The 1935 Winnipeg Junior Monarchs road to the Memorial Cup was a fascinating journey. They captured the Abbott Cup defeating the Saskatoon Wesleys to claim the Western Canadian title. Led by the “Flying Frenchmen” line of Pete Belanger, Romeo Martel and Paul Rheault, the Monarchs were set for a rematch of the 1932 Memorial Cup against the Sudbury Cub Wolves.
The best-of-three final opened April 9th in Shea’s Amphitheatre and it featured some strange happenings. Game one was a high-scoring affair that saw the Monarchs win 7-6. The second contest went to Sudbury by a 7-2 score marred by an undisciplined Monarch penalty spree in the final two minutes that cost them three goals. There was no limit to the number of players a team could be shorthanded at that time and one by one the Monarchs marched to the penalty box until the goaltender Paul Gauthier and defenceman Ken Barker were the only ones left with fifteen seconds remaining. Had Barker not just stepped out of the box himself, Gauthier would have played the remainder of the contest solo, as Belanger recorded the final Monarch penalty. On April 13th the Winnipeg side maintained their composure in a close-checking third game. A controversial goal was allowed at 20:01 of the first period when officials failed to hear the bell during action around the Sudbury net. Barker was given credit for the goal as “a period was not technically over until an official blew the play dead”. The Monarchs went on to score three more times in a 4-1 win to claim the Memorial Cup.
ROSTER: L-R: Paul Gauthier-Goal, Pete Belanger-Capt., Paul Rheault, Johnny“Ike”Prokaski, Fred White-Spare Goal, Burr Keenan, Jock Boyd, Wilf Fields, Romeo Martel, Joe Krol, Ken Barker, Pat Quinn-Pres., Sid Chalu-Sec’y, Harry Neil-Coach, Bill Weber-Mgr., and Bert Pelletier-Trainer (Missing from photo: Acton Chalu-Stick Boy).
