Charles Dinsmore

Charles Adrian "Chuck, Chas" Dinsmore (July 23, 1903 – December 5, 1982) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 100 games in the National Hockey League. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he played for the Montreal Maroons. The 1924–25 NHL season was the first for both the Maroons and the Boston Bruins, and on December 1, 1924 Charles earned the first goal ever scored against the Bruins (the Bruins won the game 2-1).[1] He won the Stanley Cup in 1926. He left the game in 1928 to take a job as a bond trader. But in the middle of the 1929-30 NHL season, he asked the Maroons about getting his old job back because he said the stock market did not offer the same thrills as playing in the NHL. Montreal team officials told him that they had no more money in the budget to sign another player, but Dinsmore was insistent and struck a deal by signing a contract to play for the Maroons which would pay him one dollar for the remaining nine games.[2]

Early life

Dinsmore played on high school teams for Oakwood Collegiate Institute. In 1919 he was the quarterback of their senior rugby team that won the High School Rugby League Championship.[3] In 1920 he was on Northview in the junior O.R.F.U. league that won the Junior title over Sarnia.[4]

Football

Dinsmore was a half back for the 1922 Toronto Argonauts teams with Lionel Conacher, Canada’s Athlete of the Half-century.[5] Dinsmore, “is a thick set youngster, powerful and tireless... and he is as tough as a pineknot.” [6] The smallest man on either team, “Little Hercules” slid through the line [7] and he picked up more loose balls than two men on either team.[8] The team went to New York for an exhibition game, struggled with the American rules, losing 55 to 7; Dinsmore had a 32-yard run.[9] “Dinsmore’s loss was one of the most severe a team can suffer. He was one of the greatest secondary defence men ever produced in Canadian football, and his absence weakened the Argo wing line.” [10] Dinsmore also paddled for the Toronto Canoe Club.[11] In 1924 he paddled in the Bala Regatta in Muskoka.[12]

Hockey

In December 1919, 16 years old, he joined the Toronto Aura Lee Juniors, playing left wing and centre. Their club was on Avenue Road near Bloor. “Dinsmore is only a little fellow, but he is fast and a tricky stick handler.” [13] In 1922 Aura Lee defeated St. Mary’s to be the OHA Champions.[14] Headline in the newspapers was that Dinsmore was a “Backchecking Star.” [15] Dinsmore “roamed the whole front line breaking up rush after rush – a Trojan for work, a skating demon.” And Dinsmore even scored two goals, once off the faceoff.[16] When Kitchener was defeating Aura Lee, Dinsmore and Gerald Schnarr got into a mix-up. “Dinsmore came out with a bleeding face from a cut, and he went after Schnarr with his stick. And there was nearly a free-for-all. The police had to pull the combatants apart. Schnarr was lucky not to be badly hurt. Both were chased from the game.” [17] They won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeated McGill, Quebec Champions,[18] but lost to Fort William. He was awarded a Life Membership to the Aura Lee Club.[19]

Professional career

It was Dunc Munro, Montreal and 1924 Olympiad Gold Medal team Captains, who used to play with him on the Argos, that got him to sign with the new team Montreal Maroons.[20] He got a no-cut three-year contract. The two also helped training the Montreal football team.[21] Dinsmore checked the whole St. Patrick’s team to a standstill. His stick-handling was immense. They couldn’t take that puck away from him at all. He saved the game for the Maroons when numerous penalties threatened to bring about their downfall.[22] In the playoff semifinal with the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL), coach Eddie Gerard said the star of the game was Dinny Dinsmore,[23] In the NHL championship game in Ottawa, Montreal in the third up 1-0 over the Ottawa Senators (original), finally Coach Gerard sent out "Kid Disturbance," sometimes known as Dinny Dinsmore, to break up the avalanche. He did, He grabbed the puck and heaved it down the ice and then chased down into the thinly populated backfield after it. That brought the Ottawans back ... He certainly is the prize pest of the N.H.L.[24] Each player will get around $1,500 in extra money for winning the playoffs,[25] defeating the Victoria Cougars for the Stanley Cup. 1925–26 NHL season When he returned in 1929 he was coached by Dunc Munro and played in the 4 playoff games against Boston Bruins, including a 4-hour game with 45 minutes of overtime that was longest in Montreal’s history until then.[26]

In 1932 he returned to the ice as a reserve referee.[27] Suspended for inefficient refereeing in 1934.[28] In 1942 he played in an oldtimers benefit game for Victory Loans, Montreal Canadiens versus Maroons.[29] He was a coach at Loyola College (Montreal) (now part of Concordia University),[30] winning the Dominion Intermediate Intercollegiate Championships[31] and one of the first ten named to their Hall of Fame in 1967.[32]

Between hockey seasons he became a manufacturers’ agent and travelled to England to get novelty lines.[33] Later developed a welding business. He sold Dinsmore Co. in 1962 for $945,000 [34] and in retirement played golf. He had season’s tickets for the Montreal Alouettes CFL team, but didn’t watch hockey. “I'm strictly a one-sports rooter these days. I love football. The game has developed in so many directions and never ceases to intrigue me. ..I'm sorry to say that N.H.L. games don't catch my fancy any more. I'm one of those old fogies that was weaned on stickhandling, precision passing, and good old bodychecking. I dislike the board checking, the hooking and holding. It's just not for me, that's all.”[35]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/poboxscore.cgi?H19240003
  2. ↑ Toronto Daily Star March 26, 1930 pg 10
  3. ↑ Toronto Daily Star Nov. 22, 1919 pg Also Toronto Daily Star Nov 19, 1924 pg 10
  4. ↑ Globe Dec. 6, 1920, pg 13
  5. ↑ Globe Sep. 18, 1922, pg 8; Toronto Daily Star Oct. 16, 1922
  6. ↑ Toronto Daily Star Nov 17 1922 pg 30
  7. ↑ Toronto Star Nov 3, 1924 pg 10
  8. ↑ Photo, Toronto Daily Star Nov 4, 1924 pg 12
  9. ↑ Globe Nov 5 1923 pg 8
  10. ↑ Globe Oct. 21, 1925 pg 8
  11. ↑ Toronto Daily Star June 21, 1923 pg15
  12. ↑ Globe Aug. 12, 1924 pg 8
  13. ↑ Toronto Daily Star Dec 4, 1919 pg 28
  14. ↑ Globe Mar. 10, 1922 pg 8
  15. ↑ photo, weight 145 lbs, Globe Mar 16, 1922 pg 10 and Star Mar. 10, 1922 pg 22
  16. ↑ Toronto Daily Star Mar. 7, 1922 pg 8
  17. ↑ Globe Feb 7, 1924 pg 8
  18. ↑ player portraits Toronto Daily Star Mar 15, 1922 pg 18
  19. ↑ Globe Nov 24, 1924 pg 13
  20. ↑ photo Toronto Daily Star Nov. 19, 1924 pg 10
  21. ↑ Globe Aug. 20, 1925 pg 8
  22. ↑ The Globe Dec 28, 1925 pg 6
  23. ↑ Toronto Daily Star Mar 22, 1926 pg 8
  24. ↑ Toronto Daily Star Mar. 29, 1926 pg 9
  25. ↑ Star Mar 22, 1926 pg 8
  26. ↑ Montreal Gazette Mar 21, 1930 pg 18
  27. ↑ <Montreal Gazette, Nov. 29, 1932 pg 12; Globe, Dec 12, 1932 pg 8; wore number 15 Nov 7, 1933 pg 13; Oct 22, 1935 pg 6
  28. ↑ Globe Feb 1, 1934 pg 13
  29. ↑ Globe and Mail Feb 19, 1942 pg 16
  30. ↑ Globe Sept 20, 1934, pg 11, Montreal Gazette Aug. 30, 1929 pg 11
  31. ↑ Globe & Mail Feb. 7, 1939, pg 14, St. Maurice Valley Chronicle Apr. 11, 1940 pg 12
  32. ↑ Toronto Star May 27, 1967 pg 37, Montreal Gazette May 24, 1967 pg 23
  33. ↑ Montreal Gazette Aug 13, 1963 pg 19
  34. ↑ Montreal Gazette Feb. 17, 1966, pg 13
  35. ↑ Montreal Gazette Aug 13, 1963 pg 19
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