Edgar Brenchley
Encyclopedia
Edgar "Chirp" Brenchley (10 February 1912 – 13 March 1975) is a former ice hockey
player who mainly played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League
(EHL). However, he is best remembered for playing for the Great Britain national ice hockey team which won the gold medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics
. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
, England
, Brenchley's family emigrated to Canada
when he was a child. He learned to play ice hockey while living in Niagara Falls
, Ontario
.
in the 1934–35 season when he played for the Hershey B'ars
in the EHL. The following season, 1935–36, Brenchley returned to the United Kingdom
to play for the Richmond Hawks in the English National League
(ENL) before going to the Harringay Greyhounds
, also of the ENL, for the 1936–37 season.
held in London
. He helped the team to silver medal in the World Championships and, as the highest place European team, the gold medal in the European Championships at the tournament.
to play for the Atlantic City Seagulls in the EHL for the 1939–40 season before it was abandoned due to the outbreak of World War II
. When play resumed after the war, he played for a large number of teams in the EHL, Quebec Senior Hockey League
, the American Hockey League
and the International Hockey League before retiring at the end of the 1953–54 season which he had spent with the Johnstown Jets in the IHL.
of the Philadelphia Ramblers
in the EHL. He stayed with the Ramblers for three seasons — also having iced for them once in the 1955–56 season. He became the head coach for the Sudbury Wolves
for the 1962–63 season. The following season, 1963–64, he joined the Port Huron Flags
as head coach before joining the St. Catharines Black Hawks
for the 1964–65 season. Brenchley retired from coaching after the 1965–66 season which he had spent with the Toledo Blades
scout
for both the Washington Capitals
and the Pittsburgh Penguins
.
Brenchley was posthumously inducted into Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 1990 and the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
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 who mainly played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League
Eastern Hockey League
-Eastern Amateur Hockey League :The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League . The league was founded by Thomas Lockhart, who served as its commissioner from 1933 to 1972...
(EHL). However, he is best remembered for playing for the Great Britain national ice hockey team which won the gold medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Career
Although born in SittingbourneSittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Brenchley's family emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
when he was a child. He learned to play ice hockey while living in Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Europe
Brenchley first played senior ice hockeySenior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
in the 1934–35 season when he played for the Hershey B'ars
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...
in the EHL. The following season, 1935–36, Brenchley returned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to play for the Richmond Hawks in the English National League
English National League
For the current league see English National Ice Hockey LeagueThe English National League was an early ice hockey league in England. It was founded in 1935 by most of the teams who had previously competed in the English League. It was suspended during the Second World War, but returned in 1946...
(ENL) before going to the Harringay Greyhounds
Harringay Greyhounds
Harringay Greyhounds were a British ice hockey club based in Harringay, England.The side was founded in 1936 and initially played alongside Harringay Racers at the Harringay Arena. Both sides entered the English National League, which Greyhounds won in 1938/9 and again in 1939/40...
, also of the ENL, for the 1936–37 season.
International career
Brenchley played for the GB national team at the 1936 Winter Olympics, where he played in all seven games and helped the team to win the gold medal. He scored the only goal of the game against Sweden as well as the game winning goal against Canada with only 90 seconds left of the game. He again played for the GB national team at the 1937 World ChampionshipsIce Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He helped the team to silver medal in the World Championships and, as the highest place European team, the gold medal in the European Championships at the tournament.
Return to North America
Brenchley returned to North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to play for the Atlantic City Seagulls in the EHL for the 1939–40 season before it was abandoned due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. When play resumed after the war, he played for a large number of teams in the EHL, Quebec Senior Hockey League
Quebec Senior Hockey League
The Quebec Senior Hockey League was an ice hockey league that operated between 1941 and 1959 in Québec, Canada. From 1941, it operated on an amateur basis, before becoming the semi-professional Quebec Hockey League in 1953...
, the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
and the International Hockey League before retiring at the end of the 1953–54 season which he had spent with the Johnstown Jets in the IHL.
Coaching career
In 1955, Brenchley became the head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Philadelphia Ramblers
Philadelphia Ramblers (EHL)
The Philadelphia Ramblers were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ramblers played for nine seasons in the Eastern Hockey League from 1955 to 1964...
in the EHL. He stayed with the Ramblers for three seasons — also having iced for them once in the 1955–56 season. He became the head coach for the Sudbury Wolves
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are the name of the ice hockey team from Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the "Wolves" nearly every year since World War I. The Sudbury Wolves, the senior men's AAA team, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World...
for the 1962–63 season. The following season, 1963–64, he joined the Port Huron Flags
Port Huron Flags
The Port Huron Flags were a minor league professional ice hockey team located in Port Huron, Michigan. The Flags competed in the International Hockey League between the 1962 and 1981 seasons. For three of those season from 1971 to 1974, Port Huron was a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and were...
as head coach before joining the St. Catharines Black Hawks
St. Catharines Black Hawks
The St. Catharines Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1962 to 1976. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
for the 1964–65 season. Brenchley retired from coaching after the 1965–66 season which he had spent with the Toledo Blades
Toledo Blades
The Toledo Blades were the International Hockey League franchise of Toledo, Ohio from 1963 to 1970. The team name was changed to Hornets in 1970. The storied franchise left Toledo after the 1974–75 season for Lansing, Michigan, where they became the Lansing Lancers. The Blades were the Regular...
Retirement and after
Between 1967 and 1974 Brenchley served as a professionalProfessional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for both the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
and the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
.
Brenchley was posthumously inducted into Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 1990 and the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
Awards and honours
- OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist in 1936. - World ChampionshipIce Hockey World ChampionshipsThe Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
silver medalist in 1937. - European ChampionshipIce Hockey World ChampionshipsThe Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
gold medalist in 1937. - Inducted to the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 1990.
- Inducted to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.