Enough microfilm for a while

I have finally finished going through old newspapers for a while. I finished up to the end of the Victoria Maple Leaf era. Luckily for me, most of the articles on the Salmon Kings are online. I cannot even estimate the number of pages of microfilm…

Looking for players to interview

I am at the stage where I need to talk with more former players to get their view on playing hockey in Victoria. Also, I need to talk with descendants of those early players who pioneered the sport here. I just sent off letters to some former…

A new source of information

Found a goldmine of newspaper clippings at the BC Archives today. Now they have been digitized and you can save them on a USB stick. Sure save time - and money for copying. I thought I had read everything on the Patrick family, but I was wrong.…

Interview with Jim Robson

I am so excited. I just finished an interview with legendary broadcaster Jim Robson and he is going to send a letter of support for the induction of the 1966 Victoria Maple Leafs into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. He also gave me…

The Stanley Cup that wasn’t

On March 30, 1913, the Victoria Aristocrats beat the Stanley Cup holders Quebec Bulldogs in a series between the east and west. Had the Stanley Cup been offered for that series, Victoria would have won it very early in their hockey history.…

Progress on research

I have finally finished reading all the newspapers for the early version of the Victoria Cougars (also Aristocrats). Luckily there was only one sports page in the early 20th century so the news is fairly easy to find. Even when the Cougars won…

Latest find

I just received in today's mail a hockey stick signed by the 1965-66 Victoria Maple Leaf championship team. I just had a look at it and all the names are there. Just looking at them brings back memories. How much simpler life was back then.…

Research hits a roadblock

Well, copying old newspapers has hit a bit of roadblock as the printer at the local library ran out of toner. Come on, I didn't use that much, did I? They have assured me that the printer will be operational some time next week. Guess I'll make…

The Barlow material

I have finally finished cataloging Bob Barlow's collection of newspaper clippings and photographs. Using old newspapers on microfilm at the Greater Victoria Public Library, I was able to date all the Victoria newspaper clippings, and using the…

An unexpected treasure

Sometimes, you get interesting material by accident. I was going through a box left behind by a tenant and found an article on early hockey in Victoria and Vancouver. It was one of these "looking back" articles written in 1971 for the anniversary…

Update on progress

I have not been very regular about posting. I am still working on old newspapers. Who knew how many articles there were in the old papers? The problem is I keep getting distracted reading old headines not connected with hockey.I am working my…

Bob Barlow Interview

I just completed a lengthy interview with former Victoria Maple Leaf player, Bob Barlow, and his wife Marilyn. It was wonderful to relive old memories of the 1960s and to realize just how much I did recall. I recorded our conservation and hope…

This came in th…

This came in the mail today. I am sure that it is a reproduction because it is in great shape, but it still is exciting. This brings the story of 1925 closer to my reality.

Hello world!

I have decided to create a blog to follow my journey through the history of professional hockey in Victoria. It seems that every day I find something new and exciting (at least it is to me) and learn more about what has gone before us. It looks…