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.
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.
It’s no myth that the Amesbury, Massachusetts, area produced some of the best hockey players in New England. With the successful High School programs and adult Maples hockey teams, many players thrived here to have amazing hockey careers living and working in our community.
One of the stronger positions when it comes to developing and building a winning team came from the last line of defense, and that was goaltending. Whether it was past netminders such as John Reddy, Earl Ryan, Wilfred Stuart, Arthur Gaudet, Raymond Roy, or Dick Dupere, everything in the crease started with the tremendous playing style of Raoul “Chiefie” Lemoine.
( Photo Credit: 1926 Amesbury High School Yearbook / Amesbury Town Library )
Raoul was born in Amesbury in 1908 and was a multi-sport athlete in his adolescence. Lemoine played baseball, football, and ice hockey in his high school career, excelling at all three sports activities. Raoul started his Amesbury High School playing days as a sophomore and played defense and forward.
During Lemoine’s senior year at AHS, the athletic council added ice hockey as a major sport and played their home games at Patten’s Pond on the mobile rink located near Main Street. The Amesbury team went 4-2-1 in their first official season as a recognized high school sport. Below are the results from the Amesbury High School hockey team’s 1925-26 regular season.
Amesbury 0 – Swampscott 4
Amesbury 0 – Essex Aggies 1
Amesbury 2 – Manning 1
Amesbury 9 – Portsmouth 0
Amesbury 1 – Manning 0
Amesbury 1 – Portsmouth 1
Amesbury 3 – Portsmouth 0
( Photo Credit: 1926 Amesbury High School Yearbook )
Former Amesbury Maples hockey player Albert “Albie” Roy was the driving force in making the Amesbury High School hockey program an actual thing in the late 1920s. Roy believed developing the next best Maples players should come from younger men learning the game in the local school system. In 1940 Albie Roy was awarded a medal from the Northeast Amateur Athletic Union for promoting the game of hockey among boys of high school age. Roy was one of the pioneers of hockey development in the town of Amesbury back in the day. He would often drive around in his pickup truck, giving rides to the Amesbury Park ponds for a day of teaching the game to kids when the weather and ice were suitable.
Although Lemoine played either defense or forward during his Amesbury High School years, Raoul was determined to make the higher Amesbury Maples team. With the adult Amesbury sexlet already fully staffed with defenseman and forwards, Lemoine saw his opportunity to make the team but with an unusual hockey career-changing decision. Raoul went in goal after the departure of netminder Issie Lassard and used his former high school baseball playing days to not only be strong on his feet but also seemingly fit to react to fast situations with his hands.
( Photo Credit: Amesbury News 1924-25 )
After graduating from Amesbury High in 1926, Lemoine joined the Amesbury Maples full time and would start the organization’s cornerstone of building a winning team from the goal out. In Raoul’s first campaign with the Maples club, the netminder went 2-2-1 in the short regular season as outdoor ice here in our New England location was tough to manage. Below is the 1926-27 regular season schedule in Raoul Lemoine’s Maples rookie season.
Amesbury Maples 0 – Biddle & Smart Company 3
Amesbury Maples 3 – Biddle & Smart Plant Five 2
Amesbury Maples 1 – Biddle & Smart Plant Three 0
Amesbury Maples 0 – Amesbury High School 2
Amesbury Maples 6 – Biddle & Smart Plant Three 2
Although the 1926-27 season wasn’t a winning campaign, Maples Owners and General Managers Armand Hudon and Emilien “Mickey” Jutras believed in the young netminding of Lemoine and decided to stick with him for another year. As a backup in case Raoul didn’t make the Maples team, they could always fall back on the efforts of Albie Roy to man the nets. Roy’s efforts on the ice were better seen as a forward or defenseman, but that “break glass in case of emergency” backup was always available when needed.
In Lemoine’s second season with the Maples (1927-28), he and the rest of his teammates moved on from the mobile rink set up during the winters at Pattens Pond to a little more sustainable ice over in the old “cow fields” at the bottom of Aubin Street on the old ground of the Biddle and Smart Carriage and Sleigh company. The Maples would call the sheet of ice home for three seasons on the Biddle & Smart sheet of ice.
In my research, it’s rumored that the Biddle & Smart company struggled during the Great Depression and cut back on funding for the rink on their property. Another rumor I’ve heard was that the Biddle & Smart Company was so bitter at Hudon and Jutras for scouting their players and signing them from the local manufacturing shops but also because they assembled a team with the talent to beat all their affiliated factory teams.
( Photo Credit: Amesbury News 1925-26 )
After seemingly getting booted from the lower Aubin Street Biddle & Smart location, the Franco American Social Club, the St. Jean Baptiste of Amesbury, came calling with the available property for Maples home games. Maples players, alongside local Amesbury volunteers, constructed a new rink 150 feet by 85 feet. Among the amazing volunteer’s Maples Teammates Eddie Nichols, Albie Roy, Everett Picard, Harold “Fuzzy” Thurston, Aurel Picard, Tom “Ike” Wall, Chewie Williams, John Reddy, and the young upcoming Maples Legend Hercule “Archie” Cloutier were all part in the blood sweat and tears to get a home sheet ready for the forthcoming 1930-31 winter season.
Lemoine, teammates, and Amesbury residents put in a solid effort to get the new home rink of the Amesbury Maples done just in time at the new location to make ice. Behind the original St. Jean’s Club, it was very tight quarters but enough room to play competitive hockey via the standards of that timeframe. The first year of this new outdoor hockey facility would also come at a tragic loss to one of the Amesbury Maples own.
After having a successful 1930-31 regular season, tragedy struck the Maples organization in the middle of the year. In a “pickup” game or practice session on the Friend Street sheet of ice, goaltender Lemoine took a deflected puck to the face. Raoul went to the Amesbury Hospital to seek attention for his injury. While at the Amesbury Hospital, Lemoine got stitches to patch up his one-inch gash near his eye. Raoul would have a life-threatening setback while being in the care of hospital attendees. Lemoine’s injury happened on January 8th, 1931, and he stayed at the Amesbury Hospital facility until his death on January 17th.
After the passing of Raoul, founding members and athletic town officials named the outdoor facility the Lemoine Memorial rink and would be at the Friend Street location up to the 1947-48 winter season. In 1951 Raoul “Chiefie” Lemoine’s name was honored with an award given to the most valuable Amesbury High School hockey player each year.
As a hockey enthusiast and historian, when it comes to the Maples hockey organization, it’s always fun to gather stats and information about a particular player or hockey season. In countless hours of research, I also find it gratifying to learn more about a player’s career and how they impacted the Amesbury, Massachusetts community throughout their lives.
While honorable mentions can be given to Amesbury hockey legends Albie Roy, Eddie Nicols, Fred Fournier, Leo Dupere, and George Dodier for their uncanny ability to develop the next generation, nobody did it better than Alphonse Picard. The former Thompson Street resident was born and bred into the game of hockey with close family relations pretty much owning the upper Thompson Street location.
Picard’s brothers Aurel and Everett learned the game of hockey on the nearby lakes, ponds, and rivers safe enough to play before joining the Amesbury Maples organization in the mid-1920s. Alphonse was in good hands when learning the game at a young age because of the knowledge passed down from his elder brothers and other family members who participated every winter.
Back in those days, Amesbury didn’t have a youth program, so having artificial rinks in the backyard or taking advantage of the sheets of ice in our local areas such as Clarks Pond, Lake Gardner, and Patten’s Pond was imperative. If young men wanted to get into the competitive side of the game, they’d have to wait until their High School years to play organized hockey with a limited travel schedule.
( Photo Credit: Amesbury Public Library / Amesbury High School Yearbook 1932 )
As seen above, the legend once known as “Peco” started his Amesbury High School hockey career in his sophomore year in 1929. The High School athletic program started in the 1924-25 winter season under the forward-thinking of the leading organizer and former Maples player Albie Roy. Later, In the 1939-40 season, Albie Roy was given an NEAAU award for his dedication to promoting the sport of hockey among boys of high school age.
During Picard’s three seasons with the Amesbury High School team, he had enough talent to join the adult Amesbury Maples club when an extra body was needed on the ice. It must’ve been an unbelievable honor to join his brothers Aurel and Everett and their brother Wilbrod who coached the Maples for several seasons.
In his first “rookie” games as a member of the Maples organization, Alphonse would play alongside a stacked team with names such as Charley Broderick, Eddie Nicols, Harlon “Chewie” Williams, Tom “Ike” Wall, Gerard Proulx, and goaltender Raoul “Chiefie” Lemoine.
( Photo Credit: Alphone Picard and Family Collection )
Alphonse would continue to bounce in and out of the Amesbury Maples lineup while continuing his high school career. Picard would join the Maples full-time during the 1932-33 season and would be a massive asset for a Maples team that saw the organization’s best decade in recorded history. Picard and the Maples organization’s best season was during the 1939-40 campaign that saw the Amesbury club become New England Hockey Champions at the original Boston Garden and make their way to Lake Placid, New York, to take on the heavily stacked University of Minnesota in the National AAU elimination series.
During the 1939-40 season, the Maples combined a regular-season record of 19-3-2, and in those games, at the time, Alphonse was playing center and was almost a point-per-game player posting 7-13-20 numbers in 24 games. This was also a big year for Amesbury’s Picard as he and Maples goaltender Wilfred Stuart were invited to try out for the Boston Olympics, a team owned and operated by Boston Garden General Manager Walter Brown.
( Photo Credit: Alphonse Picard & Family Collection )
The Boston Olympics started operations in the 1940-41 season and played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, ultimately ceasing those operations 12 years later after the 1951-52 season. The following Maples season Picard earned his first point-per-game season where he posted 14-6-20 in 20 games played in the 1941-42 campaign.
Picard’s hockey career with the Maples would start off and on in 1928-29 and would end with legendary status 30 years later after the 1957-58 season. Alphonse wouldn’t stray far from the game after his retirement from playing. Picard would immediately stay close to his beloved Maples club and become the team’s Head Coach in the 1958-59 season.
As a first-year Head Coach, Alphonse guided the Maples organization to a 19-8-2 record and a roster that saw players such as Leo Dupere, Hercule “Archie” Cloutier, Armand Roy, Joe Lariviere, Dickie Michaud, and Dale Cressy. Picard would go on to be the head coach for the next few seasons before giving up his bench boss duties to fellow Amesbury Maples Legend Freddie Fournier in the 1960-61 season as Fournier took over as player/coach and manager of the organization.
( Photo Credit: Alphonse Picard and Family Collection )
After stepping away from the Maples organization and coaching duties, Picard again went back to hockey, but this time his community effort pointed in a different direction. Amesbury Youth Hockey programs started ramping up in the early 1960s, and Alphonses’ son Randi was one of the original players in said youth systems. Picard was instrumental in the early success of youth development in the Amesbury area and had quite a story when talking about its growth.
As son Randi was coming up through youth hockey to the Amesbury High School level, Alphonse was always close by as an assistant coach to lean on for advice on and off the ice. One of my favorite stories heard in a recent interview Frank Gurzack, and I did with Picard’s son Randi on our Remember the Maples Hockey Podcast seen below is his passion in later years to give back.
Please subscribe to our Remember the Maples Hockey Podcast on worldwide listening platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts. Also, please subscribe to our official YouTube channel for the video version of these interviews. We’d certainly appreciate any support as we do our best to make this Amesbury Maples organization more known in this internet world for future generations to research and learn about.
The stories Randi told us and we heard a few times from Picard’s daughter Tammi and even Frank Gurzack’s personal experience living close by at the lower location of Thompson Street was how dedicated to the everyone can play initiative. For years Alphonse would collect older hockey equipment and store the stuff that people no longer wanted.
Hockey’s an expensive sport no matter what generation people around here grew up in. Outdoor ice was accessible and manageable back in the day, but the equipment was expensive. This is where Alphonse showed his class and determination to keep kids’ dreams alive and play the game that so many in this area learned and loved. Even skate sharpening was a little too much for some families to afford regularly; that didn’t stop a founding member of the Amesbury Youth Program. Picard bought a skate sharpening machine and resurfaced edges for years in the family’s basement.
In the above YouTube video, son Randi told Frank and me about the thousands of pieces of hockey equipment his father kept over the years, and daughter Tammi who currently lives in the original Picard household said it was like a sporting goods store down there when it was finally time to clean out the area.
They certainly don’t make them like Mr. Picard anymore. Alphonse was the epitome of hard work and perseverance and will forever be known as one of the leading pioneers of developing some of the best hockey talent back in the day. He left a lasting impression on today’s youth hockey movement, which looks to gain traction with the new Maples Crossing facility at the South Hunt Road location. It’s been over 40 years since our area of Amesbury had a home rink. This future multi-rink training facility will be one of the best in North America and continue the tradition so many like Picard set in place.
( Photo Credit: Alphonse Picard and Family Collection )
I want to thank all the folks who took the time to read this inaugural article on our new rememberthemaples.com website. I look forward to doing more writeups like these about some of the Maples founding members and ones that made a lasting impression in our community.
To keep these informative articles coming, we encourage Amesbury residents who either played for the Maples or a family member that wants to share images or related information to reach out. Even if someone what’s to do their own write-up of a family member and talk about a moment in a former player’s career, please send us an email to blackngoldproductionsllc@gmail.com
If you’d like to join Frank Gurzack and me for a future episode of the Remember the Maples Hockey Podcast, please email us, and we’ll work on an appearance schedule. We provide audio content via worldwide podcast platforms, and video content on the official Remember the Amesbury Maples YouTube Channel.
Traditionally we’d like to do remote recordings at a time of your convenience but are also available for in-person interviews with the utmost safety during these pandemic times. If you have a laptop with webcam access, a high-quality audio external/internal microphone, and a strong internet connection (Ethernet Hardwire to Router is Highly Recommended), let’s talk some Maples hockey!
