Hockey in Wartime Canada, 1939-1945

FOR CLUB OR COUNTRY? HOCKEY IN WARTIME CANADA, 1939-1945 BY Gabriel Stephen Panunto, B.A. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History Carleton University Ottawa Ontario July 19, 2000 Q copyright 2000 Gabriel Stephen Panunto National Library Bibliothèque nationale I*I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON KtA ON4 OnawaON KlAON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT Sports reflect the societies that support them, and hockey in Canada during World War Two is no exception. Popular hockey history has defined the era as one of great sacrifices by the National Hockey League. largely because academic research is non- existent. A closer examination reveals no great sacrifices in players or profit by N'HL clubs. Most players who enlisted continued to play hockey on military teams, without seeing combat. This occurred with the tacit approvai of the public, and with the help of the federal government's flexible manpower policies. Whiie this flexibility allowed players to escape combat, it was a side effect of an effort to appease pro- and anti- conscription factions. Morale-boosting was the catch-al1 justification for the continuation of professional and military hockey, as it tied overseas servicemen to home and reminded civilians of a better, peaceful time. More than that, it was an "acceptable" form of distraction, as it encouraged social cohesion and promoted nationalism. Thanks to Professors Duncan McDowall and Dominique Marshall for guidance, Joan White for answering my interminable questions, Professor Sue Morton for the inspiration, KeMn Moore at DND, Benny Ercolani and Julie Young from the MIL, Jane Rodney at the HHOF, James Duplacey fiom Total Hockev, and my editors Angela, Belinda, Jamie, Kim, Sarah, Mom and Dad. And a Special Thanks to Maurice Richard (1921-2000). for showing that sports do transcend society - and for simply being 'The Rocket'. Introduction Hockey and World War Two Canada: A Nation on Skates Chapter One Gap in the Record: Hockey History Without World War Two Socioloçical Views of Spon Chapter Two The Rise of Professional Hockey and The NHL Chapter Three Conn, Conscription and Les Canadiens Chapter Four Military Units Take to the Ice Chapter Five Players in a Soldiers War Conclusion Wartime Hockey: Pragmatic Political Game Bibliography Introduction to Appendices Legend to Appendices Appendix A: CMLeagues in Contention for the Allen Cup Appendix B : Professional Leagues, 1939-46 Appendix C : Exarnples of City-Area Leagues C. 1 Montreal Area Leagues C .2 Winnipeg Area Leagues C.3 Toronto Area Leagues Appendix D: NHL Players Born Between 1913 and 1926 D. 1 Military Hockey Oniy D.2 Both Military Service and Military Hockey D.3 Military Service Only D.4 NHL Careers Ended in the Military D.5 Careers Ended in the Military D.6 Military Service and/or Military Hockey (Future NHL Players) D.7 Military Service andor Military Hockey (Former NHL Players) D.8 Careers Ended in the Military (Former NKL Players) D.9 No Miiitary Experience D. 1 O No Military Experience (Future N'HL Players) D. 1 I No Military Experience (Former NHL Players) Appendix E: NHL Players Born Between 1902 and 19 12 E. I No MiIitary Expenence E.2 Careers Which Ended During the War E.3 Careers Which ended Before the War E.4 Military Service Only E. 5 Military Hockey Only Appendix F: Minor League Players Born Between 19 13 and 1926 F. 1 Military Service Only F.2 Both Military Service and Military Hockey F.3 Careers Which Ended in the Military F.4 Careers Which Ended Dunng the War F.5 Military Hockey Only Appendix G: Minor League Players Born Between 1902 and 19 12 G. 1 No Military SeMce G.2 Careers Which Ended in the Military G.3 Careers Which Ended During the War G.4 Careers Which Ended Before the War Began Appendix H: Turnover On NHL Teams, 1939- 1946 H. 1 Montreal Canadiens H.2 Toronto Maple Leafs H.3 Chicago Black Hawks H.4 Detroit Red Wings H.5 New York Rangers H.6 Boston Bruins H.7 BrooklynMew York Americans Appendix 1: The Structure of NHL Management, 1939- 1945 Appendix J: Military Leagues and Teams J. 1 Major CAHA Leagues with Military Teams That Used Maen 1.2 Military Teams That Used Enlisted MU Players INTRODUCTION HOCKEYAND WORLDWAR TWO War came to Canada on September 10, 1939. a week after the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe. Many citizens immediately volunteered for military service; the realities of war. like rationing, soon became a regular part of life for Canadians. The National Hockey League. with 95% of its players Canadian citizens, managed to avoid the sting of war until the fall of 1941. That autumn, herican-based WL and minor-professional leagues faced problems - and public attention - for the Grst time due to Canadian players having trouble obtaining exit visas from Ottawa in order to work south of the border. In order to obtain these permits. the players had to first receive permission to leave the country from their respective branches of the Labour War Service Board. Since each province, dong with Toronto and Montreal, had its own branch, a controversy broke out when a number of boards announced they would not gant permission for any hockey players to leave for the W. S. under any circumstances. Several hockey leaders worked to change these decisions, but to no avail. However, this did not cuase a rnass exodus of players from the MU, as most teams were still able to ice cornpetitive clubs. The significance of the passpon crisis, as it was dubbed, was that it put the issue of wartime hockey in the consciousness of the average Canadian for the first time. Mer the 1941/42 season the Ma felt the first real attrition of players to the armed forces. Every team lost players, many of whom choose to volunteer for military service rather than be coerced into uniforrn under the Nationai Resources Mobilization Act. Still, the NHL continued to carry on through the war at the behest of the federal rovernment, because, according to league President Frank Calder, hockey was believed Y to be essential to the morale of both citizens and troops. Clubs became increasingly dependant on militarily-exempt players to fil1 out their rosters. The three main groups considered for exemptions were those who fell outside the age limits of selective service. those who were deemed medically unfit for military service. and those who had essential jobs in war industries. Some hockey promoters quickly tned to do their part in the war effort. Conn Smythe, Toronto Maple Leafs' owner, signed up and created his own military unit, the 'Sponsman's Battery. ' Of the players who did enter military service, an overwhelming majority did not actively fight overseas. Furthemore. rnany players actuaily continued to play hockey, either domestically or overseas, for n~ilitnryteams. These military teams became so strong that one captured the Allan Cup in 1943. symbolic of the senior league championship of Canada. National attention returned to the issue of wartime hockey in 1914, centered around Maple Leafs goaltender Walter 'Turk' Broda. The all-star netminder was arrested en route to Montreal and accused of leaving his military base without permission in order to play for a Montreal-area military base. Soon afler, al1 three branches of the military separately stated that military tearns would no longer be eligible to play for the Alan Cup. By the end of the war, not one front-line NHL player had been killed in defence of his country and only a handful of established NHLers saw frontline combat. The NHL thus emerged from the war in a condition of unprecedented stability and economic success. The hockey world, which included players and management in military, senior and professional leagues, emerged into a golden era with very little stigma attached to its wartime actions. To this day, any coverage of the wartime period in hockey history uncriticaily accepts the NHL's assertion that hockey served as a morale booster and distraction for the public. This is, in part, due to the N'HL'S adherence to al1 manpower regulations, and a siynificant lack of sustained public criticism of professional players or leagues. While the world of professional hockey gained much and sacrificed Mein the war effort. this merely reflected the legai ai~dsocial expectations of wartime Canada. This thesis seeks to explain the reasons behind this phenornenon. Hockey has the capacity to induce recollection of familiar expenences and to subtly connect this recollection to a seemingly less complicated imaye of Canadian society.' It is Our game. It is Our passion. It is the only spon that truly fills our souls and matters to us, not just as fans, but as people.

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