Robert Lebel (ice hockey)
Robert Lebel | |
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QMJHL | |
Awards | Hockey Hall of Fame, IIHF Hall of Fame, 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal |
Robert Lebel or LeBel (September 21, 1905 – September 20, 1999) was a Canadian
Early life
Lebel was born September 21, 1905, in Quebec City, Quebec.[1][2][3][4] He played junior ice hockey as a goaltender in the Beaupre Shore junior hockey league.[1][5][6] He later played in the Quebec Senior Hockey League and several amateur hockey teams in New York state.[1][4] After retiring from playing, Lebel was a referee for nine seasons,[5][6] and briefly coached with the Montréal-Nord Crescent Club in the Intermediate Hockey League.[5]
Lebel graduated from the
Beginnings in Quebec
Lebel began his career as a hockey administrator when he founded the Interprovincial Senior Hockey League in 1944, and he served as its president until 1947.[1][4] The league included many players stationed at RCAF Station Lachine during World War II.[2][5][6][8] He also served as president of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association (QAHA) from 1945 to 1946, and again from 1951 to 1955.[2][6][8] He relocated to Chambly, Quebec, in 1951 and became vice president of Bennett Limited.[5] In June 1955, his term as QAHA president ended, and he was replaced by Lionel Fleury.[9] Lebel then became president of the Quebec Amateur Hockey League from 1955 to 1957.[1] At the same time, Lebel entered municipal politics in 1955, and served as the mayor of Chambly until 1957.[2][6][8] During his time as mayor, he initiated the construction of a water treatment facility for the greater Chambly area, completed in 1959.[5]
Canadian amateur hockey
Lebel served as first vice-president of the
International ice hockey
Lebel became president of the International Ice Hockey Federation in July 1960; he was the second and most recent Canadian to hold the position since W. G. Hardy was elected in 1948.[15][16] Lebel served as IIHF president until 1962.[1][4] Due to a fear of flying, Lebel preferred a transatlantic crossing by sea, when attending federation meetings in Europe.[3]
During the third year of his tenure as president, he was embattled by the
Lebel said that once his term expired, it would be Europe's turn for the presidency.[22] He later sat on the North American board of the IIHF. He was also appointed to the national advisory council on fitness and amateur sports, by health minister Judy LaMarsh on March 5, 1964.[24] Lebel resigned his IIHF council post in May 1964.[25] He agreed that Bunny Ahearne, his successor as president of the IIHF, was correct in his decision to place Canada fourth at the 1964 World Ice Hockey Championships, according to IIHF statutes.[26]
Return to Quebec hockey
Lebel returned to hockey in Quebec, and in 1969, he facilitated the merger of the Quebec Junior Hockey League with the Metropolitan Montreal Junior Hockey League, forming the
Honours and awards
While Lebel was president of the CAHA, he received the AHAUS Citation Award in 1958, for his contributions to the advancement of American amateur hockey,[29] and received the Ontario Hockey Association Gold Stick award in 1959.[30] In 1964 after completing his IIHF service, he was made a life member of both the CAHA, and the QAHA.[1][4][31] While with the QMJHL in 1970, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder.[1][2][4][6]
Lebel was inducted into the
Lebel played golf competitively. He won titles at the Kent Golf Club, the Sherbrooke Open and the Bank of Montreal Open.[7]
Death and legacy
Lebel lived in Chambly after retiring, at 26 Saint-Pierre St.[35] He died at home on September 20, 1999, on the eve of his 94th birthday.[5][36] He was predeceased by his wife Lucille Bégin in 1987, and survived by his son Jean, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.[5][36] The city flag at town hall was lowered to half-mast for a week, until his burial on September 27, at the St. Joseph Church cemetery in Chambly.[5][36]
In the 1990s, Lebel donated the Emma Albani fund for musical arts to the town of Chambly.[5] The Journal de Chambly remembered Lebel as being an authoritarian when he was younger, then later in life as sympathetic but direct.[5] He was also known for his wit, and being outspoken.[2][8] The Réseau des sports described Lebel as being both frank and generous.[14]
The town of Chambly renamed the municipal sports centre in honour of Lebel on September 14, 1976.[8] The Centre Sportif Lebel includes indoor and outdoor skating rinks.[37] After his death, the town named a boulevard for Lebel.[6][14]
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League renamed its west division to the Lebel division for the 1976–77 QMJHL season.[1] The league also created the Robert Lebel Trophy in the 1977–78 QMJHL season, awarded to the team with the best goals against average.[6][14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "LeBel, Robert -- Honoured Builder". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Foisy, Paul (July 9, 2010). "Robert Lebel". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Hockey - Lebel, Robert". Exploraré (in French). Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8108-6130-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cloutier, Éric (September 28, 1999). "Ex-maire de Chambly–Bassin et figure dominante du hockey amateur au pays". Le Journal de Chambly (in French). Chambly, Quebec. pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Robert Lebel" (PDF). Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Hall of Fame. 1998. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 1-55041-855-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g Laplante-St-Jean, Claudy (September 15, 2012). "Quatre décennies de sports de glace à Chambly". Chambly Express (in French). Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Elected President". Brandon Daily Sun. Brandon, Manitoba. June 13, 1955. p. 15.
- ^ "Past Officers". Hockey Canada. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Constitution, By-laws, Regulations, History. Gloucester, Ontario: Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. May 1990. p. 129.
- ^ "Montrealer Elected CAHA Chief". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. May 30, 1957. p. 42.
- ^ a b c d "Robert Lebel (1905-1999) Administrateur sportif". Université de Sherbrooke (in French). Bilan du siècle. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Robert LeBel". RDS.ca (in French). May 3, 2002. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Name Canuck Hockey Prexy". Lethbridge Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta. July 27, 1960. p. 14.
- ^ "History of IIHF Presidents". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "World Hockey Dates Are Set". Brandon Sun. Brandon, Manitoba. December 19, 1961. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Hockey Issue Still Hanging In Mid-Air". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. February 1, 1962. p. 28.
- ^ a b "Sunday Deadline Set For Entries". Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta. February 16, 1962. p. 4.
- ^ "Ice Meet Keeps World Title Lebel". Pacific Stars and Stripes. Tokyo, Japan. March 8, 1962. p. 19.
- ^ "Ice Federation Halts Pro Players". Frederick News Post. Frederick, Maryland. March 14, 1962. p. 7.
- ^ a b "LeBel Satisfied With Tourney". Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta. March 22, 1962. p. 4.
- ^ "Tass Wants Bob Ousted". Brandon Sun. Brandon, Manitoba. March 20, 1962. p. 6.
- ^ "15 Appointed To Fitness Council". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. March 6, 1964. p. 14.
- ^ "LeBel Resigns". Brandon Sun. Brandon, Manitoba. May 20, 1964. p. 26.
- ^ Sullivan, Jack (May 28, 1964). "Non-Skater Top Expert On Ice Hockey". Peace River Record Gazette. Peace River, Alberta. p. 4.
- ^ a b "History and Records". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "INTRONISÉS EN 1991". Temple de la renommée du Hockey Québécois (in French). Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ "Citation Award". USA Hockey. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "GOLD STICK". Ontario Hockey Association. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Hockey Canada. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Le Temple". Temple de la renommée du Hockey Québécois. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Six Canadians go to International Hockey Hall". The StarPhoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. May 12, 1997. p. 23. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "IIHF Hall of Fame". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ Constitution, By-laws, Regulations, History. Gloucester, Ontario: Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. May 1990. pp. vii.
- ^ a b c "LEBEL, Robert (1905–1999)". Le Journal de Chambly (in French). Chambly, Quebec. September 28, 1999. p. 38.
- ^ "Centre sportif Robert-Lebel (Aréna)". Plein Air à la Carte (in French). October 5, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Legends of Hockey