It was arguably the ugliest hockey brawl – and there were some dandies over the years – in the history of the old Water Street Arena.
It came at the end of a fight-infested March 3, 1966 Central Junior Hockey League playoff game that pitted the Royals against the Brockville Braves, a game won 6-1 by the Royals.
As players tussled and exchanged punches, dozens of fans poured over the boards (no glass around the sides in the day). Two of them grabbed a Brockville defenceman and with one of the thugs holding Remi Fleury’s arms, the other, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound football player, pummeled the helpless Brave.
Fleury, suffering a badly bruised face and two swollen eyes, was taken to hospital, along with another team-mate who got the worst of a fight.
Sadly, Cornwall – which in the day called itself the ‘Friendly City’ – suffered a black eye, too, thanks to some blatant foot-dragging by Lady Justice.
Among the hundreds of witnesses to the ugly assault were two on-duty city police officers and the Crown attorney, Malcom Macdonald.
Incredibly, the two guilty fans walked out of the arena with impunity. No arrests. Nothing. The cops didn’t even show up at the hospital to interview Fleury.
Not even when The Standard-Freeholder ran a picture the next day of the battered Fleury’s face with an account of the assault did the justice system crawl into action.
Realizing the local cops and Crown’s office were not going to act, the Brockville general manager drove to Cornwall to file a charge of assault causing bodily harm.
Travis, who went on to have a pro football career, was arrested. He was released on $200 bail and later pled guilty to common assault. Convicted, he was given the proverbial slap on the wrist.
In a page out of “Profiles of Courage”, Fleury, sporting two black eyes – one of them shut – played the next night in Brockville and was the game’s first star as the Braves skated to a 3-0 win. The Royals would win the series in six games.
You might recall American broadcast legend Paul Harvey and his signature “Now Here’s the Rest of the Story.”
Well, here’s the rest of the story.
Last fall the city hired a new chief administration officer (CAO) named Mathieu Fleury.
It was soon discovered that his father was Remi Fleury, who passed away a few years ago.
Mathieu was surprised to learn of the incident.
“My father never mentioned it,” he said.
The elder Fleury died in 2015. He was 68.
THIS AND THAT: In an old-Soviet-style warning/threat, V. Putin said Ruskie missiles can reach North America. The best early-warning detection will be if Putin-loving Ovechkin suddenly departs for a “family emergency” in Russia. … Too often activism is more about the activist than the cause. … It’s not about making American great again, for Trump it is about making The Donald great again. … New twist to Harry Truman’s “The buck stops here”. It is now “The buck stops anywhere but here.”
THIS MONTH IN 1953: St. Lawrence High School held its first graduation when 19 students received senior diplomas. Richard Whittaker received the gold medal for overall proficiency. … Plans for a new high school in Alexandria were unveiled. It would have eight classrooms, three science labs, a workshop and gymnasium. It would be called Glengarry District High School. … An upper respiratory infection swept through West Front Public School (then part of Cornwall Township) with 115 of 336 students absent. Even the school board’s truant officer was off work with the infection. … Eric Shaver was named commanding officer of the CCVS cadet corps. Wayne Forrester was second-in-command. … A 14-room mansion on the southern outskirts of Lancaster was turned into a private boys’ school called Waverley. It was owned and operated by Lester Perkins of Montreal who purchased the property from Col. Douglas Bowie. The mansion was builtin 1890. Enrolment was 30. … C. I. Bacon was appointed vice-president and general manager of Cornwall Street Railway Light and Power Co. The company said its Pitt Street route was beingextended to Eamer’s Corners where several new homes were being built. … C. G. Markell, president of Palace Amusement Co., announced a plan to bring 3-Dimensional movies to the Capitol Theatre. … The 30-member Cornwall Barber’s Union voted to increase the price of haircuts by 10 cents, putting the price of an adult cut to 85 cents and children’s cuts to 60 cents. New price for the popular brush cut was $1. … The annual meeting of Cornwall General Hospital was told that the hospital ended 1952 with a $300,000 surplus. On average, the hospital had a daily patient count of 134. The staff of 187 included 40 registered nurses, 24 nurses’ aides and five orderlies. The hospital nursing school had 14 graduates in 1952. … The Claude Nunney VC Memorial Branch in Lancaster received its charter. … The Cornwall Township financial report showed the municipality finished the year with a $16,657 surplus, after starting the year with a $40,000 deficit. Projects approved were storm sewer for Garden City (northern part of Cumberland Street), pavement of Second Street from McConnell to the Courtaulds property, resurfacing of Montreal Road from Marlborough to Alice and a sidewalk on St. Andrew’s Road (Pitt Street) from Eleventh to Seguin’sDance Hall. … Cornwall Collegiate won the overall points title at the Eastern Canada Indoor Track and Field Meet in Montreal. John Sloan (midget 50-yard), Gordon Hickey (50-yard junior) and Ellis Barclay (500-yard junior) had first place finishes. East York Collegiate of Toronto was runner-up. … Applications for privately-owned television stations were awarded to Windsor, Sudbury,London and Hamilton, cities not served by the CBC.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Thomas Murphy launched Cornwall’s first taxi service in 1873 using a horse and buggy.
TRIVIA: This Ontario premier was born in Dundas County. His government created the Hydro-Electric Power Commission: 1) John Sandfield Macdonald, 2) Arthur Hardy, 3) James Pliny Whitney, 4) George Howard Ferguson, 5) George Stewart Henry.
QUOTED: “I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I am more honest and my women are beautiful.” – Donald Trump
