Bill Fitsell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Fitsell
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| Born |
John Walter Fitsell
July 25, 1923 Barrie, Ontario, Canada
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| Died | December 3, 2020 (aged 97) Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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| Occupation | Journalist and writer |
| Employer | The Kingston Whig-Standard |
| Known for | Society for International Hockey Research, International Hockey Hall of Fame |
John Walter "Bill" Fitsell (born July 25, 1923 – died December 3, 2020) was a Canadian journalist, writer, and historian. He loved hockey and spent much of his life sharing its stories. Bill Fitsell wrote for The Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper for many years. He also helped start the Society for International Hockey Research in 1991.
Fitsell was very involved with the International Hockey Hall of Fame. He worked there from 1969 to 2005 as a curator and historian. He wrote five books, mostly about the history of ice hockey. He also helped create the Historic Hockey Series. This series celebrated early hockey games played in Kingston, Ontario. Bill Fitsell was honored for his work. He was inducted into two sports halls of fame. He also received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal.
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Bill Fitsell's Early Life and Hockey Love
John Walter Fitsell was born on July 25, 1923. His hometown was Barrie, Ontario. In 1927, his family moved to Lindsay. He had three brothers and sisters. His father, John Charles Fitsell, was a baker. His mother, Beatrice Exell, took care of their home.
Their family home had a big yard. Every winter, they built an ice hockey rink there. Bill and his friends played hockey on this rink when they were young.
A Lifelong Fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Bill Fitsell was a huge fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He loved them his whole life. His favorite player was Charlie Conacher. This was because they both played as a right winger. In 1935, the Maple Leafs played a game in Lindsay. Bill and his friends met the players as they got off the team bus.
In the 1930s, Bill started a special hobby. He made a scrapbook filled with newspaper articles. It also had photos and other cool stuff about the Maple Leafs. On January 18, 1936, he saw his first National Hockey League game. He watched the Maple Leafs play the Boston Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Bill Fitsell went to high school at Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute. When he was 17, he joined the Navy Cadets. He then traveled to Victoria, British Columbia. In 1942, he joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve.
He played hockey while serving in the navy. This was during World War II in Halifax. He first served on HMCS St. Francis. Later, he moved to HMCS Outremont. He worked as a ship's writer. He helped captains with letters and paying the crews. During the Normandy landings in 1944, Outremont protected the English Channel. It kept enemy submarines away.
After the war, he met Barbara Robson on Cape Breton Island. They got married in 1945. Bill left the navy in 1946. They then made their home in Lindsay.
Bill Fitsell: Journalist and Hockey Historian
Bill Fitsell started his journalism career in 1946. He worked for The Lindsay Post. He then worked for several other newspapers. These included the Lindsay Watchman Warder and the Woodstock Sentinel-Review. In 1952, he began writing for the Gananoque Reporter.
In 1961, he joined The Kingston Whig-Standard. He started as the Gananoque Bureau Chief. Later, he became the district editor. In 1978, he began writing his column called "People." He worked full-time until 1988. After that, he was a part-time writer until 1993.
Involvement in Minor Hockey and Discovering Bobby Orr
From the early 1950s, Bill Fitsell was active in his community. He coached and organized minor ice hockey in Gananoque and Kingston, Ontario. In March 1961, Bill went to a game in Gananoque. There, a 13-year-old Bobby Orr was playing. Scouts from the Boston Bruins discovered Orr at this game. He was playing for a team from Parry Sound.
Working with the International Hockey Hall of Fame
Bill Fitsell was a big part of the International Hockey Hall of Fame. He worked there from 1969 to 2005. He held many roles, like secretary, curator, and president. He later became the historian.
He was a key person behind the Historic Hockey Series. This was an annual event. Teams from Queen's University at Kingston, the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery re-enacted old games. These games were played on natural ice in Kingston harbour in the 1880s. He also helped organize the yearly Carr-Harris Cup. This competition is between the Royal Military College of Canada and the United States Military Academy.
Founding the Society for International Hockey Research
In 1977, Bill Fitsell joined the Kingston Historical Society. He was its vice-president in the early 1990s. In January 1994, he became its president.
He was the founding president of the Society for International Hockey Research in 1991. He wrote often for the Hockey Research Journal. He also edited the society's newsletter. The group started with 17 members in May 1991. By October 2020, it had grown to 500 members worldwide.
Books Written by Bill Fitsell
Bill Fitsell wrote five books during his career. Four of them were about hockey history. One book was a biography of Captain James T. Sutherland. It also talked about the effort to create the Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston.
- Fitsell, J. W.; Hudson, Noel (1987). Hockey's Captains, Colonels and Kings. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press. ISBN 9780919783683. OCLC 906497145.
- Fitsell, J. W.; Dawber, Michael (1994). Fitsell's Guide to the Old Ontario Strand: A Cultural and Historical Companion. Kingston, Ontario: Quarry Heritage Books. ISBN 9781550821215. OCLC 31169538.
- Fitsell, J. W.; Potter, Mark (2003). Hockey's Hub: Three Centuries of Hockey in Kingston. Kingston, Ontario: Quarry Heritage Books. ISBN 9781550823318. OCLC 1160346633.
- Fitsell, J. W. (2007). How Hockey Happened. Kingston, Ontario: Quarry Heritage Books. ISBN 9781550823479. OCLC 320876139.
- Fitsell, J. W. (2012). Captain James T. Sutherland: The Grand Old Man of Hockey & The Battle for the Original Hockey Hall of Fame. Kingston, Ontario: Quarry Heritage Books. ISBN 978-1-55082-374-5. OCLC 868354805.
Bill Fitsell's Personal Life
Bill Fitsell and his wife were married for 75 years. They had five daughters. They lived in Kingston for over fifty years. Bill's daughter shared an interesting fact. He didn't have a car or a driver's license until he was over 40. This was because he was afraid of driving. He had reported on many accidents as a journalist.
Bill was a member of several groups. These included the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 9. He was also part of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Brigade Association. He enjoyed the Kingston Jazz Society. His other interests included helping with the Kingston Buskers' Committee. He also served on the Kingston Heritage Tattoo Society. He was part of the Queen's University Archives Committee too.
Bill Fitsell went to the hospital in October 2020. He passed away at the Kingston General Hospital on December 3, 2020.
Honors and Legacy of Bill Fitsell
Bill Fitsell received an honor award in 1967. It was from the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. This was for his excellent service. In 1993, he received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal. He was inducted into the Lindsay District Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
In 2005, he was made a Paul Harris Fellow. This honor came from the Rotary Club. In 2006, he received the Brian McFarlane Award. This award was from the Society for International Hockey Research. It recognized his great research and writing.
Fitsell was inducted into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. This was in the "builder" category. The archives at Queen's University at Kingston keep his historical collections. They also have his research and writings about ice hockey.
