RI HOCKEY LEGACY

​The Pride of Chambly Basin

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When amateur hockey began to grow in Rhode Island in the 1930's some Providence Reds players coached and officiated games. By far the most colorful Reds player at the time was Jean Baptiste "Le Grand" Pusie from Chambly Basin in Montreal, Quebec. Pusie spent most of his career in the minor leagues where he was a joy to his fans and despair to his employers. He played in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins before being farmed out by the Montreal Canadiens to Providence in the 1936-37 season. During his stay in Providence, he coached the Notre Dame Club in the Northern Division of the Inter-City Amateur Hockey League at the R.I. Auditorium. Jean (I am) Pusie brought his tempestuousness and eccentricity behind the bench leading the team to the finals of the league playoffs.
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Pusie's stay in Providence was short-lived but not without theatrics. On December 29, 1936 against the Springfield Indians, he slugged referee Billy Coutu. He was fined $100 and suspended two games by the league. Pusie was upset the Reds wouldn't pay the fine so he left for home in Montreal. He would return to the Reds in early February and learned that his pay had been docked $25 by Reds President Jean Dubuc for part payment of the incident. His favorite act though was climbing over the boards to joust with any load-mouthed fan who was heckling him. On one wild night in Providence, Pusie vaulted the boards and chased a heckler on skates through the lobby and into the street. On returning he gave a magnificent show of complete exhaustion as he clumped along the floor and collapsed on the team's bench to the crowd's amazement.
 

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The spectacle of "Le Grande" Pusie preparing to take a penalty shot was a treasure. He would stand at center ice and demand complete silence from the crowd. Then, very solemnly, he would skate to the rival goalie. Pusie would take off his glove and extend his hand to the startled goalie. 'I hate to do this to you, mon vieux," Pusie would say to the goalie, "but I must warn you, this shot may kill you." He would continue to play several more seasons gaining more suspensions in the minor leagues and, always willing to challenge anybody anytime, became a professional boxer and wrestler, often returning to Providence to the adulation of fans.
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  • Schoolboy
    • 1900s
    • 1910s
    • 1920s
    • 1930s
    • 1940s
    • 1950s
    • 1960s
    • 1970s
    • 1980s
    • 1990s
    • New England Championships
    • All-State >
      • All-State Teams
      • All-State Photos
    • Journal Honor Roll
    • Divisions
  • Schoolboy Stories I
    • Opening Night
    • Schoolboy Polo to Hockey
    • Battle of School Leagues
    • Flying Frenchmen
    • Flying Green Thunderbolt
    • Packed House
    • All Stars at the Garden
    • Big Night for Cougar
    • One, Two, Three Punch
    • Mighty Blue Wave
    • Maroon Between the Pipes
    • Premèire Femelle
    • Arlington Here We Come
  • Schoolboy Stories II
    • New England OT Thrillers
    • Doubleheader at the Park
    • Bay State Battle
    • California Dreamin'
    • Bienvenue a R.I. Montréal
    • Third Time's A Charm
    • The Kids Called Her Coach
    • Dueling Opinions
    • And The Winner Is ...
    • Eight Ways to Sunday
    • Not One But Two!
  • Sr Amateur Teams
    • Providence Hockey Club
    • Richard J. Dennis Post
    • Canadian Club of Rhode Island
    • East Side Hockey Club
    • Providence Club
    • Flying Frenchmen of Woonsocket
    • Rhode Island Marquettes
    • Club Marquette of Woonsocket
    • Sandager Club
    • Dunnes of Cranston
    • P & Q of Woonsocket
    • Providence Chicks
    • Eastern Olympics
    • Cranston Hockey Club
  • Se Amateur Leagues
    • Industrial Hockey League
    • Blackstone Valley Amateur Hockey League
    • Rhode Island Amateur Hockey League
    • Rhode Island Amateur Hockey Association
    • Inter-City Amateur Hockey League
    • CYO Senior Hockey League
    • Rhode Island Senior Hockey League
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    • Rhode Island Amateur Hockey League
    • Old Colony Hockey League
    • Massachusetts Hockey League
  • RI Scarlets
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  • Did You Know? I
    • Hooray For Hollywood
    • Maryland, My Maryland
    • Across the Pond
    • Goodbye Detroit Hello Prague
    • Fisticuffs in Stockholm
    • The Diamond to the Blueline
    • Little Rhody on the Reds
    • First Dominicans on Ice
    • Brown Finally Plays Harvard
    • Amateurs at the Auditorium
    • Can You Spare a Goalie?
    • In The Army Now
    • Mademoiselles Play Too
  • Did You Know? II
    • East Side Skating Club
    • USA versus RI
    • Down East Hockey
    • Olympic Tune-up
    • Title Quest
    • Anthony's Skating Rink
    • Scout's Honor
    • Putting on the Stripes
    • The Under Card
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    • Kid to the Rescue
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  • Dick Ernst Articles
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