Chaucer Elliott
Edwin Smith "Chaucer" Elliott (August 20, 1878 – March 13, 1913) was a Canadian sportsman and a Hall of Fame referee and linesman. He was the grandfather of Bob Elliott, one of Canada's most respected sports writers.
Early life and education
[edit]Born in Kingston, Ontario, Elliott played hockey and football at his hometown Queen's University. While studying arts and later medicine, he captained Queen's rugby and hockey team.[1] He also played for the Kingston Granites, winners of the Canadian championship in 1899.[2] It was while at Queen's that Elliott earned his nickname Chaucer, after Geoffrey Chaucer due to his expansive vocabulary.[3] However, he left the university before graduating to organize a semi-professional baseball club in Kingston, Ontario.[2]
Career
[edit]In 1903, Elliott joined a Toronto baseball team that played within the Eastern League, and later moved to play in the New England League.[4] While playing minor league baseball, he also began his career as a hockey referee with the Ontario Hockey Association.[5] By 1906, Elliott began coaching the ORFU's Toronto Argonauts, where he was later appointed manager.[6] The following year, he was hired as the coach for the Montreal AAA's Winged Wheelers and an advisor for the organization.[5] He also managed the Oswego baseball team in the Empire League and attempted to organize an international baseball league.[7]
Elliott resigned from the Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers position in 1911 to manage the St. Thomas Saints of the Canadian Baseball League.[5] He also managed the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association.[8] This was shortlived however as he was diagnosed with an irreversible form of cancer in 1913 and died in his hometown Kingston at the age of 34.[9]
In 1961 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
References
[edit]- ^ ""Chaucer Elliott" the Sportsman". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. March 22, 1913.
- ^ a b Blevins, Dave (December 23, 2011). The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Soccer. Scarecrow Press. p. 281. ISBN 9781461673705. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- ^ Elliott, Bob (November 23, 2012). "Elliott looks back on an old Argos coach: His grandpa". Toronto Sun. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- ^ ""Chaucer" Elliott". Cape Vincent Eagle. New York. March 13, 1913.
- ^ a b c "Chaucer Elliott". hhof.com. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- ^ "Hockey". Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg. October 2, 1906.
- ^ "Chaucer Elliot's Team". Lindsay Weekly Post. Ontario. August 23, 1907.
- ^ "Short Snaps". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. December 20, 1911.
- ^ "Chaucer Elliott died at Kingston" The Montreal Gazette, March 14, 1913.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from Legends of Hockey
- E.S. (Chaucer) Elliott biography at the NHL Officials Association
- 1878 births
- 1913 deaths
- Canadian people of British descent
- Deaths from cancer in Ontario
- Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
- Ice hockey people from Ontario
- National Hockey League officials
- Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario
- Queen's Golden Gaels football players
- Players of Canadian football from Ontario
- Toronto Argonauts coaches