Troy Clarke dropped his bag that held all his ice hockey equipment on the living room floor. “What’s for dinner Mum, I’m starving,” he yelled out. Dana Clarke appeared from the kitchen. “Go get washed up, I have a nice surprise for you,” she told her son. Troy did not need a second bidding, he shot off to take a shower and change clothes.
It wasn’t too long before the seventeen-year old appeared at the kitchen door. “Well, what’s the surprise?
“I think you had better sit down young man because this is going to blow your ice hockey mind.” 
“Don’t keep me in suspense Mum, please,” be begged.
“I had a phone call from your grandfather David in Montreal. He has arranged for you to fly to Montreal to train with the Canadiens,” Dana said excitedly
Troy really loved his grandfather, although he did not see him that often due to the distance. “You mean I am flying to Canada to train with the Canadiens?”
“Yes, young fellow you are.”
“How did all this come about,” Troy wanted to know.
“Well, do you remember when I video taped the last game of the season?”
“Yes Mum, I do.”
“I sent it to Grandfather David who in turn showed it to the coaching staff at the Canadiens.”
“So what happened,” chimed in Troy.
“They liked what they saw and because Grandfather David played for the Canadiens they said they would give you the opportunity to train with the team.”
“WOW,” exclaimed Troy. “To train with the National Hockey League pros, what an opportunity; I really cannot believe it, good old grandfather.”
“What about good old Mum, I sent the video to your grandfather.”
“Yes, thanks Mum, you are the best. I promise I will not let you down. I really cannot believe it,” he added again.
Troy knew all about the Montreal Canadiens, he had been a fan ever since he could remember. He knew that they were founded in 1909 and that they were the longest, continuously-operating professional ice hockey team. Not only that, they had won the Stanley Cup, the greatest prize in ice hockey twenty four times, making the Canadiens one of the most successful professional sports teams ever in Canada and the United States.
Troy had played hockey in South London at Streatham Ice Arena, which had hosted ice hockey for almost 80 years. Troy was in the Streatham Redskins under-18 team that played in the English Ice Hockey Association. The Redskins were among the oldest British Ice Hockey teams still in existence. Originally founded in 1932 as Streatham, they added the Redskin name in 1974. In the 1980’s the club was one of the leading teams in the British Ice Hockey League, but as that decade faded, so did the team.
“When do I fly to Montreal?’ asked Troy.
“In two days time,” replied his mother. “Grandfather David will meet you at the airport, you will be staying at his house for two weeks. You need to get your passport out and let me do your packing, otherwise it will be a mess, I am sure.”
Troy had never flown to the Americas, but he had been to Europe on several occasions. He flew to Switzerland and Austria, as part the Redskins team. Returning to his bedroom Troy began to prepare for the trip, he gathered his gloves and skates. His grandfather had told Dana that the club would provide Troy’s uniform, stick and helmet.
Grandfather David had been a center; he was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, not too far from Montreal itself. Sherbrooke had been the birthplace of several NHL players, including Eric Belanger (Edmonton Oilers); Pierre-Marc Bouchard (Minnesota Wild); Matthew Dandenault (Montreal Canadians and Detroit Red Wings); Yanic Perreault (6 NHL teams including the Canadians); David Perron (St. Louis Blues); Stephane Robidas (Dallas Stars), and Christian Dube (New York Rangers and SC Bern).
Interestingly, Troy Clarke was a center, just like his grandfather and Perreault, Belannger and Bouchard. Troy liked the flexibility that playing center gave him, he was sure he had to cover more ice than other players. Centers are usually stronger, faster and are gifted passers. Another aspect of the game that his grandfather had drilled into him on his last visit to London was “ice vision.” Be intelligent and creative and do not forget centers should be the most defensively orientated forward.
The flight out of London Heathrow took off at 10:50 a.m., and was due to arrive in Montreal P-E-Trudeau Airport at 1:10 p.m., seven hours and ten minutes later. Troy sat back with his James Patterson, murder mystery, sipped a soda and felt a million dollars. A meal and snack were served on the Air Canada flight and before long the plane was descending into Montreal.
Troy strolled through customs and immigration before emerging into the main arrival hall. There he was, Grandfather David, all six-foot-one and 190 pounds of him.
“You look great Grandfather,” Troy told him.
“Well, so do you young man.” The pair hugged each other and laughed. “This is great Troy; this is going to be an incredible visit for both of us.” Little did either of them realize what a truly special visit this was going to be.
The drive to Sherbrooke was filled with laughter and stories. The Queen of the Eastern Townships known as Sherbrooke, a city of 150,000 people, it is surrounded by mountains and lakes. Mont-Bellevue Park, a large park in the city, is used for downhill skiing. Sherbrooke was first settled in 1793 by American loyalists. The village was named Hyatt’s Mills until 1818 when it was re-named after Governor General Sir John Sherbrooke at the time of his retirement and return to England.
Grandfather David’s condominium was near the shops and restaurants, with a beautiful view of the nearby mountains. Troy’s room was neat and comfortable. On the bed lay a Montreal Canadiens uniform. “This is really great grandfather, I cannot thank you enough” he told his grandfather.
“You are very welcome Troy; I am so pleased to see you.”
That evening was truly wonderful for both grandfather and grandson. They reminisced about old times, when they went skating at Streatham Arena, and watched the Redskins play. By then the team had been relegated from the Premier Division of British Hockey which happened in 1989. But Troy remembered his grandfather taking him to his first hockey game in 2008 when the Redskins played the Invicta Dynamos in the amateur English National Hockey League. Unfortunately, the Redskins finished runners-up as they had the year before.
Grandfather David took Troy to a nearby French restaurant, where they eat heartedly. Grandfather had Boeuf Bourguignon, vegetables, herbs and a pearl onion and mushroom garnish, while Troy ate chicken and sausage casserole, with white beans, herbs and tomatoes. The conversation seemed never-ending when all of a sudden Grandfather David said “Troy I need to speak to you about something very special.”
“What is it grandfather, is everything alright?”
“Yes of course Troy, it is just that I have very big surprise for you.”
Troy’s eyes widened and he sat straight up in the chair. “A surprise, grandfather, you have done enough for me, I can never thank you enough for bringing me to Canada and to the Canadiens.”
“This is ice hockey-related,” said his grandfather. “Let’s walk home and I will show you something very, very special.”
The walk seemed to take forever ever even though it was only about ten minutes. When they got back to the condo, Grandfather David said, “Let me go get something from upstairs, I will be back in a moment.” His grandfather seemed to be gone for ages, and then all of a sudden he reappeared in the doorway. “Troy this is for you,” he said handing Troy a very old hockey jersey.
“Where did you get that,” asked Troy with some bewilderment. “It is so old.”
“This jersey belonged to a McGill University student who played in the very first organized indoor ice hockey game at Montreal’s Victoria Skating Rink on March 3, 1875. The game was between two teams of nine players including James Creighton and several McGill University students.”
“Who is James Creighton?” asked Troy. Creighton had organized the game and captained one of the sides. He was from Nova Scotia.
James Creighton is considered the Father of ice hockey, although he never claimed that honor. He had been a figure skating judge at the Victoria Skating Club’s Skating Rink. With his friends from McGill University, he organized informal hockey at the rink. That led to the first indoor game.
“Have you ever worn the jersey grandfather?”
“No, I was always scared.”
“Scared grandfather, why,” wondered Troy.
“The jersey was given to me as a gift by a Mi’kmaq (Mic-Mac) Indian after a Montreal Canadien game. The Mi’maq(Mic-Mac) told me that the jersey had been worn at that very first ice-hockey game in 1875. Not only that, it was magic.”
“Magic?” repeated Troy.
“Yes, replied Grandfather David. It would take you through time to famous ice hockey games. I had a family and in those days hockey players did not receive a great deal of pay. If anything went wrong I would never have forgiven myself.”
“This is all too much,” he told his grandfather. But when Troy got to his bedroom he decided to try the old shirt on. No sooner had he pulled the shirt over his head than he heard someone.
“Hello Troy, my name is Joseph; I coached the Montreal Canadiens way back in 1905.” Troy could not believe what he was hearing and seeing, for here was one of the original people who helped start one of the most successful franchises North America has ever seen.
“My grandfather just gave me this shirt and I was trying it on for size,” Troy told Joseph.
“Well I hope that it fits because you need something comfortable to wear where you are going.”
“Going, where am I going? I just got here.”
“Wearing that shirt will allow you to go back in time, your first trip will be to the Victoria Skating Rink where you will see the very first game of ice hockey played indoors.”
Troy Clarke could not believe his ears and eyes. Was he dreaming or was this really happening to him? Was this a ghost speaking to him or was he hallucinating? What-ever was happening was very strange.
Joseph, then told him to put on his skates and the rest of his uniform, which Troy did methodically? At that moment Troy heard Joseph say “Good luck, enjoy yourself.” Then the wind started to pick-up outside the window, the furniture in the room began shaking. Before Troy knew it he was in the Victoria Rink, in Montreal; it was 1875.
He did not realize that it was 1875 to start with. But when he looked up and saw his surroundings and the people he knew something very strange had taken place. At that moment Troy heard a voice to his left.
“Are you here for the game?” The man then he answered himself. “I should have known as you are wearing that Montreal jersey.” Troy must have looked dazed because the man asked, “Are you alright? You look like you have seen a ghost.”
Troy struggled to pull himself together. “I’m fine” he answered, “just a little nervous before the game. My name is Troy Clarke,” Troy said sticking his hand out.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Henry Joseph. I haven’t seen you before,” said Henry, “are you at McGill?”
“No,” replied Troy, “I am here on a visit, my grandfather told me about the game.”
There was a silence, and then Henry Joseph said “Come and meet the other guys.”
As the two hockey players made their way through the crowd that had gathered Troy saw a poster on the wall. On March 3, 1875 Victoria Skating Club had organized ice hockey game between members of the Victoria Club starting at 7 p.m.
Troy had just recovered from the shock of traveling through time, but now he felt excited that he might play some hockey, the sport that he loved and lived for. Back home in Streatham, England, he spent every waking hour he could at the rink. He was lucky that he lived within walking distance of the Streatham Arena, so he did not need any encouragement to be there every day.
Fitness is important in every sport, but in ice hockey a center has to cover much of the ice in all three zones. Centers are responsible for keeping the flow of the game moving; generally they handle and pass the puck more than any other position. They are constantly in motion which gives defenders a hard time tracking them.
The game was arranged with nine players per team. Lucky for Troy one of James Creighton’s players did not show up, so nobody thought too much of Troy being on hand. Creighton’s team was composed of R.S. Esdaile; Henry Joseph; Frederick Henshaw; Robert Powell; Edward Clouston, and Lorne and George Campbell. The opposing team was lead by Charles Torrance with Daniel Meagher; Potter; Edwin Gough; William Barnston; George Gardner; Griffin; Jarvis, and Whiting.
For this game they had goal tenders, a referee, a puck, a pre-determined set of rules, with a 60- minute game time and a recorded score. The puck itself was wooden instead of a lacrosse ball that had previously been used. They had imported sticks and skates from Nova Scotia. The sticks came from the Mic-Mac Indians who had hand-made them. Canada’s native population appointed story tellers who passed on knowledge of their culture from generation to generation. The Mic-Mac craftsmen hand-carved the hockey sticks from Hornbeam trees, which are native to Nova Scotia. Soon local supplies of Hornbeam were depleted so the Indians turned to yellow birch.
Starr Skates had been established in 1861 as a nail factory. Two years later Starr began making its famous skates. In 1866 they developed a skate especially for ice hockey that had a rounded front and back on a wider blade. Starr skates were a huge hit with Canada’s hockey players and added to the development of the game. In 1938 both the Starr Mfg. Co. and Micmac hockey sticks succumbed to the pressure of lower prices and superior goods and closed their doors.
Henry Joseph sat down beside Troy as both players tied on their Starr skates. “Have you seen this,” asked Henry dangling a newspaper in front of Troy.
“What are you trying to show me?” asked the young Englishman.
“The advertisement for the game,” answered Henry, “isn’t it wonderful?”
Troy read the Montreal Gazette announcement aloud. “Victoria Rink-A game of hockey will be played at the Victoria Skating Rink this evening, between two nines chosen from among the members. Good fun may be expected, as some of the players are reputed to be exceedingly expert at the game. Some fears have been expressed on the part of intending spectators that accidents were likely to occur through the ball flying about in too lively a manner, to the imminent danger of lookers on, but we understand that the game will be played with a flat circular piece of wood, thus preventing all danger of its leaving the surface of the ice. Subscribers will be admitted on presentation of their tickets.” (This is the actual wording from the article)
Troy put the paper down when he heard his captain calling the team together as the game was soon to start. Troy found it hard to get into any rhythm; room on the ice was scarce with 18 players all trying to get the illusive puck. Both teams had some decent players, but early on the game was a scramble with nobody getting the upper hand. Then all of a sudden James Creighton fastened onto the puck. He broke away and drove his shot into the corner of the goal, one to nothing for Troy’s team.
Charles Torrance, the opposing captain, was an excellent athlete and leader. He brought his team right back into the game with a slap-shot that left the goal minder staring into space. The reply came within a minute of the Creighton goal and set the crowd buzzing.
At half-time Troy felt annoyed with himself because he had difficulty getting into the game. His friend Henry saw the look of frustration on Troy’s face “Don’t worry Troy, you still have 30 minutes to show that you can really play. I have been watching you; I can tell you are a very good player. Where did you learn the game?”
“My grandfather taught me, he’s from Montréal.” replied Troy.
The players were summoned back to the ice after a short break. With the game all square at one-to- one both teams had everything to play for. Troy knew that he could turn the game to his teams favor. The skill of both teams was very good, but the two captains, Creighton and Torrance, were outstanding. Troy was very impressed as both the captains were self-taught, he guessed. He did not see any coaches or advisers.
The second half of the game was very much like the first with both teams trying to attack, but space was tight. Troy decided to stay on the boards on the left side of the rink but nothing came his way.
The game was fast and furious with the two captains dominating play.
With only two minutes left in the game Troy grabbed the puck near center ice on a line charge. The goal tender stood his ground faced with a one-on-one situation. Troy was too good for him, slotting the wooden puck home to make the score two to one.
Troy had scored some excellent goals in his young career but this one was special, very special. The crowd was cheering wildly. Troy soaked up the atmosphere, it was a wonderful moment for him. The timekeeper blew his whistle a few moments later. James Creighton’s team had won the game and Troy Clarke was a hero!
The players left the ice. Troy changed out of his shoes, stuffed them into his bag, thanked all the players and left the arena. Once outside he took a large breath. At that moment he felt the shirt tugging at him. The wind quickly picked up and before he knew it he was back in his bedroom at his grandfather’s condo.
Looking at the clock on the bedside table Troy realized that he had only been in 1875 for a very short time. He had gone to bed at around 11 p.m.; the clock showed the time was 11:15 p.m. Strange, thought Troy, “but who am I to question the Magic Shirt. I will have to wait until morning to tell grandfather of my experience. He will be so surprised.”
It was nine o’clock before Troy awoke and heard his grandfather moving about in the kitchen. “Well here goes,” he thought, “I wonder if grandfather will believe me.” With that he showered, dressed, and went downstairs.
“Good Morning grandfather, how are you today,” he asked.
“I am fine, did you sleep well,” his grandfather replied.
“Yes I did, and boy do I have a story for you.”
Troy sat down at the kitchen table and looked across from his grandfather. He could not contain himself, he blurted out the entire story of his visit to 1875 and the first indoor hockey game. Grandfather David just sat there with his mouth open. When Troy had finished his grandfather sat there shaking his head. “Are you sure you were not dreaming, it’s possible,” he asked the boy.
“I might have agreed with you but let me show you something’, said the excited young man. He bounded up the stairs to his room and returned with a hockey stick. The stick was obviously old and hand-carved. “This was what I played with; this stick was what I scored with,” said Troy emphasizing the word scored.
Grandfather David took the hockey stick and turned it over in his hands. “This is beautiful, can you keep it,” he asked.
“I thought of giving it to the Montreal Canadiens so they can display it.”
“What a great idea, but where are you going to say you got it?”
“Your attic grandfather, I mean, who is to know.” Grandfather smiled at Troy, “You certainly have all the answers young man.”
“Look at the time,” shouted grandfather, we need to be at the Canadiens offices so that I can introduce you to the people that matter.”
“Let’s go grandfather, maybe I will have another travel experience before I go home.”
With a proud smile and a twinkle in his eye his grandfather said, “I am sure you will Troy, I am sure you will,”
***************
Montreal-Canada
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America. It was originally called Ville-Marie or City of Mary. The name Montreal comes from Mont-Royal, the tripled peaked hill in the heart of the city.
French is the city’s official language with over 50% of the population speaking it. More than half of the population speaks both English and French.
Located in the southwest corner of the province of Quebec, the city has a great position being between the Saint Lawrence River to the south, and by the Riviere des Prairies to the north. The summers are warm; the winters are very cold, the spring and fall are pleasant. Professional sport is strongly represented in Montreal with the Montreal Canadiens leading the way.
Montreal Canadiens
Founded December 4, 1909, the Canadiens play in the Eastern Conference of the NHL. From 1909 to 1917 they played in the NHA, and then from 1919 to present day they have played in the NHL. Their home arena is Bell Center; the colors are red, white and blue. They are the longest operating professional ice hockey team and one of North America’s oldest franchises.
J. Ambrose O’Brien founded the club, but within a year the ownership transferred to George Kennedy. When Kennedy took the team over they had just finished in last place, he improved the team so much that by 1915-6 they had won the first Stanley Cup championship. Twenty-three more Stanley Cups have followed. In 2008, with a 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers, they became the first team to win 3,000 games.
The official name of the club is le Club de hockey Canadien. It is the French spelling of Canadiens that is used.
Fitness for Ice-Hockey
Hockey players need a combination of aerobic power, speed, strength, muscle and endurance. A player in a 60-minute game spends only 15 to 20 minutes on the ice. It is that recovery period that is so important so that a player can recover between shifts so they can produce the same effort at the end of the game as in the beginning.
Today’s professional hockey players are bigger, stronger and faster than players in the past. That is why it is so important for players to aim at getting maximum strength that will convert into explosive power and endurance. Weight training has to be specific. Because of the physical nature of the sport it is important for the player to be in excellent condition so as to avoid injury.
For players involved in amateur ice hockey talk to your physio, get the best advice possible, you will be a better player for it.
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