Real Chevrefils

Real Chevrefils (born May 2, 1932 in Timmins, Ontario, Canada - died January 8 1981) is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.

Chevrefils was a member of the 1951 Memorial Cup champion Barrie Flyers. His stats for the OHA regular season in 1950-51 were 54 games played, 52 goals, 51 assists, for 103 total points. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p.11, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] He was ranked as the second best junior hockey player in Canada, behind Jean Beliveau of the Quebec Citadelles. His brother, Maurice, a one-time player with the Johnstown Jets from the International Hockey League, played with the Barrie Flyers as well. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 35, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

When Chevrefils became a professional, his career was affected by alcohol. His first experiences with alcohol came while playing for the Hershey Bears in 1951. While in Hershey, Chevrefils notched 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points in just 34 games. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p.11, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] Chevrefils started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins in 1951 too.

Bruins’ teammates such as Leo Labine, who had also played with Chevrefils on the Barrie Flyers, mentioned that Chevrefils would be hung over in the dressing room. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 31, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] According to Lou Bendo, who played on Chevrefils’s last team, the 1963 Allan Cup winning Windsor Bulldogs, the Bruins organization felt Chevy was too small at 170 pounds and asked him to bulk up by having a few beers with supper. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 33, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

Despite the drinking issues, Chevrefils was also known for a sense of humour. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 34, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] In the 1951 Memorial Cup playoffs against the Quebec Citadelles, Jean Beliveau shot the puck so hard that it went through the net. The officials did not see it, and Chevrefils skated up to Beliveau and said, “Hey, big Jean, don’t shoot so hard next time.” [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 34, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

In 1955, Lynn Patrick, who had succeeded Art Ross as General Manager of the Boston Bruins predicted that Chevrefils “…will be an all-star within three years, and within five years, he’ll be one of the best left wings ever to play in the league.” [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p.30, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] In 1955, the Bruins traded him to the Detroit Red Wings, after being part of the trade for Terry Sawchuk. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 33, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

Jack Adams, the Detroit General Manager tried to get Chevrefils to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. Reports indicated that Adams hired private detectives to keep tabs on Chevrefils. Out of frustration, Adams traded Chevrefils back to Boston in January 1956. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 33, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

Chevrefils played only one full, injury free season in 1956-57. He had scored 31 goals, and was named to the NHL All-Star Team, 2nd team. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 30, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] Over the next 2 seasons, Chevrefils only scored 10 goals, and by his 27th birthday, was out of the NHL. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 31, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] In the end, he had scored 104 goals in 387 regular season games, which were spread over parts of 8 seasons (1951-52 to 1958-59) and scored 5 more goals in 30 playoff games. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 31, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] In 1957, he was a member of the NHL All-Star Team. He would retire after the 1959 season.

Chevrefils was married to Claudette Roy, but the two had a troubled relationship. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 35, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] This was exemplified when Chevrefils played for the Los Angeles Blades with childhood friend, Danny Belisle. The team owners flew out Claudette to look after Chevy. The result was that the two of them would drink and fight. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 35, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] Eventually, the two separated in 1962 and had 6 children. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 38, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

In later years, Chevrefils lived in Windsor and had qualified for an NHL pension worth $130 a month but received an extra $200 a month from a special fund for needy ex-players, courtesy of Jimmy Skinner, an executive with the Detroit Red Wings. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 38, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] A lot of his time was spent at Windsor’s Downtown Mission. He would shovel snow with other men for less than a dollar an hour. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 39, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

Chevrefils died on January 8, 1981, at Windsor’s Hotel-Dieu Hospital. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 40, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] At the funeral, six of his pallbearers were former teammates with the Windsor Bulldogs, including Lou Bendo and Jack Costello, who was on a hockey tour of Europe with Chevrefils. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 41, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ] On his grave, a small stone lies flat and reads: “Chevy, number 12, May 2, 1932-January 8, 1981". On an upper corner is the Boston Bruins emblem. [ All Roads Lead to Hockey, Bill Boyd, p. 41, Key Porter Books, 2004, ISBN 1-55263-618-6 ]

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*hockeydb|956
*legendsofhockey|12257