Wilf L'Heureux

Wilf L'Heureux
The Old Fox
Born	1891-12-27 Kenora, Ontario
Died	1962-04-12 Chatham, Ontario
Years in Thunder Bay	by 1910–at least 1929
Father	Peter L'Heureux
Mother	Mary Ellen O'Hara
Partner	Irene Mabel Mary Morris
Children	Willard Joseph L'Heureux Elizabeth Charlotte L'Heureux Morris L'Heureux Mary Louise L'Heureux
Siblings	Cecil Peter L'Heureux Elma L'Heureux Eva Mary L'Heureux Francis Henry L'Heureux Helen Isabel L'Heureux Louise L'Heureux

Wilf L'Heureux was a hockey strategist and senior player who won three Allan Cup championships with the Port Arthur Senior Hockey Club. Wilf L'Heureux was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 as an athlete.

Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame

Wilf L'Heureux was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on 25 September 1982 in the athlete category for hockey, representing Kenora/Port Arthur.

Career

Born in Kenora, Ontario (then called Rat Portage), L'Heureux spent his childhood playing Hockey on frozen rivers and lakes. He and other local children would occasionally pay a nickel to use the Rat Portage rink on weekends. At 12 years old, he relocated to Port Arthur, where he competed for the Port Arthur High School team. He entered the senior ranks in 1910 as a member of the Port Arthur YMCA.

Known by the moniker 'The Old Fox', L'Heureux was recognized for his tactical approach to the game. Because he was smaller than many of his rivals, he utilized craft and cunning rather than physical size or raw speed. His nickname also reflected his longevity in the sport, as he continued playing senior Hockey until he was 38 years old, concluding a career that spanned more than two decades.

L'Heureux is most closely associated with the Port Arthur Senior Hockey Club, a team he first joined in 1921. He initially played on the defensive line alongside Gordon 'Phat' Wilson. He later transitioned to a forward position, where he became a key contributor to the team's success. During his tenure, the club wore red, green, and white uniforms.

As a member of the Port Arthur Seniors, L'Heureux helped secure the first three Allan Cup titles for the Northwestern Ontario region. These national championships included consecutive victories in the 1924-25 and 1925-26 seasons. Despite speculation regarding his retirement following those wins, he remained with the squad to capture a third Allan Cup during the 1928-29 season.

Residence in the Thunder Bay area (by 1910–at least 1929) rests on the following dated evidence. He moved to Port Arthur at age 12, played for the YMCA in 1910, and played for the Port Arthur Seniors from 1921 until their 1928-29 Allan Cup win.

Honours and achievements

• Won the Allan Cup national senior hockey championship in 1924-25
• Won the Allan Cup national senior hockey championship in 1925-26
• Won the Allan Cup national senior hockey championship in 1928-29
• Played senior hockey for over 20 years until the age of 38
• Member of the first Northwestern Ontario team to win the Allan Cup

Other records

The following comes from the page Wilfred Joseph L'Heureux, which is taken to be the same person (both were born in Kenora, both were hockey players in Port Arthur (this page says his brothers were prominent local players in the 1920s) and the first senior season in 1910 fits a man born in 1891).

Wilfred Joseph L'Heureux ((1891-12-27)27 December 1891 – 12 April 1962(1962-04-12) (aged 70)) was a son of the Port Arthur locomotive engineer Peter L'Heureux and Mary Ellen O'Hara. He and his brothers were noted as prominent local hockey players during the 1920s. He married Irene Mabel Mary Morris. He was born at Kenora on 27 December 1891 and died at Chatham, Ontario, on 12 April 1962.

Associates

• Gordon 'Phat' Wilson, defensive partner

Possibly related records

• Probably not the same as William L'Heureux: the name is similar, but the person in that record was an infant who died in 1932.