Gordie Poirer’s citation to the Hall of Fame at the time of his induction read, “claimed by many as the most clever player in British puck history.” The 1950 Ice Hockey World Annual continued further stating, “a good forward pre-war, he turned into a brilliant defenceman after the war, playing a big part in Brighton’s two successive title wins.”
Born October 27th, 1914 in Maple Creek Saskatchewan, Gordie Poirer as a teenager progressed to the 1931/32 Montreal Columbus team in the cities junior league, moving on to St.Francois Xavier. A year later, aged nineteen, the French Canadian broke into the Canadiens of the senior league, before he came to Europe for the 1933/34 season as coach to Diavolo Rosso Neri in Milan, Italy. Under Poirer, the Milanese club lifted the prestigious Spengler Cup. A season in Switzerland followed before returning to Canada to join representative team to tour the USA, before returning to Milan for the 1935/36 campaign as coach and captain.
The 5’10” left shooting centreman, weighing just 158lb (11¼ stone) joined the Brighton Tigers of the English National League in 1936 and very quickly incurred a serious chin injury, which turned so septic that the doctors attending him gave him barely five hours to live. Needless to say, he did survive and went on to stay with the south coast club until the outbreak of WW2, recording 66 goals and 47 assists for 113 points.
He returned to Canada and joined the St.Hyacinthe Gaulois of the Quebec PHL, playing 36 games and scoring 80 points, and also appeared in ten NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens. He joined the Canadian army in 1942 and attained the rank of captain. The following year, he scored the winning goal for the Ottawa Commandos in the Allan Cup Final and when the allies set about liberating Europe in 1944, he landed in France on D-Day plus 17.
With peacetime came a return to ‘Civvy Street’ and playing hockey, this time with the Ottawa Senators, before accepting an invitation to return to the Brighton Tigers for the first post-war campaign. Playing in a defensive position did little to reduce his offensive power as the Tigers won the English National League, the National Tournament and the inaugural Autumn Cup with Gordie Poirer finishing as the teams third highest scorer with 75 points and an All Star A-team selection. The following season, he again finished the Tigers third top scorer with 62 points (31+31) as the Tigers successfully defended their league crown. While the Tigers failed to win any silverware in the third post-war season, Poirer’s last with them, he moved up to second top scorer before spending his final winter in Britain icing with the Harringay Racers in 1950, contributing 2 goals and 12 assists in 40 appearances.
His total post war British statistics read:- GP 180 Goals 102 Ass 120 Pts 222 PIM 163
An all-round athlete in his youth, as well as playing ice hockey, he was a scratch golfer and a champion canoeist. An electrical worker by trade, after retiring from hockey he became both a restaurant owner and import businessman back in Canada.
Gordie Poirer died in 1972 in Beaconsfield, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec.
Compiled with research, provided by Martin C.Harris – August 1999.
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