Elmer James Lach was born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan January 22, 1918. He died in the Montreal area April 4, 2015.
He was the baby of the family, the youngest of William and Mary-Ann Lach’s seven kids and learned his hockey skills on the frozen pond at Nokmois.
Elmer married Kay in 1941 and the Lach’s first and only child, Ron, was born in 1945.
Elmer played his entire career, 14 seasons with Montreal. He was on a line with Toe Blake and Maurice the Rocket Richard and they tore up the league.
Elmer won the league scoring title twice and in 1945 he won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player. He retired from hockey in 1954.
His Number 16 Jersey was retired by the team and hangs from the rafters of the Bell Centre in Montreal.
After retirement he was employed by a trucking company. His passion in retirement was golf.
Elmer Lach was estranged from his father. His Dad did not see playing hockey as a worthwhile way of living one’s life. He was close to his mother but, because of his disagreements with his Dad, he never visited back home until his mom was sick and dying in 1941. He and his Dad never established a relationship.
Hockey – The Early Years
Lach played Junior and Senior Hockey in Regina. In 1938 he moved to Moose Jaw and played Senior Hockey for the Moose Jaw Millers, owned by Cliff Henderson who also owned an Insurance Agency.
Senior Hockey was semi-pro in those days. There were only six teams in the NHL and many talented players were active in Senior Hockey from 1937 to 1942.
Senior Hockey was equivalent to and even a little more talented than today’s AHL.
Playing semi-pro hockey was not big money, but you made money playing a game your loved and were a local celebrity. During hockey season Elmer was paid $75 a month. In the summer he’d play catcher on the local baseball team for $2.50 a game.
Elmer didn’t think he had a future in hockey. He thought of it as a good sideline but really liked his other job, Reading Meters for National Light and Power. When he wasn’t reading meters he worked in the power plant shovelling coal or oiling machines. He was living at 1139 – 1st Ave. NW in the spring of 1940.
It was common practice for Senior Hockey players to get a salary and work at another job. Elmer’s best buddy and line-mate on the Moose Jaw Millers, Norman Larson, also worked at National Light and Power.
There were some interesting side benefits to meter reading. The Power Meters were inside the house. Reading meters meant meeting people – and girls.
During the 1939-40 season, Elmer was playing hockey and reading meters. He stopped at a house near the Technical High School (Peacock) to read the meter and met the beautiful and charming love of his life, Kay (Kathleen) Fletcher. Kay was working at the Swift Meats plant.
Kay was smitten. To show her affection for the bruising Moose Jaw Miller hockey star and make his job easier, Kay loan him her bicycle to get around on his meter reading route.
Cliff Henderson, team owner was one of Elmer’s biggest fans. In 1940 Cliff organized a tryout for Elmer in Montreal with the Canadiens.
Elmer never thought in a million years he’d make the Canadiens Hockey Team. In fact, he so convinced he wouldn’t make the team that he only packed a small ‘carry-on’ bag for the train trip to Montreal. He made the team and had to send back to Moose Jaw for the rest of his clothes.
Montreal scout and player Paul Haynes bought Elmer’s rights for $100.00. Elmer had never seen so much money at one time.
Montreal had many rookies for the 1940-41 season. Elmer was one of nine in the lineup.
At the end of the 1941 season Elmer went back to Moose Jaw and on Saturday, afternoon, May 24, 1941 he married Kay. The wedding took place in front of the fireplace, in her parent’s house, the house she grew up in. For their honeymoon they drove to Vancouver.
Miss Winnifred Fletcher, Kay’s older sister, presided at the piano. The Groom’s gift to the pianist was a gold compact. Miss Winnifred “Wyn’ Fletcher became Elon Musk’s Grandmother.
Elmer’s Best Man
Elmer’s best buddy and line-mate on the Moose Jaw Millers, Norman Larson, was the best man at Elmer’s wedding. Norm was born and raised in Moose Jaw and was the son of Lyle Larson, a Locomotive Engineer with the CPR. Norm lived with his family at 1151 – 2nd Avenue N.E.
Norm played for the New York Americans (Brooklyn Americans) and then went into the RCAF from 1942 to 1945. After the war he played Pro-Hockey at various levels, retiring in 1956.
Retirement
Kay and Elmer had one son, Ron, born in 1945. Ron became the General Manager of the Beaconsfield Golf and Country Club near Montreal.
Elmer retired from hockey in 1954. In 1985 his Moose Jaw born and raised wife of 44 years, Kay, died of cancer. He remarried a few years later.
Elon’s Grandmother
Through marriage to his first wife Kathleen (Kay), Elmer was the Great Uncle to Mr. Elon Musk. Elon’s grandmother was Wyn, Kay’s older sister.
Is there more to the story of Elon Musk’s Grandmother. Of Course!
In June 1942 another wedding was held in front of the fireplace at the house near Peacock High School. This time it was Kay’s older sister Wyn (Winnifred) who married Regina Chiropractor Dr. Joshua Norman Haldeman, D.C. And another most fascinating story emerges, including a glimpse into the life of Elon’s most interesting Great-Grandmother, the first female Chiropractor in Canada who also earned a Teaching Certificate at the Moose Jaw Normal School.
So, there is more, but all in good time.
Team Roster
Front Row L to R - Burr Keenan, Dunc Grant, Tommy Cooper, Dempster “Babe” Hemming, Paul Lavelle, Buster "Bus" Brayshaw, Curly Lynem (trainer).
Back Row - Hal "Porky" Cathcart, Lou Labovitch, Bob Kennedy, Clay Boiteau, Art Somers (coach), Elmer Lach, Norm Larson, Frank Warshawski, Johnny Jones.
Credit: Hockey Gods
