By Tom Annelin / HockeyThunderBay.com
OVER the years, many defencemen from the Lakehead brought grit, physicality and so much more to their game, on the ice.
One such D-man, yet perhaps an unheralded blueliner, was Pete Durham.
Born in Port Arthur back in November of 1927, Durham laced them up with the fabled West End Bruins side, as a 17-year-old, for the 1944-45 season.
There they knocked off the first place and defending Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League-champion Port Arthur Flyers, in a best-of-three qualifier, that went the distance, to advance to the Memorial Cup playdowns.
After two more seasons with the Bruins, as well as being a pick-up by the Fort William Columbus Club in the spring of 1947, Durham’s final year, beginning that fall, would be monumental.
A talent-laden 1947-48 version of the West End Bruins went on to make history.
Featuring the likes of future NHLers Dave Creighton; Rudy Migay and Benny Woit, along with Durham on defence, Port Arthur were unbeaten in regular season and playoff action, with 13 victories, and a tie, to win the TBJHL title, despite a hotly-contested final with Fort William.
Taking off offensively, Durham was a point-per-game man in the playoff finale, while also collecting 20 penalty minutes.
He then continued to bring plenty of both from the back-end.
Adding another talented performer from Fort William, who later went on to shine in the NHL, in Danny Lewicki, the Ports roster looked even stronger.
After the Bruins disposed of the Winnipeg Monarchs in a six-game tilt, an extremely tight match-up was later contested to decide Abbott Cup western Canadian junior hockey supremacy.
There a best-of-seven set with the Lethbridge Native Sons went the maximum and saw Durham score once and set-up another in an 11-1 drubbing of Lethbridge in a seventh and deciding game, that featured Port Arthur rallying from a 3-1 series deficit, before eventually prevailing.
Meeting the Barrie Flyers in the Memorial Cup final at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Barrie proved to be no match for the high-scoring and battle-hardened Bruins.
Doing his part, Durham scored once and doled out six assists in the series, including one in overtime, on the deciding goal in Game 4, as Port Arthur put the broom to the Flyers in which they poured 32 goals into the Barrie net and skated away with the Memorial Cup.
Like his teammates, Durham’s postseason was special as he went on to accumulate 18 points in 17 outings, on six tallies and a dozen helpers, along with 48 minutes in the sin bin.
Turning pro after that, he was signed by the Boston Bruins as a free agent, but went on to spend the next year splitting time with Boston’s affiliates, the Hershey Bears (AHL) and Tulsa Oilers (USHL), that saw both clubs fall in their respective finals.
Next came two seasons with the Omaha Knights (USHL) where he led the team in penalty minutes in each campaign, while chipping in with 100-plus points, as well an appearance in the final in his first year and helping Omaha win the championship the next.
Earning a deal in the AHL in 1951-52, Durham played with both the Indianapolis Capitals and Buffalo Bisons, where his combined physical attributes saw him top the league table with 174 minutes worth of infractions while picking up 37 points.
Heading west after that, came a roster spot with the New Westminster Royals in the old Western Hockey League.
Becoming an immediate fan-favourite, Durham’s robust style of play and penchant for etching his name on the game sheet in both the offensive and penalty sides of the ledger had the home fans devoted to him and those of the opponents, loathing him as he battled his way through the middle of many a fracas, on a continual basis.
His five years in the WHL saw finish first in PIMS three times, but also supply nearly 200 points.
Durham’s talent saw the respected rearguard tabbed a second-team league all-star in 1953-54, garner first-team laurels, while with the Victoria Cougars, and WHL coast division 1st team recognition back with New Westminster in 1956-57.
Rugged and robust right until the end, his profession was suddenly cut short back on March 28, 1957 when he went crashing head-first into the boards during the second period of a playoff game versus Victoria and was stretched off the ice, having suffered a broken neck.
While his playing time in hockey had come to a close, his grit and determination as a player remained as he worked diligently during rehabilitation and recovery, which helped him join the work force with a local New Westminster contractor.
Showing just how popular Durham was in the British Columbia community a ‘Pete Durham Appreciation Night’ was held following his career-ending injury, in which over 2,000 fans showed up to pay tribute.
There he received telegrams of encouragement from the likes of NHL standout Ted Lindsay and NHL president Clarence Campbell, along with a cheque for $5,000 to aid in his transition away from hockey.
Even though he was only five-foot-10, his diminutive stature never saw him shy away from the physical style of the game.
He was ever-loyal to his teammates and never failed to stick-up for them as his 1,888 penalty minutes, in 712 total games, would attest.
While always there to get involved physically, if the need arose, Durham also boasted a solid offensive flare from the back-end, as he went on to score 130 times as well as dole out 296 assists for 426 points during his time in the game.
From being a Memorial Cup champion and a stalwart rugged defenceman throughout, Pete Durham is one of the many that have continually made the Lakehead hockey faithful – proud.