On January 1st, 1936, the Amesbury Maples hosted the Arlington Cubs at the Lemoine Memorial Rink on Friend Street in downtown Amesbury to continue the 1935-36 winter season. Maples Manager Wilbrod Picard announced the details of the New Year’s Day battle between Amesbury and traveling Arlington on December 31st, 1935, to the local sports media in attendance.
( Photo Credit: Picard Family Collection )
The game was set for a 2:30 pm puck drop at the 150 by 85-foot rink at the rear of the original St. Jeans Club. The visiting Arlington Cubs knew that the Maples were a competitive organization through word of mouth around the hockey community in the northeast, so they loaded up before traveling north to Amesbury.
Arlington reached out to Harvard University hockey player Mike Hovenian, who had a stellar collegiate career for the Crimson in the previous two seasons. A few more local college hockey players in the Boston area with last names, such as Leveroni and Dutton, joined the Arlington team to bolster their Cubs lineup.
( Photo Credit: Picard Family Collection )
Before the New Year’s game against Arlington, the Amesbury Maples started the 1935-36 season on a two-game winning streak. Amesbury beat the Gloucester Town Team by the score of 11-4 in the season’s first contest to beat the Lowell AC team 11-4 later. Player-coach Eddie Nichols had three offensive lines, three defensive pairings, and an extra defenseman.
( Photo Credit: Picard Family Collection )
During the 1935-36 winter season, the Amesbury Maples heavily relied on two offensive lines for success that year. The “kid line,” made up of Alphonse Picard, Harold Roche, and Gerard Roy, would work as a trio, producing 53 goals and 34 assists, leading the Maples’ offense. The “veteran line,” or Amesbury’s second line of Harland “Chewie” Williams, Aurel Picard, and Hercule Cloutier, were no slouches on the ice, providing leadership and experience while producing a respectable 37 goals and 28 assists as a group.
( Photo Credit: Picard Family Collection )
Amesbury’s Albie Roy, Newburyport’s Henry Graf, and Exeter’s Ernie Burnham made up the third offensive line for the Maples and were tasked with the grinding efforts of shutting down their opponent’s top offensive lines. John Reddy and Jules “Zoot” Roy were in goal during this particular season. Reddy played for the majority of the year, with Roy filling in when needed.
( Photo Credit: Picard Family Collection )
The Amesbury Maples would go on to finish the 23-game 1935-36 season with a 14-8-1 record, scoring 140 goals while giving up 104. As a member of the NEAAU and standout regular season, the Maples were invited to the annual end-of-season tournament held at the original Boston Garden. In this tournament, the Maples defeated the Cambridge University City Club and the Wollaston Sports Club but, in later rounds, lost to the Melrose Hockey Club and the Medford Hockey Club, finishing the hockey competition that year.
On December 31st, 1924, the Amesbury Maples hockey team traveled to the Frog Pond (Bartlet Mall) in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to face the Crescents Sports Club. This was the first official game for the Maples organization as former managers Armand Hudon and Emilien “Mickey” Jutras assembled the best players from the Amesbury, Massachusetts area.
( Photo Credit: Digital Commonwealth )
The road game vs. Newburyport was described as fast, rough, and interesting as this border war for sports dominance continued with the addition of this winter sports activity. After skating to a 5-5 tie in regulation, the visiting Maples and Crescents needed overtime to settle the score on the cold New Year’s Eve near the Newburyport Superior Court.
( Photo Credit: Digital Commonwealth )
The Maples came away with a 6-5 victory over the host Newburyport Crescents, setting the tone for the Amesbury hockey organization to move forward, seeking competitive competition at home or taking their talents on the road. The Maples roster for this game featured center Eddie Nichols, right-wing Aurel Picard, left-wing Armand Roy, right-defenseman Gerard Proulx, left-defenseman Exie Martel, and goaltender Issie Lessard.
On December 31st, 1934, the Amesbury Maples played the Maynard Hockey Club at the Lemoine Memorial Rink on Friend Street in downtown Amesbury, Massachusetts. It was a cold and windy Monday night, but that didn’t stop the hundreds of fans in attendance at the facility located at the rear of the St. Jeans Club.
Amesbury started the opening period up on the scoreboard 2-0 courtesy of an unassisted goal from John Lucy and Gerard Roy, who scored a goal assisted by Alphonse Picard. The visiting Maynard team turned up their offensive pressure, scoring three straight goals to end the period leading 3-2.
( Photo Credit: Picard Family Collection )
In the second period, Maples forward Albie Roy tied the game at three apiece, assisted by Alphonse Picard. The Maples would take a 4-3 lead when Gerard Roy scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Albie Roy. Alphonse Picard and Albie Roy both played intense games physically and were leaders offensively, both posting multi-point games vs. Maynard.
In the third period, Maples forward Harold “Chewie” Williams would extend the Amesbury lead to 5-3 with a goal assisted by Archie Cloutier, who was playing well and helping the Maples hold down the lead. Cloutier would figure in the final Maple goal when he set up forward Aurel Picard, giving Amesbury a 6-3 lead in the final frame. Maynard would get one more goal in the final minutes of the third period, but it wasn’t enough in this contest, as the home Maples defeated the visiting Maynard team by the score of 6-4.
This was a significant victory for the Amesbury Maples, who were previously on a three-game losing streak, dropping games to the North Cambridge Hockey Club, the Lafayettes out of Haverhill, Mass., and St. Dominic’s from Lewiston, Maine. The Maples would end the 1934-34 winter hockey season with a 13-6-3 record and back in the NEAAU postseason tournament for another year held at the original Boston Garden.
On the night of Monday, December 28th, the Amesbury Maples hockey organization opened its seventh season with a first-game battle against the visiting Hampton Town Hockey Team. The 1931-32 season opener was held at the Lemoine Memorial Rink behind the original St. Jeans Baptiste Club on Friend Street, with the Maples skating around Hampton for the 12-1 victory. Maples forwards Archie Clouteir and Chewy Williams provided the Amesbury offense, scoring six goals each.
This was a great start to the year, as the Amesbury Maples were coming off an 18-2-1 record in the 1930-31 winter season, ending as Essex County Champions with first-year Manager William Trottier and Head Coach Wilbrod Picard. That year, the Maples organization first appeared in the New England Amateur Athletic Union (NEAAU) tournament held in the spring of 1931 at the Providence, Rhode Island Auditorium. That spring, the Maple team lost to the West Point AC team out of Nashua, New Hampshire, in the semi-finals.
After beating Hampton on this day over 92 years ago, the Maples would finish another solid season with a record of 17-4-1. Amesbury won another Essex County Championship, good enough for another invite to the NEAAU spring tournament back in Providence, Rhode Island, in the spring of 1932. With the management of Trottier and the line orchestrating effort of coach Picard, this Maples team was building a dynasty in the 1930s, the most successful decade in the organization’s history.
With the Amesbury Maples organization coming up on the 100th anniversary of its inception in 1924, plans to honor the many who wore the Kelly Green and White throughout the team’s history are underway. I had the pleasure of meeting with the Amesbury City Archivist Meghan Fahey this week at the library to hear what the city has planned for the upcoming festivities.
While Meghan and I discussed several options to help honor the Maples organization for the 100th celebration, one thing that became apparent in this meeting was we need a lot of help. Megan talked about gathering items from the Maples back in the day to borrow for display at a location later to be named. Fahey also mentioned that if there are any insecurities about lending precious family items, the library will ensure their safety wherever the items are housed for display.
What Items Are We Looking For?
We’re looking for old game-used hockey sticks used during Maples games, Maples jerseys, Maples player skates, Maples pictures, Maples paintings, Maples awards, and anything that’s Maples or hockey history in our community would be considered and greatly appreciated.
( Photo Credit: US Hockey Hall of Fame / StarTribune )
I’m also working on getting the Amesbury Maples recognized at the United States Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota. If anyone donates items for the 100th-anniversary display and would like to move any items to be shrined in the state of Minnesota, please let me know.
Amesbury Maples 100th Anniversary Outdoor Game
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove at the annual Caiden’s Crusaders Childhood Cancer Awareness fundraiser at Game Time on Haverhill Road (Rt. 110). Mayor Gove and I discussed the idea of an outdoor hockey game to honor so many Maples players who wore the Kelly Green and White jerseys in the past. The Mayor was very interested in this project and gave me the approval to measure an area in town and see if the grade is workable for this outdoor game idea.
Mayor Gove recommended the open area at the bottom of Water Street just before the bridge headed to the old Bartley Machine building, as seen in the image below. This will be our focus of land to go and take a look at and get some measurements to see if a full-size hockey rink can accommodate. I also shared two images of what could be purchased for this outdoor event from the great folks at EZ-Ice.com.
As you can see in the images above, courtesy of EZ-Ice.com, this particular hockey rink isn’t cheap. This plastic board set-up can be assembled easily and broken down to be stored for future winter recreation use for years to come. This project could also be made of wood and a plastic liner if a cheaper route is needed to build this ice rink structure.
No matter what method we decide on with this hockey rink project for the Amesbury Maples 100th-year anniversary, it’s going to take a fundraising effort to make it possible. I will be starting a Go-Fund-Me account for individuals and Amesbury businesses to donate. Businesses that donate will have the option for advertising opportunities for this event and will be in different donation tiers.
This project will need a decent amount of volunteers to make happen, so if anyone is interested in starting an Amesbury Maples 100th Anniversary outdoor game committee, please send me an email to blackngoldproductionsllc@gmail.com. We’re also open to other ideas you might have for an outdoor game or possibly another Amesbury city location where these festivities can be held if one location won’t accommodate a hockey rink. Please let us know and get involved!!
As a lower-end sports journalist covering the Boston Bruins organization from the NHL level down to the prospects worldwide, I’ve had the pleasure of talking to the next ones coming up through the professional minor-pro ranks. On most occasions, these professional athletes often tell me they started playing the game of hockey by participating in youth dek-hockey (Ball Hockey) or inline hockey leagues growing up.
It’s no secret that ice hockey is a costly sport, and with equipment costs and local ice time constantly on the rise, many are seeking alternatives to getting their children interested in hockey. Many communities with a National Hockey League teams close by are starting to promote the game’s growth by building outside facilities for all ages to enjoy and spark interest where everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Recently the city of Gloucester, Massachusetts, broke ground and completed a tremendous hockey facility dedicated to street hockey. It got me thinking about why our Amesbury community couldn’t get the ball rolling on something like this below. In this YouTube video, Gloucester Hockey did its due diligence in seeking grant money for recreation and getting local fundraising to create the facility below.
Having a facility or two like this in our Amesbury community would be a huge step in developing the next generation of homegrown hockey players. In my opinion, this type of internal developmental idea in our area would relieve the need for our Amesbury athletes to merge with surrounding communities and drive the interest in the game higher than it is today.
The city of Amesbury has fields for baseball/softball, football, and soccer for activities that need open areas for sports recreation. Why can’t a sport like hockey, which was successful here in Amesbury, Massachusetts, at the high school level to the semi-pro ranks of the Amesbury Maples hockey team for nearly 90 years, get the same opportunity?
Amesbury Maples legends Albie Roy, Alphonse Picard, Archie Cloutier, and Fred Fournier Sr., to name a few, were Amesbury residents that instrumental factors in building a foundation of strong internal hockey development in our community. These men were not only outstanding hockey players but also charitable, with their time for younger generations, and often there to help out if a child didn’t have the appropriate gear to play.
For instance, a legend like Alphonse Picard would save old hand-me-down equipment if a local child interested in the game didn’t have the proper protection to participate. Alphonse was always there to help out when families couldn’t afford the required protective gear. Picard didn’t separate people from money and who made what. To him, it was about the game, and no individual is above the team.
Those men were also skilled volunteers when it came to building an outdoor hockey rink facility. After the Maples left the Pattens Pond (Pattens Hollow Back Then) mobile ice rink, they moved to the Biddle & Smart property across Main Street and their ten-team shop league, where the first man-made rink in town was located at the foot of Aubin Street. The Maples were so good in the Biddle & Smart league that they were forced out of participation after five years and had to look for an area where the team’s home games would be played.
The new home of the Amesbury Maples would then be located at the rear of the original St. Jeans Club, which today would be located right next to the old Mill Restaurant, which is now the Barking Dod Bar & Grill. Albie Roy and Alphonse Picard led the way for the new rink construction to house a frozen outdoor sheet measuring 150-foot by 85-foot playing surface. This rink, located on Friend Street here in Amesbury, was later named the Lemoine Rink in honor of goaltender Chiefie Lemoine who passed away from an infection at a practice session.
The Lemoine Memorial Rink was the home ice of the Maples until the 1940-41 season. The Essex County League and several league members deemed the Lemoine Memorial Rink as undersized for league competition forcing the team and town of Amesbury to seek another location that was regulation size at 200 feet by 85 feet.
( Photo Credit: Alphonse Picard Family Collection )
After not having home ice for close to five seasons and traveling to Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Lynn Arena in Lynn, Massachusetts, the Maples moved their home ice location to the flats of Amesbury, located off of Clinton Street Extention, where they helped build the Powwow Skating Arena, which was completed before the 1947-48 winter season. The Maples would stay at the flat’s location (Clinton Street Extention) until the 1957-58 winter season, where again, they would need to travel to find suitable ice for competition outside their hometown of Amesbury.
Before the winter of 1961-62, the Maples would again find a place to call home where a collaborative effort of local players and Amesbury city/town workers would complete the rink at the Amesbury Park. The park facility would be the last outdoor surface that was built here in our community. After the park rink lasted about a decade, it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain competitive ice conditions in our location in New England.
The Maples and youth programs would find overhead cover and suitable ice conditions when the Begin & Hudon families partnered up to literally raise the roof of the old Crossroads Bowl building to facilitate the new Amesbury Hockey Arena. The first season for hockey at the Amebury Hockey Arena was in 1971-72 and would be in operation for a little over a decade ending home ice in the area, which remains without a facility in-house.
( Photo Credit: Hudon Family Collection )
With the uncertainty of home ice with the Maples Crossing facility and land being passed to the Munters Corporation on the South Hunt Road site, I believe the time is now for street hockey with inline and ice capabilities to better prepare the next generation of local hockey players. Again hockey is expensive, and having home places to play games recreationally or visit for personal skills training, as seen in the video above, we need to start thinking about the developmental survival and dream so many great men and families had in our communities hockey history.
I often think of the iconic movie Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner. If you build it, they will come, which is something I constantly think about. This is exactly how non-traditional areas in the NHL, like Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, are thriving with how they produce local talent with professional teams nearby. I know some people have pushed back on my ideas about this type of outdoor facility, but you have to lay a footprint on a young aspiring hockey player, and I believe we as a community don’t do enough about it to drive that potential passion with an all-season training facility internally.
If the land was available at the Amesbury Park for the local fundraising efforts to give the sport and participation of skateboarding a place to go, why can’t we get together as a community and see what we can do about an all-season outdoor rink? This is a win-win, in my opinion, because, as I said earlier, it gives families that might be struggling financially an opportunity for their children to participate at some level of the game.
If a child gets into it and a parent sees that progression and drive to be better with more costly ice time, then great, invest in your child’s dreams. If a child doesn’t like inline play and is not interested in hockey at all, it’s a minimum loss financially instead of dumping thousands investing into elite programs your kid might not follow through with.
As I said, I interview professional hockey players regularly, like Boston Bruins goaltender Brandon Bussi who told me last week that inline hockey was the level that sparked the drive to transition to the ice game. Bussi grew up on the North side of Long Island, New York, and had a successful youth hockey career in the net and thriving in the local elite leagues surrounding his South Beach hometown.
Many younger hockey players are finding their roots in the game of hockey like this throughout North America, and it doesn’t matter what the local weather elements are. If you provide the facilities for a child to get better at something, the skies are the limit. I will never ask the city of Amesbury for money as I believe this is an important topic that fundraising and advertising can thrive on. All I’m asking is to be heard not only at the historical aspect of my research but the importance of this type of training facility is needed in our community somewhere.
A facility like this is also a great idea to keep local youth hockey players active with outdoor participation during the summer off-season. As seen in the videos above, whether it’s participating in games or using a facility like this to train. To me, this should be heavily considered to rebuild the hockey player pipeline this community once had.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this topic, as it means a lot to me as a historian and might be an excellent tool for your child wanting to learn to play the game of hockey. Please send me an email at blackngoldproductionsllc@gmail.com
On Saturday, July 22nd, 2023, the family of Amesbury Maples hockey legend Leo Dupere will be holding a celebration of life at the Polish Club on 14 Mill St. in downtown Amesbury, Massachusetts. Hours will be from 2 pm to 5 pm EDT, and the host facility is open to the public.
Dupere was a longtime Amesbury resident and former baseball and ice hockey standout athlete. Leo was so athletically driven that there was never an offseason with the ability to go out and give 110% all year round. While not privy to his skills on the baseball diamond, his hockey career, on the other hand, might’ve garnished the most attention for decades since stepping on the local ice for the very first time growing up in the 1940s.
Leo Dupere was a product of a robust developmental system in our community when it came to the game of hockey. Former Amesbury Maples players Ablie Roy, Alphonse Picard, Archie Cloutier, and Fred Fournier were instrumental in developing a young child like Dupere, who aspired to become not only Amesbury’s best but nationally known.
Dupere was so good at the game growing up that at the age of 13, he would get regular opportunities to play for the higher adult Amesbury Maples who then operated in the Merrimack Valley Hockey League’s Junior Division. As a teenager, his drive and endurance to succeed at this age were amazing to research. He played with his High School hockey program throughout his academic career but also skated later in the day with the higher adult Maples club.
After graduating in 1958, Dupere would work for the defense contractor Raytheon in Andover, Mass., per Newburyport News columnist Mac Cerullo in an article about his passing in July of 2020. Leo was recruited to Northeastern University by Raytheon coworker and Huskies Head Coach Jim Bell. Leo would thrive at Northeastern, posting 132 points in 65 games, a three-time MVP, and the 1962-63 single-season scoring record.
After his collegiate hockey career, Dupere would continue to play for the Maples again regularly. He also became the high school head coach taking over for the legendary Albie Roy, who started the high school program back in the early 1920s. Leo led the Amesbury Indians to a 222-100-38 record in his coaching tenure, including two Twin State League and two Cape Ann League championships.
Again, per the Newburyport News article in July of 2020, Author Mac Cerullo Duperes’ accolades throughout his playing and teaching years include the following: Northeastern University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Amesbury Education Foundation Hall of Honor, Amesbury High School Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2013. Also mentioned in Cerullo’s article is his number 13 was retired by the school.
As a student of Duperes in middle school, he made physical education classes something students looked forward to every week. Since hockey was my favorite sport growing up, and still is today, how he engaged an individual with his teaching and stat recording was terrific. It meant something to a young aspiring athlete walking in the corridor by the gym at the old Amesbury Middle School and seeing your name ranked alongside some of the greatest athletes in school history.
The last time I had the privilege of talking to Mr. Dupere was at the Maples Crossing ribbon cutting at the South Hunt Road location in Amesbury in September of 2020. We discussed making time for an interview about his Amesbury high school and Maples career, but unfortunately, that never happened. Continued thoughts go out to the Dupere family, and rest in peace, Coach! You will never be forgotten by your family, myself, and the thousands of individuals you’ve inspired to be their best.
Before the 1939-40 winter season, Amesbury Maples hockey team managers Everett Picard and Albie Roy mentioned in an article published by the Amesbury Daily News that the Maples were going to roll with a veteran-heavy lineup. In previous years the organization thrived on scouting younger talent that played in the former Amesbury, Massachusetts “shop” leagues, often poaching the best the area had to offer.
Since the organization’s conception in the winter of 1924-25, the Maples have put together competitive rosters but struggled against higher-ranked talent in the annual NEAAU tournaments often held in Providence, Rhode Island, or the original Boston Garden. During the 1938-39 season, where the Maples posted a 16-2 record, captured an Essex County League Championship but came up short in the NEAAU tournament. These postseason efforts prompted Maples General Managers to change their lineup, especially in goal, when talking about a veteran roster Picard and Roy had already planned.
Picard and Roy rolled out this veteran-laden roster of left-wing Archie Cloutier, left-wing Bob Ouellet, left-wing Henry Graf, center Alphonse Picard, center Chewie Williams, center Leo Le Blanc, right-wing John Fabelo, right-wing Herman Currier, right-wing Red Senechal, left defense, Harold Thurston, left defense Joe Dallaire, left defense Maurice Grodin, right defense Eddie Nichols, right defense John Perkins, and finally right defense A. Le Blanc. The only rookie on the roster was Amesbury native Wilfred Stuart who, by today’s standards, put on a Boston Bruins Tim Thomas effort In his first campaign with the Maples organization.
( Photo Credit: Amesbury News 1940-41 )
Before Stuart’s arrival on the Maples organization’s adult team, the young netminder had a successful first year of organized hockey with the Maple Cubs organization. The Cubs led all junior hockey leagues in Massachusetts with a 10-1 record in the 1938-39 season, and a major reason for the Maples success that year for the Cubs was due to the brilliance in goal of Stuart. Four of the ten Maple Cubs victories that year came via a Stuart shutout in goal. Wilfred’s effort with the Cubs and previous on-ice youth development can be credited to former Cubs manager Albie Roy, so it was a no-brainer for Picard and Roy to roll the dice and advance this next-generation phenom in goal.
The Maples managers looked like geniuses with the rookie Wilfred Stuart’s addition to the team loaded with experienced athletes. His often “stand on his head” efforts in the Maples goal proved to be a pivotal asset to a season’s longevity and further looks in the postseason with national recognition. After a 19-3-2 record, the Amesbury team would move on to the NEAAU tournament held at the Boston Garden. The Maples would beat East Boston 13-3, Higham Cove 3-1, Hyde Shoe out of Cambridge, Mass 3-1, and finally, the New England Hockey Championship clinching game where Wilfred Stuart was outstanding in getting this organization to the next level of competition with a 7-0 shutout over the Sacred Hearts club from Concord, New Hampshire.
( Photo Credit: Haverhill Gazette April 29th, 1940 )
After winning all four games at the Boston Garden, the Maples would head to Lake Placid, New York, to appear in the National Athletic Amateur tournament. The Maples were the higher seed representing the North Eastern part of the United States region. The Maples was granted a first-round bye along with the University of Minnesota which; both teams would face each other in the second round.
The Minnesota team was a younger collegiate group that showed up for the final National tournament with a full roster, whereas the Maples were constantly double shifting, with a roster of ten. The Maples did a great job holding the Minnesota team for most of the game, but the Maples didn’t have enough in the gas tank to hold off the pressure of a younger and faster transitioning Gophers team. Minnesota won the second-round matchup at Lake Placid by the score of 9-4, sending the Maples team home after the organization’s most successful season known to date.
( Photo Credit: Amesbury Daily News 1940 )
After the tremendous effort from the Maples in the 1939-40 season, two players who had outstanding seasons were being heavily scouted for higher roles in professional hockey. Longtime Amesbury hockey legend Alphonse Picard (center) and goaltender Wilfred Stuart were offered a chance to try out for the Boston Olympics. The Olympics were a minor-pro hockey team affiliated with the Boston Bruins and were to start playing as an organization in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League in the upcoming 1940-41 campaign.
The Olympics organization was founded by Hockey Hall of Fame builder Walter A. Brown a Hopkington, Massachusetts native and nearby Philips Exeter Academy student. Brown’s assistant and Haverhill, Massachusetts native Edward Powers was reported to have offered Picard and Stuart contracts for the Olympic’s inaugural season. This offer from Powers to a goaltender like Wilfred Stuart came at a time when the young player was in his junior year of high school, with Alphonse Picard being slightly older.
Stuart played for the Amesbury Maples for the better part of 14 years since joining the team after his exceptional 1939-40 rookie campaign. Wilfred graduated from Amesbury High School in 1941, where he excelled in ice hockey, baseball, and football. Per an article published on June 14th, 2002, Wilfred Stuart passed away on June 9th, 2002, at the Port Healthcare Center in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The longtime Amesbury resident was born on January 10th, 1921, and worked many years as a master finish carpenter restoring homes in the local area, like the Mary Baker Eddy house on Main Street.
( Photo Credit: Unknown )
Also important to mention, Wilfred Stuart is a World War II veteran serving in the United States Navy. He left the Amesbury Maples team during times of war and returned to the club safely after his honorable time away to finish his playing career. Wilfred’s last season as a member of the Maples team was after the 1952-53 season. Stuart returned to the ice for one final time during the 1971-72 season when he and other Maples legends were honored at Hockey Night held at the Exeter Academy rink. Others who were honored on this night, along with Stuart, were Albie Roy, Leo LeBlanc, Alphonse Picard, Eddie Nichols, and Harold “Fuzzy” Thurston.
After beating the Newburyport Crescents 6-5 in overtime nearly two weeks prior, Armand Hudon and Emilien Jutras, the first Amesbury Maples managers, believed they had built a competitive hockey team and one that was ready for the next challenge. Both managers did their due diligence, searching for other competitive teams in the Amesbury, Massachusetts area. Hudon and Jutras didn’t have to search far, as a new league was being formed within the town’s borders.
The new league was called the Amesbury Winter Outing Club Hockey League, and on January 9th, 1925, the league held its first meeting at the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce. In this meeting, a representative from each team participating were required to attend to conduct important league business such as rules and regulations, along with a schedule of games which were all to be played at the rink located at Patten’s (Hollow) Pond off of Main Street. The rink was 150 feet long by 85 feet wide, with wooden boards that were three feet high.
The league had six teams: the Biddles, Bears, Canadians, Elmwood, Maples, and the Steam Rollers. The first game for the Amesbury Maples was an exhibition match at Patton’s pond against the Exeter town team, a short distance away in Exeter, New Hampshire. The visiting Exeter club and Amesbury Maples ended the game in regulation tied at six apiece. Both teams participated in three overtime periods searching for a winner, but those efforts ultimately came to a close, ending in a 6-6 tie.
Below is the Amesbury Winter Outing Club Hockey League Schedule that all teams agreed on at the previous meeting at the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce. Each team in the league played nine games in total, and games were all to start at 7pm. All teams played three 15-minute periods with five-minute intermissions to rest a little while getting instructions from team managers and also allow the ice crew to shovel off the playing surface quickly. Postponed games were played on Thursdays and Fridays or after regular games the following week. Referees for league games were to be agreed on by both team captains and to be chosen from teams not playing that particular night.
Week One
Monday, January 12th, 1925 – Bears vs. Biddle’s, Elmwood’s vs. Steam Rollers
Tuesday, January 13th, 1925 – Biddle’s vs. Maples, Canadians vs. Steam Rollers
Wednesday, January 14th, 1925 – Bears vs. Maples, Canadians vs. Elmwood’s
Week Two
Monday, January 19th, 1925 – Bears vs. Canadians, Maples vs. Steam Rollers
Tuesday, January 20th, 1925 – Bears vs. Elmwood’s, Biddle’s vs. Canadians
Wednesday, January 21st, 1925 – Biddle’s vs. Elmwood’s, Maples vs. Steam Rollers
Week Three
Monday, January 26th, 1925 – Biddle’s vs. Steam Rollers, Maples vs. Canadians
Tuesday, January 27th, 1925 – Bears vs. Steam Rollers, Biddle’s vs. Elmwood’s
Wednesday, January 28th, 1925 – Maples vs. Elmwood’s, Bears vs. Canadians
Week Four
Monday, February 2nd, 1925 – Biddle’s vs. Maples, Canadians vs. Elmwood’s
Tuesday, February 3rd, 1925 – Bears vs. Biddle’s, Canadians vs. Steam Rollers
Wednesday, February 4th, 1925 – Bears vs. Maples, Elmwood’s vs. Steam Rollers
Week Five
Monday, February 9th, 1925 – Biddle’s vs. Canadians, Maples vs. Elmwood’s
Tuesday, February 10th, 1925 – Bears vs. Elmwood’s, Biddle’s vs. Steam Rollers
Wednesday, February 11th, 1925 – Bears vs. Steam Rollers, Maples vs. Canadians
Disclaimer
Most of the information in this article came from Amesbury Daily News in the archive section of the Amesbury Library’s official website. That link can be found HERE for those interested.
On December 28th, 1924, the Amesbury Maples played the organization’s first game in recorded history. After Maples managers Armand Hudon and Emilien Jutras spent the previous winter (1923/24) scouting talent from the local shop leagues in Amesbury, Massachusetts, to build their own town team that would rival other clubs.
On Monday, December 28th, the newly formed Amesbury Maples ice hockey team traveled to the Frog Pond Rink in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to play the Crescents Winter Sports Club. The Frog Pond is located off of High Street in Newburyport and near the Superior Court House, which today is called Bartlet’s Mall. The Crescents were an all-season sports club made up of Newburyport residents and talented athletes playing ice hockey in the winter, basketball in the fall/winter, baseball in the summer, and football in the fall.
The host Newburyport Crescents and visiting Amesbury Maples played an intense back-and-forth game in front of hundreds of spectators. Both clubs played a fast and rough game, and after regulation ended in a 5-5 tie, the Crescents and Maples played an overtime period that lasted 30 minutes. After the overtime session, it was the visiting Maples who came out triumphant with a 6-5 victory and the first ever as an organization.
The Amesbury Maples hockey team roster for the road game in Newburyport against the host Crescents involved the players below. Some of the first names I was unable to find in my research.
