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.
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.
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.
