Lionel Conacher
Voted Canada's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century.
Lionel Pretoria Conacher (May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), known as "the Big Train," was a Canadian athlete and politician. He was named the nation’s top athlete for the first half of the 20th century and captured championships across many sports. His first love was Canadian football, and he played for the Toronto Argonauts when they won the Grey Cup in 1921. He also helped the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team win the International League title in 1926. In hockey, he won the Memorial Cup in 1920 and the Stanley Cup twice—with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 and the Montreal Maroons in 1935. He added wrestling, boxing, and lacrosse championships to his résumé. Along with Joe Miller and Carl Voss, he is one of only three players whose names appear on both the Grey Cup and the Stanley Cup.
Conacher stopped playing sports in 1937 to enter politics. He was elected to the Ontario Legislative Assembly that year, and in 1949 won a seat in the House of Commons. Much of his political work centered on athletics. As an Ontario MPP, he fought corruption in boxing and chaired the Ontario Athletic Commission. He also served a term as director of recreation and entertainment for the Royal Canadian Air Force. His death came on a sports field: twenty minutes after hitting a triple in a softball game on Parliament Hill, he suffered a heart attack.
Many organizations have recognized Conacher’s career. Besides being named Canada’s athlete of the half-century, he was also voted the country’s top football player over that same period. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1964, the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1965, the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. The Canadian Press gives the Lionel Conacher Award to its male athlete of the year.
Conacher was born in Toronto on May 24, 1900. His middle name came from the South African city of Pretoria, where British troops—including Canadians—were fighting the Boer War at the time. He was the eldest son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Conacher, and the third of ten children, with four brothers and five sisters.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1900-05-24
- Birth Place
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Death Date
- 1954-05-26
- Death Place
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 2
- Weight Lb
- 194
- Position
- Defence
- Shoots
- Left
- Played For
- Pittsburgh Pirates / New York Americans / Montreal Maroons / Chicago Black Hawks
- Career Start
- 1925
- Career End
- 1937
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Conacher was born in Toronto, Ontario, on May 24, 1900, the eldest son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Conacher, and the third of ten children. His middle name was given after the South African city of Pretoria, where British Empire troops were fighting the Boer War at the time of his birth. The family grew up in the Davenport neighborhood, described by his brother Charlie as 'one of Toronto's higher class slums'. His father was a teamster who ploughed snow off outdoor skating rinks in winter to earn extra money. Conacher left school after grade eight to haul sod for ten hours a day, earning an extra dollar a week for his family. All ten children were encouraged to participate in sports by the principal of Jesse Ketchum School, who felt such pursuits would keep students from getting into trouble. Conacher discovered he was among the better players in any sport he tried, and realized his athletic ability could offer an escape from poverty.
Reader's Guide
Conacher's hockey career began late because the expense of playing kept him off the ice; he did not learn to skate until he was 16. He played with the Toronto Century Rovers and Aura Lee Athletic Club, seeing limited ice time, but improved by closely watching top players from the bench. By 1918–19 he was considered a star defenceman for Aura Lee. He joined the Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers in 1919–20 and won the Memorial Cup. NHL teams took notice: the Toronto St. Pats offered him $3,000 a season in 1920–21, and the Montreal Canadiens offered $5,000 and business support in 1921, but he turned both down to retain amateur status. He remained in senior hockey and in 1923 was part of the first hockey game broadcast on radio. He moved to Pittsburgh to play for the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets of the USAHA, where he served as captain and led the team to consecutive USAHA titles in 1924 and 1925. The Yellow Jackets turned professional in 1925, becoming the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL, and Conacher finally turned professional with them. He scored the first goal in Pirates history on American Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1925, against the Boston Bruins. He scored nine goals in 33 games in 1925–26. He later won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 and the Montreal Maroons in 1935. He retired as an athlete in 1937 to enter politics, winning election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1937 and a seat in the House of Commons in 1949. He died of a heart attack twenty minutes after hitting a triple in a softball game on the lawn of Parliament Hill.
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