Picture courtesy of SBNation
Right in fron of the Cornwall Civic Complex
Commemoration
Professional hockey was in its infancy in the autumn of 1909 when the promoters behind the National Hockey Association, forerunner of the National Hockey League, created the Montreal Canadiens team to attract French- Canadian spectators. Belleville-born Jean-Baptiste "Jack" Laviolette was hired as the playing-manager and captain. Laviolette signed Cornwall's Édouard "Newsy" Lalonde to play forward and recruited his friend Didier "Cannonball" Pitre from the Renfrew Creamery Kings ("Renfrew Millionaires") as a defenceman. This trio of francophone players formed the nucleus of the roster for several seasons and led the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1916. They played with such speed and finesse that sportswriters began calling them "The Flying Frenchmen," establishing the Canadiens' trademark playing style for generations. Laviolette retired in 1918, the Canadiens traded Lalonde to the Saskatoon Crescents in 1922 and Pitre retired in 1923. All three were later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for their part in establishing a legendary hockey franchise.
Background
Édouard Lalonde was born in October, 1887. As well as being a great hockey player, he was also regarded as one of the best lacrosse players of his time. His nickname, Newsy, came from his early jobs as a reporter for the Cornwall Freeholder. He started his professional career in 1904 with the Cornwall Victorias of the Federated Amateur Hockey League (FAHL). In 1906, he moved to the Sault Ste. Marie to play in their International Professional Hockey League team, the Canadian Soo. In 1907, he signed with the Toronto Professionals of the Ontario Professional Hockey League. He briefly played for the Vancouver Millionaires in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in 1912 but was traded back to the Canadiens the next year.
He later went on to coach between 1917 and 1933 including years with the Canadiens, the Saskatoon Crescents, Saskatoon Sheiks, New York Americans, Quebec Beavers, Niagara Falls Cataracts and the Providence Reds. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950. He passed away in 1970.
Almost as long as there has been a Canada, there has been hockey as part of its identity.