I had an incredible surprise yesterday while at my youngest son's hockey game. After the game and a rare win for our mighty Timbits team one of the parents casually asked the team if any one them were watching the Olympics. A resounding "YES" was belted out.
Stacey then asked if anyone knew some one who had been an Olympian-no one knew an Olympian. At that point he said that his son, Tristan's great grandfather was a Canadian Olympian from the first game at Lake Placid in 1932. His name was Ken Moore. He played for the amateur senior men's team in Winnipeg that was the reigning Allan Cup champion and selected to represent Canada at the games.
I'll let you read his biography below:
One of Canada’s earliest First Nation Olympians, forward Kenneth “Ken” Moore had a long career in ice hockey, of which the 1932 Winter Olympics was a significant part. He was the third of eight children, but only three of his siblings survived into adulthood. His older brothers died while part of the Canadian Indian residential school system, a tragedy that caused his family to move from Balcarres to Regina, Saskatchewan. It was there that he began playing hockey and, at a young age, he won the Eilers’ Medal, given annually to the player in the Regina Junior Hockey League who puts on the best display of sportsmanship. In addition to hockey, he also played baseball, lacrosse, rugby, and basketball. He eventually attended Campion and Regina Colleges on athletic scholarships and captained their hockey and rugby teams. He was a member of the 1929-1930 Regina Pats that won that year’s Memorial Cup, given to the Canada junior men’s ice hockey champions and scored the winning goal with 40 seconds left in the match. The following season he joined the Winnipeg Hockey Club and won that year’s Allan Cup, the senior-level version of the Memorial Cup, and was therefore invited to represent Canada at the following year’s Olympic ice hockey tournament. He played in one game, in the match against Poland, and scored one of Canada’s 10 goals in the shutout, helping his team win that year’s gold medal.
The Olympics, however, were not the end of Moore’s career. He was a member of the Kimberley Dynamiters in 1936 when they won the Allan Cup and he was invited to tour with them for the 1937 World Championships. Before he could leave, however, he was dropped as a member of the team for unknown reasons. He then shifted to coaching, first the St. Boniface Athletics of the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association, then the St. James Canadians. As a member of the 1931 Winnipegs, he was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. As a member of the 1936 Dynamiters, he was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.
What this biography does not tell is that Ken Moore never had the chance to play in the NHL. Not because of wars, economics, opportunities or injuries. He could not play because he was First Nations, or Indian as would be said back then some 80 years ago. I did not realize that the NHL had discriminatory element to it, but I should not be surprised really as most of Canada certainly has towards First Nations people for it's history.
The remarkable part to all of this was when Stacey pulled out the medal! He let all of us hold and examine this truly precious piece of history. It was very heavy but not big, it fit right in the palm of my hand. I have attached two of the photos I took, they will be in the comments section.
I'm a huge Olympics fan and have been glued to the TV since Friday. Last night when Alexandre Bilodeau won gold I was jumping up and down screaming and pumping my fists. I get truly worked up for the winter Olympics and hope Canada has great success.
I am going to a few events but not till later on so I am looking forward to getting down and dirty in the city. I'm also putting out a request...if anyone has tickets to Molson Hockey House they don't want I would be interested in buying them-specifically for the Friday the 26th. Please PM me if you know some one or a lead.
Thanks and enjoy the GAMES!!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»