Alex Romeril
Encyclopedia
Alexander Edward "Porky" Romeril (December 29, 1882 – May 17, 1968) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey
player, football player, National Hockey League
referee, and the first coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
.
Romeril played junior hockey with the Toronto Canoe Club, winning the Ontario Hockey Association
championship in 1912 with Romeril playing rover
. He was offered $70 a week to turn professional with the Toronto Blueshirts
in 1912–13, but declined and played for the TCC senior team. During the First World War, Romeril played senior hockey with the Winnipeg 61st Battalion
, winning the Allan Cup
in 1916.
After the war, Romeril played left wing for the senior OHA team from the Toronto Granite Club, called the Toronto Granites
. Led by centre Harry Watson, the Granites won the Allan Cup in 1922 and 1923 (Romeril was injured and couldn't play in the 1923 series). In 1923–24, Romeril played for Toronto Aura Lee
, and then played for the Parkdale Canoe Club team in 1924–25.
At the same time, Romeril was playing football before the start of hockey season for the Toronto Argonauts
. He played from 1920 to 1922 and then returned to manage the team in 1924.
In February 1927, Romeril was named head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
of the National Hockey League after the Toronto St. Patricks
were acquired by a group headed by Conn Smythe
and renamed the Maple Leafs. He coached the team through the rest of the 1926–27 season. Romeril then became an NHL referee until retiring in 1934.
He was also a strong golfer, competing in Toronto-area tournaments and serving as captain at the Rosedale Golf Club
.
Romeril is buried at Park Lawn Cemetery
in Toronto.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13786774
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, football player, National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
referee, and the first coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Romeril played junior hockey with the Toronto Canoe Club, winning the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
championship in 1912 with Romeril playing rover
Rover (ice hockey)
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ice hockey consisted of seven positions. Along with the goaltender, two defencemen, and three forwards who remain today, a Rover was also part of the team. Unlike all the others, the rover did not have a set position, and roamed the ice at will, going...
. He was offered $70 a week to turn professional with the Toronto Blueshirts
Toronto Blueshirts
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blue Shirts were a professional National Hockey Association team that played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
in 1912–13, but declined and played for the TCC senior team. During the First World War, Romeril played senior hockey with the Winnipeg 61st Battalion
Winnipeg 61st Battalion
61st Battalion of Winnipeg captured the Pattison Trophy as Manitoba champion by defeating the defending champion Winnipeg Monarchs and thus earning the right to defend the Allan Cup....
, winning the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
in 1916.
After the war, Romeril played left wing for the senior OHA team from the Toronto Granite Club, called the Toronto Granites
Toronto Granites
The Toronto Granites were an amateur senior ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario. The Granites were Allan Cup champions in 1922 and 1923. They were chosen to represent Canada at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France...
. Led by centre Harry Watson, the Granites won the Allan Cup in 1922 and 1923 (Romeril was injured and couldn't play in the 1923 series). In 1923–24, Romeril played for Toronto Aura Lee
Toronto Aura Lee
The Toronto Aura Lee Hockey Club operated a pair of junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1916 to 1926. They played at Arena Gardens in Toronto...
, and then played for the Parkdale Canoe Club team in 1924–25.
At the same time, Romeril was playing football before the start of hockey season for the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
. He played from 1920 to 1922 and then returned to manage the team in 1924.
In February 1927, Romeril was named head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the National Hockey League after the Toronto St. Patricks
Toronto St. Patricks
The Toronto St. Patricks professional men's ice hockey team started as an amateur ice hockey organization. In 1919, the club purchased the Toronto National Hockey League franchise from the NHL. The club renamed the franchise the Toronto St. Patricks club and operated the franchise until 1927, when...
were acquired by a group headed by Conn Smythe
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe MC was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1927 to 1961 and as the builder of Maple Leaf Gardens...
and renamed the Maple Leafs. He coached the team through the rest of the 1926–27 season. Romeril then became an NHL referee until retiring in 1934.
He was also a strong golfer, competing in Toronto-area tournaments and serving as captain at the Rosedale Golf Club
Rosedale Golf Club
Rosedale Golf Club is a private golf club in Toronto. Founded in 1893, it was originally located in Rosedale, Toronto at the site of the current Rosedale Field...
.
Romeril is buried at Park Lawn Cemetery
Park Lawn Cemetery
Park Lawn Cemetery is a large cemetery in the western Etobicoke section of Toronto, Canada. It currently has some 22,000 graves. It is managed by the Park Lawn Income Trust, which also runs five other cemeteries in Toronto. Controversy arose in 1995 when the company had re-zoned a section of the...
in Toronto.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13786774
Coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | TOR Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
1926–27 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (35) | 5th in Canadian | Did Not Qualify |