Monthly Archives: October 2018

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

While in the province of Quebec, I was able to take in two QMJHL games with Brazil Lucas & The Curator.

The first was in Shawinigan, Quebec at the Centre Gervais Auto. The Shawinigan Cataractes were hosting the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

It was the 50th Anniversary for the Cataractes, so we were lucky enough to be on hand for the pregame celebration. The haze in the photos is from the celebratory smoke that hung in the air for the entire game.

This would prove to be a very entertaining game.

The Phoenix took a 2-1 lead in period one. Ryan Da Silva, whose parents we were sitting next to, would get an assist for Sherbrooke.

The second period saw the pucks flying everywhere. Shawinigan would score three, Sherbrooke two, and things were tied up at four. Da Silva notched another assist in the period.

The teams traded goals in the third, so we went to overtime. It was a 3 on 3 OT, which ended quickly with a goal for the home team.

Cataractes win 6-5.

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The second game was at the Quebec City Videotron Centre. We would watch the Sherbrooke Phoenix once again, this time taking on the Quebec Remparts.

This was not quite as entertaining of a game. Even though the score was close, the Phoenix never really seemed to get things going. Goal tender Brendan Cregan kept Sherbrooke in the game, especially early on.

The first period was scoreless. Quebec took a 2-0 lead at the end of two. The Phoenix did score two in the third, with Ryan Da Silva getting one assist, but the Remparts also scored two. The final was 4-2 Remparts over the Phoenix.

The Vidéotron Centre is quite the hockey arena for a Junior team. It seats just over 18,000 for hockey. The announced crowd was 8500 for a Sunday afternoon game.


William H. Seward House

The Seward House

Built in 1816 by the future father in law of William Seward, the Seward House is now a museum.

William H. Seward

William Seward was the governor of New York State, a U.S. senator for New York, and probably best known as the U.S. Secretary of State as a member of Abraham Lincoln’s “team of rivals”.

The Seward library

Seward led a fascinating life. He was not a big man in stature, but he was certainly a bold man who dominated the politics of his era.

Leave your sword with the bear at the door.

Seward lost to Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860, but then became Lincoln’s Secretary of State.

Painting depicting the signing of the purchase of the Alaska Territory

We took the tour of the house, led by a volunteer guide. It’s well worth the hour it takes to conclude the tour. The price was $10 with the AAA card.

The House holds a lot of Seward family heirlooms. William Seward took the home over from his father in law, and Seward’s son followed him, and his grandson took over the home from there. William H. Seward III donated the house to the foundation.

The purchase of Alaska is prominently displayed throughout the tour. One member of our party tried to get the woman at the desk to let me look through the photo album in the glass case. She politely declined.

There is a Native Alaskan kayak displayed from the ceiling in the carriage house. The kayak was given to Seward during his visit to Alaska in 1869.

A parlor in the house. Seward passed away while lying on the couch in the picture, although the couch was in another room at the time of his death.

Seward’s office, which is the room the former Secretary of State died in.