One of my emails sent out last week has yielded results. After a Google search on “Eddie Oatman” I found a family tree that had him in it. I sent an email off to the contact person and he responded. I now have family photos of Eddie Oatman, one with his family. I also have permission to use any and all of the information in the book. Of course, I will give proper credit. I hope some of my other emails and letters pay off.
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 players and to two sets of descendants. There is no way I can do a cold call by telephone, so have to do it the old-fashioned way via snail-mail. Hoping for good results.
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 a couple of leads to people who have more information. I was quite nervous but it was just like talking to a friend. We talked hockey for about 20 minutes and I really enjoyed it.
He said he once talked with a woman in Victoria who had a program from the 1925 Cougars Stanley Cup game that she had attended as a child. She needed money at the time and had sold her car for $400; she got much more for the program. Wish I had one of those. I’ll have to be happy with programs from the 1950s and 1960s.
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 a trek to UVic to see how their systems work. I think copying is cheaper there too. It’s a bit farther to go but perhaps it will be worth it.
Of course, I was right in the middle of a season and it was getting really interesting. I am actually having fun reading some of the other articles as I scroll through papers. Prices are just nuts in the 1920s but then people earned a lot less then. What is fascinating is to see just what sports are given prominence in local coverage. Bowling is huge and hunting is covered in gruesome detail. Rugby and boxing are also given a lot of ink. Hockey is not the main story by any measurement, but at least I can find some information.
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 of BC joining confederation. A great source of information that I would have never found in a regular search.
As would be expected, the article tells the story of the Patrick brothers but goes into wonderful detail about the formation of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and how the teams were stocked. It is a good summary of what I already know but there are little details that are new.
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 that I can make the software work. A preliminary check does reveal that my voice is louder but I can still hear Bob and Marilyn. I was able to view and hold championship rings for the WHL and AHL. This is the first time I have ever seen such a ring up close.
I am now in the process of scanning old newspaper material and photographs borrowed from the Barlows with a view to preserving the stories. Old newspapers have a habit of discolouring and then degrading all together.
This interview was a real thrill for me as I was a rabid fan when the team was here and never forgave the Toronto Maple Leafs for moving our team away.
I hope to conduct interview with others who played for the team — and the numbers are decreasing every year – to get the stories of the players and their wives – before they are all gone.
I also made a commitment to try to get the team into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. They are the third team to win a major hockey championship for Victoria and should be acknowledged as such. The two previous winners are in the Hall of Fame.
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.
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 as if we will not have professional hockey to follow at the start of this season so I will spend my time in the past.
I have spent almost a year in research but have so much more to go. I hope to post on a weekly basis. This will also keep me on track and focussed as I do tend to get distracted every so often.