Abby's Fabulous Season

by Alain M. Bergeron

  At the time of publication of this book, Abby Hoffman was Assistant Deputy Minister for the Strategic Policy Branch at Health Canada.

  Dorothy Medhurst

  Abby Hoffman’s mother, Dorothy Medhurst, passed away while the author was working on the first draft of this novel. She died on December 29, 2010, at the age of 95. She was living with her son Benny in the family house on Glendonwynne Road in Toronto.

  Until late in life, she lived in a cabin in Caledon with no phone, electricity or running water.

  This passionate woman was an artist. As a teenager, she taught art to children at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario, under the direction of painter Arthur Lismer, a member of the famous Group of Seven. The more time she spent with children, the more drawn she was to the excitement and rewards of teaching. She continued to instil the love of art in youth well into her eighties.

  Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, annually gives out the Dorothy Medhurst Award to a second-year student in Early Childhood Education who demonstrates creativity through an innovative and energetic approach. Her curiosity never faded over the years.

  Dorothy Medhurst is also the subject of the film Notes On Seeing.

  Samuel H. Hoffman

  Abby’s dad was right when he predicted the end of the Detroit Red Wings’ supremacy in the National Hockey League. Spring 1956 saw the beginning of the Montreal Canadiens’ domination over the next five years.

  Samuel Hoffman predeceased his wife. He was a fervent supporter of track and field, and was one of the directors of the Toronto Olympic Club. He died on July 21, 1978 at the age of 69. A retired chemist, he was struck by a heart attack while volunteering as an equipment attendant for the Junior Track & Field Championship at the Etobicoke Centennial Stadium.

  Paul Hoffman

  Abby’s brother Paul is one of the most fascinating characters in this gallery of people who were important in Abby’s life. Born on March 21, 1941, Paul became an internationally renowned geologist, as a result of his studies and work on the Snowball Earth theory. According to his research, 600 or 700 million years ago, the Earth would have been covered in ice over long periods, with every glacial period lasting as long as several million years. Frequent stays in Namibia (Africa), where he studied layers of sedimentary rock, brought him to this conclusion.

  Dr. Paul Hoffman worked in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the prestigious Harvard University in Cambridge, USA. He is now affiliated with the University of Victoria in British Columbia. He received the 2009 Wollaston Medal—the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London. Graciously, Paul Hoffman answered several of my questions via email.

  Muni Hoffman

  Muni was considered the most talented hockey player in the Hoffman family. When he boasted about his 38 goals in regular season play, he wasn’t exaggerating. Muni joined the Ontario Junior Hockey League as a defenseman. In 1961, he played for the Toronto Marlboros. The following year, he wore the colors of the Whitby Dunlops in the Metro Junior A League. A year later, he went back to the Ontario Junior League, this time playing for the Oshawa Generals. The experience didn’t pay off and he was drafted by the Lakeshore team in the Junior B League.

  Muni Hoffman ended his junior career as captain of the Weston Dodgers in 1964-65. With six new franchises accepted in the National Hockey League in the 1967 season, Muni was invited to the Los Angeles Kings training camp. Unfortunately, his services were not retained.

  Phyllis Griffiths

  Journalist Phyllis Griffiths was born in Britain in 1905. She had a remarkable basketball career throughout the 1920s and ’30s as an athlete, coach and referee. The daily Toronto Telegram newspaper hired her in 1927. She was one of the first women columnists in Canada to write about sports. Her column, titled The Girl and The Game, was published for about fifteen years. When she met Abby Hoffman in March 1956, she was 51 years old.

  Respected in her profession, Ms. Griffiths was inducted into the Canadian Newspaper Hall of Fame on March 22, 1978.

  She died in December 1978.

  Foster Hewitt

  Foster Hewitt (1902-1985) also had an interesting career. He was the voice of hockey in English Canada, both on radio and television, from one ocean to the other.

  For forty years, he did play-by-play commentary for Hockey Night in Canada, the first widely listened-to radio show in Canada. After the arrival of television in the 1950s, he was broadcast simultaneously on CBC radio and TV until 1963. He is known for his famous: “He shoots! He scores!” He met Abby Hoffman in the gondola at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. This same gondola was dismantled in August 1979 and replaced with executive suites. The current media gondola at the Air Canada Center in Toronto was named after him.

  Foster Hewitt was inducted as Builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, and named Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972. A trophy—the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame—is given every year to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession.

  The Junior Tee Pees

  A few players from the Junior St. Catharines Tee Pees made their mark in the National Hockey League. By the way, the Toronto Marlboros, who lost in semi-finals against the Tee Pees, won the Memorial Cup that year (1956) against the Regina Pats.

  The most spectacular Junior Tee Pees player was no doubt Bobby Hull, who did officiate a few games in the Little Toronto Hockey League during his time with the Tee Pees.

  Born in 1939, Bobby Hull was one of the greatest National Hockey League players of his time. Hired at eighteen by the Chicago Black Hawks (season 1957-58), he played with that team until 1971-72. Nicknamed the Golden Jet, Hull helped the Black Hawks win the Stanley Cup in 1960-61—their first Cup in twenty-three years. With teammate Stan Mikita, he developed the curved hockey stick. Traveling over 160 km per hour, his slapshot used to terrorize goalies. He was named Best Player of the NHL in 1965 and 1966. After the creation of the World Hockey Association, he went to Winnipeg where he wore the Jets colors starting in 1972, then joined the Hartford Whalers. He retired in 1980 after accumulating an astounding 610 goals and 1170 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

  Ab McDonald, assistant captain of the St. Catharines Tee Pees, went from the Ontario Junior League to the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League in 1956. He signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 1957. With the Canadiens, this left winger won three consecutive Stanley Cups. He was then traded to the Chicago Black Hawks where he reunited with his friend Bobby Hull and won a forth Stanley Cup! In the following years, McDonald played with different teams (Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and St. Louis) before ending his career with the Winnipeg Jets, once again alongside his friend Bobby Hull. In 762 games in the National Hockey League, Ab McDonald scored 182 goals and a total of 430 points.

  Elmer Moose Vasko is another member of the Tee Pees who contributed to the Chicago Hawks’ conquest of the Stanley Cup in 1960-1961. This giant defenseman (6 feet 2 inches), originally from Duparquet in the province of Quebec, played for Chicago until 1965 after leaving St. Catharines in 1956. He finished his career with the Minnesota North Stars. Moose Vasko amassed 200 points in thirteen regular seasons. He died in October 1998.

  The Maple Leafs

  Three players from the Toronto Maple Leafs who met Abby Hoffman, had great careers in the National Hockey League.

  Right winger Tod Sloan played with the Leafs for almost ten years (1948-1957) before being traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in 1959. The following year, he helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup with teammates Bobby Hull and Ab McDonald. Tod Sloan retired in 1962. In 745 games with the NHL, he scored 220 goals.

  Right defenseman Jim Thompson wore only one jersey in his twelve seasons with the NHL: the Toronto Maple Leafs’. He scored 234 points in 787 games.

  Finally, the other Jim—Morriso
n this time—played for the Leafs from 1951 to 1958. The defenseman then left Toronto to go to Boston, Detroit, and New York. He was with the Quebec Aces in the American League from 1960 to 1967, before a brief return to the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 704 games, he accumulated 200 points.

  It is impossible not to mention the Toronto Leafs player George Armstrong—nicknamed the Chief. This player (whom Susie refers to when she’s talking to Abby) wore the Leafs jersey for 21 seasons (1951 to 1971) and played 1188 games. He became team captain in 1957. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975, after scoring 296 goals and 713 points.

  Stars on skates

  Abby Hoffman’s best friend Susie Read was right to praise the figure skating performances of Barbara Ann Scott and the Wagner-Paul pair.

  Originally from Ottawa, Barbara Ann Scott (born in 1928) earned her place in the Canadian collective memory by winning a gold medal in the St. Moritz Olympics in Switzerland on February 6, 1948. Barbara Ann Scott was named Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1945, 1947, and 1948. She then participated in ice revues until 1954. She had to wait almost four decades before being named Officer of the Order of Canada in 1991, and was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She died in September of 2012.

  Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul dominated the world scene in pairs figure skating for the second half of the 1950s. In addition to being Canadian Champions five times, they were World Champions from 1957 to 1960, and won a gold medal in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA, becoming the first Canadian athletes in this discipline to climb to the top of the podium. Wagner and Paul retired from the amateur circuit in 1960 to skate with the professionals until 1964. The Skate Canada Hall of Fame opened its doors to them in 1993.

  The arenas

  The hockey games in this story take place, for the most part, at two Toronto arenas: Varsity and Maple Leaf Gardens.

  Opened on December 17, 1926, Varsity Arena was one of the first arenas built without the steel pillars that used to obstruct the spectators’ view. It seats more than 4,000 people. The building is located at 275 Bloor Street West near the University of Toronto.

  Maple Leaf Gardens was built in 1931 and was home to the Maple Leafs until 1999. The NHL team played its last game there on February 12 before moving to the Air Canada Center, thus putting an end to a 67-year tradition. This hockey temple, still located at the corner of Church and Carlton Streets in Toronto, is the last of the six original arenas in the history of the league. It has been repurposed and now serves as an athletic center for Ryerson University.

  Bibliography

  Digital archives

  “Ab turns out to be a girl.” CBC Digital Archives (radio), broadcast 20 December 1956.

  “A rising star: Abby Hoffman at 15.” CBC Digital Archives (radio), broadcast 23 February 1962.

  “He’s a girl.” CBC Digital Archives (television), broadcast 9 March 1956.

  Books

  Miner, Valerie. “A portrait of Abby Hoffman.” Her Own Woman: Profiles on Ten Canadian Woman. Macmillan of Canada, 1975.

  McFadden, Fred. Abby Hoffman, Super People Series. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1978.

  Hall, M. Ann. The Girl and the Game. Broadview Press, 2002.

  Newspaper articles

  “Little THL Resumes Nov. 19 At Varsity.” Toronto Daily Star, 12 November 1955.

  Proudfoot, Jim. “Playing, Not Winning That Counts.” Toronto Daily Star, 23 December 1955.

  MacDonald, John. “Ref Hands Out Tips As Well As Penalties in Little THL.” Toronto Daily Star, 7 February 1956.

  Rose, Ben. “No time for Girls—Abby.” Toronto Daily Star, 9 March 1956.

  “Abby Concedes Leafs Slightly Better Than Own Team.” Toronto Daily Star, 12 March 1956.

  “Ab Hoffman Gets Award at Little THL Jamboree.” Toronto Daily Star, 15 March 1956.

  “They’re Both Tee Pees.” Toronto Daily Star, 16 March 1956.

  “The Boys’ Honor Abby Hoffman For Hockey Skill.” Toronto Daily Star, 17 March 1956.

  Young, Jerry. “Goalies Dominate Little THL Scene.” Toronto Daily Star, 17 March 1956.

  “THL Hockey School For Girl Tonight.” Toronto Daily Star, 22 March 1956.

  “Could It Be The Maple Leafs Will Sign One Of These?” Toronto Daily Star, 23 March 1956.

  “Abby Seeks Her First Goal In Timmy Tyke Tournament.” Toronto Daily Star, 29 March 1956.

  Griffiths, Phyllis. “Rough, Hardchecking Ab Back On The Ice—She Is.” The Toronto Telegram, 8 March 1956.

  Griffiths, Phyllis. “A Girl Hockey League.” The Toronto Telegram, 9 March 1956.

  “She’s A Star.” The Toronto Telegram, 9 March 1956.

  Hoffman, Abby. “Tod’s Stick, Leaf Cushions Wonderful, New To Abby.” The Toronto Telegram, 11 March 1956.

  Griffiths, Phyllis. “Abby Was Star, Fan, Mascot.” The Toronto Telegram, 12 March 1956.

  Morganson. “Abigail Still A Winner—Her Teeps Champions.” The Toronto Telegram, 17 March 1956.

  “‘Stay As Sweet As You Are’—Selke Sends Ab A Sweater.” The Toronto Telegram, 2 April 1956.

  “Name Nine-Year Old Girl To Boys’ All-Star Team.” The Globe and Mail, 9 March 1956.

  “To Give Girls Hockey Lessons.” The Globe and Mail, 22 March 1956.

  Rosenfeld, Bobbie. “Mustangs Royally Treated, Coach Vince Leah Reveals.” The Globe and Mail, 4 April 1956.

  “Great Pretender: Girl, 9, Hockey Ace.” The New York Times, 8 March 1956.

  “Les officiels d’une petite ligue de hockey confondus.” Library and Archives Canada (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), La Presse, 9 March 1956.

  About the Author

  Alain M. Bergeron is a big hockey fan. He is a prolific author of books for young people. He lives in Victoriaville, Quebec.

  Copyright

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Bergeron, Alain M., 1957-

  [Fabuleuse saison d’Abby Hoffman. English]

  Abby’s fabulous season / by Alain M. Bergeron ; translated by Chantal Bilodeau.

  Translation of: La fabuleuse saison d’Abby Hoffman.

  Issued in print and electronic formats.

  ISBN 978-1-927583-47-0 (pbk.).—ISBN 978-1-927583-48-7 (epub)

  1. Hoffman, Abby—Juvenile fiction. I. Bilodeau, Chantal, 1968-,

  translator. II. Title. III. Title: Fabuleuse saison d’Abby Hoffman. English.

  PS8553.E67454F3113 2014 jC843’.54 C2014-903673-6

  C2014-903674-4

  Copyright © 2014 by Alain M. Bergeron

  Published with permission of Soulières éditeur, Saint-Lambert, Quebec.

  Translation by Chantal Bilodeau

  Edited by Carolyn Jackson

  Designed by Melissa Kaita

  Cover art © Carl Pelletier (Polygone Studio)

  Printed and bound in Canada

  Acknowledgement

  The author would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts for awarding him a grant in support of the research and writing of this novel.

  Second Story Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.

  For its support of this translation, we thank the Canada Council for the Arts. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the National Translation Program for Book Publishing, an initiative of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018: Education, Immigration, Communities, for our translation activities.

  Published by

  Second Story Press

  20 Maud Street, Suite 401

  Toronto, ON M5V 2M5

  www.secondstorypress.ca

  Dedication:
>
  To the one and only Abby Hoffman,

  to her brothers Paul, Muni, and Benny,

  and to the memory of their parents,

  Dorothy Medhurst and Samuel H. Hoffman.