The Graves of the Montreal Canadiens, Part II
A few years ago I began a journey, visiting and chronicling the graves of players and personnel associated with the Montreal Canadiens. This was borne from a certain comfort visiting graveyards, where I frequently go to honour my grandparents, some who I never had the opportunity to meet in life. My connection to them is therefore through stories, photographs, and personal accounts from people who knew them.
Graveyards are places of peace and repose, and also a place to reminisce and remember people who offered something of themselves in life, and we in turn reciprocate through keeping their names alive. Visiting graves associated with the Montreal Canadiens therefore seemed like a natural extension of my passion for exploring the history of the team, having read about them and hearing their voices through old newspapers and magazines as members of the bleu blanc rouge.
So in honour of All Saints Day on November 1, a day when people visit cemeteries to light candles, pray, and remember, here is my continuing series on the graves of the Montreal Canadiens.
Edmond Décarie, buried in his hometown of Hawkesbury, Ontario, was one of the original members of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association, signed by Jack Laviolette for the inaugural 1909-10 season to play left wing. Décarie scored six goals in 12 games, but would not return for the second season of the franchise. Despite the short stint with the Canadiens, Décarie had a pretty impressive overall portfolio of sports experience, playing hockey in Montreal for the Shamrocks and Le National, and also making a name for himself in wrestling, running, and baseball.
Howard McNamara joined the Canadiens for the 1915-16 season, and he was notable for being the captain of the team when they won their very first Stanley Cup. After the championship was won, McNamara accused Canadiens owner George Kennedy of going back on his word that he would pay out bonuses if the team were to win, and McNamara refused to do any further business with the team, claiming that he single-handedly won the Cup, and that he should be compensated as promised. McNamara was stationed in France during the Great War, and would return to the Canadiens for one last season in 1919-20, replacing the late Joe Hall on the Canadiens roster, before retiring and starting a coaching career. He is buried at Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery in Toronto.
Armos “Amos” Arbour was also on that first-ever Stanley Cup winning team in 1916 as a rookie along with McNamara, and like him also played one season before going to serve in the Canadian army during the Great War. At 21 years old, Arbour was the youngest of the players on the championship squad, and also one of the most effective and popular with the crowds.
On the heels of his popularity, he was enlisted into the Canadian military for their NHA team, the 228th Batallion, that was composed of popular professional players, to create a sort of All-Star team to grow interest in recruitment efforts. He was joined on the team by Howard McNamara and George “Goldie” Prodger from the Canadiens. Arbour returned from active duty to the Canadiens where he played three more seasons before heading over to Hamilton and finally Toronto to finish off his pro career in 1924. He is buried in Orillia, Ontario.
Johnny Quilty was another example of a player who sacrificed his career for serving in the Canadian military. In 1941 he became the first Montreal Canadiens player to win the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, but not long after he enlisted to serve in the military. His career never truly recovered from the military pause, and a brief return to the NHL was followed by several years playing on various senior teams in the Ottawa area. He is buried at Capital Cemetery in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven.
Polly Drouin made his Canadiens debut at 19 years of age during the 1934-35 season, and spent seven seasons with the organization, bouncing between the NHL and the team’s primary farm team, the New Haven Eagles. A talented forward, but small at 5’7″, he managed to help the team whenever he was called up. He is buried in Notre Dame cemetery.
George Mantha‘s brother Sylvio was well-established with the Montreal Canadiens when he joined in 1928, but it was certainly no mistake or case of nepotism, as George established himself as a tough-as-nails defenceman who built up a 13-year career entirely played with the Canadiens, from 1928 to 1941.
Glen Harmon is the only grave I have visited where the Canadiens are mentioned, as “Habs #8” is inscribed on the grave stone. Harmon played nine seasons with the Canadiens as a defenceman, from 1942 to 1951. Harmon finished second in Calder voting for rookie of the year in his first season, a rare recognition for a defenceman. He won two Stanley Cups in his time on the team as well as being a two-time All-Star, and played as a regular defensive partner with Kenny Reardon and then Doug Harvey.
In 1947, Harmon spearheaded the creation of the NHL Player Pension Plan, an important advancement in the welfare of players in their post-playing careers. Harmon would also act as president of the Alumni Players of Quebec. Despite being born in Manitoba, and settling down in the Montreal region, Harmon is buried in Mississauga, Ontario.
Michel “Bunny” Larocque is best remembered as the backup goalie behind Ken Dryden, spending eight seasons with the Montreal Canadiens before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Montreal he won the Vezina Trophy four times, at a time when the team with the fewest goals against was the automatic winner, and goaltenders who played 25 or more games qualified to share in the trophy. His final Vezina win was a three-way split with Dennis Heron and Richard Sévigny in 1981. He is buried in his hometown of Gatineau.
Dick Irvin was the first captain of the Chicago Black Hawks prior to a head injury ending his promising playing career, and leading to a transition to coaching. From Chicago he went to Toronto, where he coached the Maple Leafs to their first Stanley Cup. He joined the reeling Canadiens in 1940 and coached them for 15 seasons, taking them from last place to Stanley Cup in four seasons. The team benefited heavily from his decision to put Toe Blake together with a couple of up-and-comers: Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard. They would form the legendary Punch Line, driving the Canadiens for years to come, including three Stanley Cups and five losses in the finals.
Toe Blake credited Irvin as being his inspiration and model for his own coaching career. Dick Irvin was a no-BS head coach, maintaining an almost military grip on his players. His health faltered and he left the Canadiens in hopes that it would improve, rejoining the Black Hawks, but his health took a further sharp decline, and he retired after one season in Chicago. He passed away from cancer in 1957, and is buried in Toronto.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
