A recent Maine Observer column by Martha Williams suggesting that ice hockey came to Maine via Massachusetts, introduced to us by preppies, belies the real origin of the sport in our state (“Maine Observer: When hockey came to Maine,” March 2).
Ice hockey came to Maine via Canada, following the same route as the snowy owls that have been spotted here this winter – from north to south.
As French Canadians moved from Quebec to the mill towns of Maine (Rumford, Waterville, Lewiston, Biddeford, etc.), they brought with them their traditions, including playing ice hockey.
And it has been played as a high school sport in Maine for a long time. My father starred on a Waterville High School team (circa 1940) that played in the ï¬nals of the New England high school tournament, losing 2-1 to Melrose, Mass.
While our friends to the south may have taught us how to drive a car with a hockey mentality, they didn’t introduce ice hockey to Maine.
Jeff Madore
Cumberland
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.