When the Wings Came to Town

Barnstorming is when professional athletes travel to small towns for exhibition matches. It was popular in the 1940s and 1950s, and Lambton County hosted an impressive list of National Hockey League players and teams. Some of the teams that graced the ice against our local players include the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings.

Some of the most memorable barnstorming games in Lambton County involved the Detroit Red Wings. On January 23, 1950, Red Wings players travelled to Forest for a game between the Forest Legionnaires and their Parkhill rivals. The Red Wings didn’t actually play in this game, but they served as officials, signed autographs, and even helped clean the natural ice surface. According to one local player, Stan Ulrich, a car with a loudspeaker system drove around Forest to promote the event. The arena was packed with fans. Some of the NHL players who made the trip were “Mr. Hockey ‘’ himself, Gordie Howe, Red Kelly, Marty Pavelich, and “Black Jack” Stewart, who was married to Forest resident Lois Fraser.

That event occurred in the middle of the Wings’ regular season. They had played games against Chicago and Toronto the previous two nights and had back-to-back games against Boston and Montreal starting two days later. Plus, the NHLers had to drive themselves to Forest in their own vehicles!

There were other occasions when Red Wings players visited Forest. Unlike 1950, however, the Wings played in these games. On January 21, 1952, Gordie Howe returned with Marty Pavelich, Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, Metro Prystai, and goalie great Terry Sawchuk. The Wings split themselves up between the Forest Frigidaires and the Princess Patricia’s team from Camp Ipperwash. The game was a high scoring affair with the Princess Patricia’s prevailing 14 to 8.

Learn more about when the Red Wings came to town in the video below, recorded at Lambton Heritage Museum on September 5, 2024. The video includes a talk by David McLean from the Forest Museum and a special segment by Bill Lochead, Lambton County boy and a retired Detroit Red Wings player.