George Armstrong’s granddaughter names hockey school in his honour

By Sam Laskaris

LONDON, ON – Kalley Armstrong used to devote some time researching her family’s history.

And now, the 30-year-old is doing her bit to preserve the memory of her late grandfather, hockey legend George Armstrong, a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who died last month at the age of 90.

Armstrong, who is living in London, Ont., while completing her PhD studies in Anthropology at Western University, founded Armstrong Hockey in 2019.

Her business, which she named in her grandfather’s honour, is a hockey development program for females, primarily in the London area. Armstrong Hockey is also aiming to serve as a mentorship program for First Nations players.

Though stats from George Armstrong’s playing career are readily available online, there’s not too much information about the Indigenous background of the player, who had a 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and who was nicknamed Chief.

“As far as I know, I don’t think he talked about it too much when he was younger,” Kalley Armstrong said of her grandfather’s Indigenous ancestry. “But he told tons of stories. And he was super proud to be Indigenous.”

The late hockey star was born in Boland’s Bay and grew up in Falconbridge, which is now part of Greater Sudbury.

Digging into the family history, Kalley Armstrong said her grandfather’s mother was an Algonquin woman, who had family roots with Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.

But family members believe she lost her status under the Indian Act when she married George’s father, an Irish man.

Kalley added that research determined George’s grandfather was also believed to be Indigenous. Family members think he was a Mohawk from Oka in Quebec; however, since he was adopted, tracing his actual lineage proved to be challenging.

George Armstrong was given the nickname Chief in 1950 because of his Indigenous ancestry.

“He was honoured to represent Indigenous people,” Kalley Armstrong said. “I think it was an honour to have that nickname. But I know at times he felt he wasn’t deserving of it.”

Armstrong said her grandfather at times felt privileged when he compared himself to other family members. He had six cousins who attended a residential school and they would often tell him of some of the horrors which occurred there.

Kalley Armstrong said her grandfather was able to avoid going to residential school since the government did not recognize his family as having Indian status.

During his playing days, Armstrong appeared in 1,298 NHL contests. He racked up 773 points, including 322 goals.

Armstrong also served as the captain of the Maple Leafs for 13 seasons and led the squad to Stanley Cup championships in 1962-64 and ’67.

He is also the answer to a trivia question since he is the last Toronto captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.

After his playing days were over, Armstrong turned to coaching. He led his former junior squad, the Toronto Marlboros, to Memorial Cup titles in 1973 and ’75.

He later served as a scout and assistant general manager for the Maple Leafs and was the team’s head coach for a portion of the 1988-89 season.

Though his daughter was living with him, Kalley Armstrong said her grandfather was experiencing loneliness after his wife, who has Alzheimer’s disease, moved into a Toronto long-term healthcare facility a few years ago.

“It was fairly unexpected,” Kalley Armstrong said of his death. “Up until Christmas, he was doing fairly well. He was still driving his car and going to see my grandmother every day.”

Besides his on-ice prowess, Kalley Armstrong said her grandfather was also known for telling great hockey stories.

She said one of his favourite stories though involved a near tragedy when he was about 10 years old.

Armstrong’s mother had warned him about the dangers of a nearby frozen pond; but one day, he ventured out by himself and fell into the icy waters.

He struggled to get out and wondered whether he would indeed make it. Once he managed to get to safety, Armstrong was scared to go home dripping wet.

“He didn’t want his mom to know,” Kalley Armstrong said.

So, he built a fire and stripped naked to dry his clothes. As it turned out; however, Armstrong’s lone sister had already told the mother what had happened.

“I’m sure he listened to his mom from then on,” Kalley Armstrong said.