerly a separate city and suburb of Ottawa; it is now part of the city of Ottawa.

 

[Staniowski]

Larry Robinson Arena in Metcalfe, ON.

Metcalfe was formerly a town located south of Ottawa, and is now a part of the city of Ottawa.

Larry Robinson grew up in the tiny hamlet of Marvelville, which is located between the small towns of Russell, Metcalfe and Winchester, south of Ottawa, in the Ottawa Valley. Robinson was born in Winchester and played his minor hockey in both Russell and Metcalfe.

There is a dirt road in Marvelville named Larry Robinson Road.

 

[Staniowski]

Toe Blake Arena in Coniston, ON, which is now part of the City of Sudbury.

 

[Staniowski]

Al MacInnis Sports Centre in tiny Port Hood, NS.

 

[Staniowski]

Doug Wickenheiser Arena, Regina, SK.

 

[Staniowski]

Murray Balfour Arena, Regina, SK.

 

[Staniowski]

Colisee Desjardins in Victoriaville, Quebec.

It was formerly called Amphitheatre Gilbert-Perreault.

Home of the Victoriaville Tigres of the Q.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

Joe Thornton Community Centre Hockey Rinks at HockeyCircles.com

Joe Thorton Community Centre.

 

[Staniowski]

Centre Dave-Keon, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.

 

[Staniowski]

Newsy Lalonde Way, Cornwall, Ontario.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

This is a really good thread idea.

I walked 15 km today to and from Conacher Park, located in the northern end of Toronto. I believe it was named for Charlie. I thought there was a plaque or sign there - if so, I couldn't find it. Interesting how there isn't any space to play hockey there - but it does have a stone ping pong table.

The dreary sky doesn't help, but it hardly seems like a befitting landmark for such a great player.

 

[The Professional]

Steve Yzerman Arena in Nepean (Ottawa).

Stevie Y played one season for the Nepean Raiders, a junior A team who plays in this arena.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I was recently in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec (a city of about 40,000, located about 7 hrs northwest of Montreal).

Here's a picture of Aréna Glencore (which used to be named Aréna Dave Keon - though it still prominently displays his name on the building). It seats about 3,000 people and is home to the QMJHL's Huskies. Keon (despite having an English name and playing most of his career with the Leafs) was born in one of the towns that form modern Rouyn-Noranda (and played hockey there before moving to Toronto). The arena is a five minute walk from the Lake Osisko waterfront.

There's also the Aréna Jacques-Laperrière, located about 15 minutes away on foot. Why two arenas in such a small town? Rouyn and Noranda were separate communities, each with their separate rinks, but they were amalgamated in 1986. The Huskies played in the arena named after Keon because it's a bit larger and more modern.

I'm not certain why the arena was named after Laperriere, though. He was born in Béarn, a hamlet which is about 130 km south of Rouyn-Noranda. As far as I can tell (unlike Keon), Laperriere never played for either the Rouyn or Noranda QJMHL teams. I suppose they wanted to honour someone else from western Quebec, but I can't find anything concrete about if or how Laperriere had any association with Rouyn Noranda. If anyone has any details, let me know.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I recently visited Mitchell, Ontario - the hometown of Howie Morenz. It's located approximately 170 km northwest of Toronto.

It's a small town, founded in the mid 19th century. Modern infrastructure (roads & electricity) were established in 1889, only 13 years before Morenz was born. He played hockey in the community for several years before travelling to nearby Stratford (where he got the nickname the "Stratford Streak").

There's a mural on one of the grocery stores:

There's a commemorate plaque in a flower bed:

As I've mentioned in other threads - Morenz's life (and tragic death) make such a compelling story. It's a shame the NHL hasn't done more to promote its pre-WWII history. They way to do it through stories like Morenz's (as opposed to stats that would be almost incomprehensible to modern fans).

 

[MBTendy]

 

[Jocke1]