The Ontario Heritage Trust and the Hastings County Historical Society recently unveiled a plaque in Belleville, Ont., commemorating the Flying Frenchmen, a group of three original players for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.
Following the team’s formation in 1909, playing-manager and captain Jean-Baptiste “Jack” Laviolette, who was born in Belleville, assembled a roster that included Édouard “Newsy” Lalonde of Cornwall, Ont., and Didier “Cannonball” Pitre of Renfrew, Ont. They led the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup victory in 1916 and later earned a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The new provincial plaque (pictured with Richard Hughes, president of the Hastings County Historical Society) honours Laviolette in Belleville. Two more, specifically recognizing Lalonde and Pitre, will be unveiled later this year.
