SENIOR hockey locally in the 1950s saw one team hold a firm grip of dominance for most of the decade.
For a six-year span, from 1952 through ’58, the Fort William Beavers were a club that was unmatched in the city as they reeled off six consecutive league championships in boasting supremacy across the region.
They were led by the legendary Joe MacArthur, himself an Allan Cup winner with the fabled 1938-39 Port Arthur Bearcats, that were denied competing as Canada’s representative in the 1940 Winter Olympic Games due to the outbreak of World War II.
One of the stars of those Beavers’ clubs of the ‘50s was Jerry Kirk, who turned 90 back in September.
Playing junior hockey with the likes of future NHLer Danny Lewicki, on the Fort William Columbus Club Canadiens and up against Hockey Hall of Fame honoured member Alex Delvecchio, Kirk put up solid numbers.
After a one-year stint with the New York Rovers of the old Eastern Amateur Hockey League in 1951-52, where he was a point-per-game performer, he returned to the Lakehead and helped send the Beavers on to their way to a six-pack of city senior crowns.
In 1952-53, Kirk led the league in offensive production playing at nearly a two-point-per-game clip.
In the western playdowns he continued his scoring touch with 18 points in as many outings.
Taking on the Regina Caps in one semifinal match-up that year, Fort William fell behind 2-0 before storming back with four straight victories to take the best-of-seven affair.
Meeting the Penticton Vees in the Patton Cup west final, the Beavers came up short in their bid to reach the Allan Cup, falling in six contests.
The following campaign led by the trio of Kirk, Morrie Hamilton and John Irving, they amassed 136 points between them, and claimed the city title once more, but were bounced by the Winnipeg Maroons in the quarter-final of the westerns.
In 1954-55, it was yet another first place finish and TBSHL win for the Beavers.
Gaining redemption against Winnipeg in the semifinals, Fort William took care of business winning four times vs. the Maroons, against one tie.
Moving to the Patton Cup final series, the Beavers met up with the Vernon Canadians from B.C., and in the end they prevailed four games to two to book their berth in the Allan Cup final against the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen.
With all the games played in Kitchener, the teams split the first two contests, however the Dutchmen won the next three to take the national senior championship.
That earned Kitchener-Waterloo the right to represent Canada at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy where they went 6-2 and won the bronze medal. Their only setbacks were to the Soviet Union and the USA who claimed gold and silver respectively.
Back at it in 1955-56, the Beavers were paced by the likes of Alex (Moe) Irving and Tom Kompon, but their efforts to return to play for another Allan Cup were again thwarted by Winnipeg.
A lack of competition in 1956-57 likely hindered the Beavers as a number of minor-pro leagues had popped up in western Canada, but none the less they advanced right to the Patton Cup final series where they took on the Spokane Flyers.
There, Spokane became the first U.S.-based club to win the westerns, 4-2, with one tie, but would eventually be swept by the famed Whitby Dunlops, who hoisted the Allan Cup in 1957.
Awarded another TBSHL trophy 1958, Fort William could not get past their nemesis, the Winnipeg Maroons, to put a premature end to their campaign.
Despite that setback though, the Beavers still had their six consecutive city senior championships to their credit and rightfully earned themselves a place in local hockey lore.
TEAM PHOTO
FRONT ROW (left-to-right)
Alex ‘Moe’ Irving (centre), Paul Morin (goaltender/ with black eye), Tom Konderka (stick boy)
MIDDLE ROW (left–to–right)
Ernie Oakley (right defence), Alex Birukow (centre), Morris Saplywy (right wing), John Irving (left wing/Asst. Captain/(behind)/ ‘A’ on shirt), Jerry Kirk (centre/Asst. Captain /‘A’ on shirt), Gordon ‘Buck’ Forslund (left wing/defence), Gino Antoniazzi (right defence/Captain), Peter Goegan (left wing), Morris Hamilton (centre/ in front with bottle), Tom Kompon (right wing), Vic Kryluk (left wing/in front with bottle), Bob Drainville (left defence/player coach)
BACK ROW (left–to–right)
Joe MacArthur (Manager/wearing fedora), Bruce Corness (centre), Art Kirk (left wing/in striped tie), Joe Konderka (Trainer), Lou Milani (right wing), Harold Brayshaw (right defence), Ted Avison (goaltender), George Nesbitt (Assistant Trainer), Jim Jessiman (President).