My brother, 3 years older,  and I started going to Greater Boston Interscholastic Hockey League (GBI) games in about 1943.

William Cleary (Bill of Harvard's dad) was frequently a referee. The announcer was first class. Popular music of the day was played on loudspeakers. One poignant memory has been the playing of Stan Kenton's 'Peanut Vendor' as the teams took to the ice. The 'old' Boston Garden and Boston Arena were exciting, memorable places in those days.

varsity hockey in Harvard's football coliseum circa 1903-1906. Posted here to show 'how far we've come'.

Arlington; Ed Emery 1948 era. Bill Fahey, Paul Coughlin, Bobby Babine 1951 era, 1945-46 era Don Sennott, Jim Coveney, Ike Bevins goal and Jim Fife defense.

Belmont; I can recall Jack Martin and Jack Kelley on the front line, Howie Cummings in
goal, Sam Silvia on defense. Others are Herbie Winter, years later I got his jersey number, Wally Flewelling and  Jackie Butts. The '49-'50 team which I joined after a few games had Skip Viglirolo, Red Marsh, Paul Kelley in goal and Owen Cote. For more on my high school go to my Belmont High School Hockey page .

Cambridge Latin; Tony Frasca, Boudreau, Rousseau

Medford; Joe DiBiase, Jack Garrity

Melrose had 'the Green Street' line, named after one dad's backyard rink. Seaver Peters,  John Titus who went on to Dartmouth College were two of them.  Earlier Ed Cahoon was a standout. Others were Dick Lynch, John Grocott 

Newton never seemed to have 'skaters'.

Rindge Tech had a well publicized line of  Briand, Gagnon and Malhot, Augie Messuri and Jack Murphy .

Stoneham had the ever hustling Manley brothers and Frank O'Grady.

Other leagues:

Winchester, Wellington 'Wimpy' Burtnett,  Ron MacKenzie who went on to Dartmouth.

Sherman Saltmarsh, that's all I've been able to recall to date.

There would not have been any games for 'the stars' whose names are touted over and over in the Boston area without 'supporting players'.  We dressed in corridors, inconvenient or no showers, had to walk on cement sometimes to the ice and provide our own transportation or 'car pool' to and from the rinks in Boston. The team managers would have to 'post a watch' over our bags when they were left in unlocked dressing rooms or in a corridor.

The ice in the Garden was often 'paper thin' since there had been a basketball game the night before and maybe another that night or a 'second layer' of ice for 'Da Broons'.  In order to squeeze in four games with alternating periods in the allotted time, often the ice was not scraped or 'rubber pushee' cleared between periods until the 'snow' built up. In the first and last games of the day you might have to avoid 'thin spots' where you would lose an edge going through the ice. The referees and 'rink maintenance guys, aka 'pushees', frequently had to work around the goals to clear water, to affix the goal posts or clear 'snow'. The Zamboni was not a universal 'tool' in the early days.

The minor officials should be 'memorialized' for giving their time to do a great job of conducting the games. I appreciate it more after doing the same for years in S. California plus having friends do the same for the professional leagues.

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Malden Catholic hockey program team history 1937-present. Where it is noted the Eastern Massachusetts Hockey League, begun in 1923 voted to disband at the end of the 1958-1959 season.

There was a North Shore Hockey League (NSHL) based in the North Shore Sports Arena in Lynn MA.

There was a Bay State Hockey League and a Metropolitan Boston Tourney.

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