“Hockey’s Lost Boy” Comes to Central PA
This Sunday at the Allen Theater in Annville, a movie featuring a former Hershey Bear will be shown. “Hockey’s Lost Boy: The Rise and Fall of George Patterson” is the story about the man who scored the first ever goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Patterson would later play for Hershey, helping the team to a Calder Cup Finals appearance. But scandal would end up derailing George’s hockey career.
Filmmaker Dale Morrisey provided some more detail about the film to Chocolate Hockey:
A 76 minute feature length documentary, Hockey’s Lost traces the career and life of George Patterson who scored the first goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927. He went on to play his best hockey for the New York Americans and was a team and fan favourite as well. The Amerks were owned by Big Bill Dwyer, the Al Capone of the east coast. Paddy Patterson was even a favourite of Big Bill as well! By the mid-30s the Amerks were in trouble and Patterson was one of the players jettisoned as a result. He went on to play for Boston, Detroit and then St Louis to end his NHL career. He was a star with teams like Buffalo and Minneapolis before finally ending his career in Hershey. He is a founding player with the AHL. During his tenure with the Bears he was co-captain, moved off the wing to centre and a point a game player.
Why did I tackle the film? I was approached by a man near Napanee where I live just as my film about Captain James Sutherland – the man who created the Hockey Hall of Fame – had been released. He had loved the film, had a collection of clippings on George and didn’t know what to do with them. As a life-long and long suffering Leafs fan who was pretty well versed in the team’s history I knew nothing about George. When I started digging the first couple people I spoke to said, “George was just a one shot guy, a cup of coffee player. There’s no story.” But as I dug I found out there was much more to him. I realized he was a solid power forward before power forwards existed. My story took me to Toronto and Hamilton and NYC/Brooklyn and then to Hershey.
When I went to Hershey, it was important to me to interview somebody who knew about the team’s history during the time George played. Also, I was so lucky, the historical society had this amazing exhibit on the history of the team. These visuals added so much to the film. Also, I brought my skates with me and skated the ice of the old barn. Again the footage shot there helped to add to the richness of the film. I did a 12 hour whirl wind shooting day! Everybody was so helpful and generous with their time!
George had a career threatening injury while playing at that hockey barn. Then, the player bench doors opened out and somebody got things mixed up and George skated, was steered into the door and was knocked out and separated his shoulder. Now, as a result, the doors on rinks open in.
The film will be showing at the Allen Theater in Annville on Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 1:30 PM. A $5.00 donation is requested to benefit The Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society and the B’ars to Bears permanent hockey exhibit. Tickets may be purchased at the Historical Society, 40 Northeast Drive, Hershey, or at the door.
TRAILER: