According to classic flop and stop ’em style goaltender Billy Milsom “Friday morning hockey began as the Zoology Department pick up hockey session back in about 1971. I started playing in the fall of 1974. As time went on, attendance began to wane and outsiders were recruited to fill in. We have now reached the point where the representation from Zoology is definitely well in the minority (anywhere from 1 to 6 of us on any given morning). Along the way we (the extended group) were invited to help build up Tuesday morning hockey which I believe was being run by geology (I’m sure Ron and others can correct me here). I believe this began in the early 1990s. Over time the turn out at the two became one and the same. I believe that it was under Bert’s stewardship that we actually began to accrue surplus funds at the end of the season and so began the annual post-season celebration. Somewhere in there the suggestion was made that the party should follow one last game and that this should be for all the marbles and bragging rights for the season—and so the Patin d’Or was born. The rest is history.”
Stalwart Team White defenceman Tim (Warrier) O’Connor added: “In California we used to play Stanford three times a year. One of the years it was decided that the team that won the series would win the “golden skate” (they are not big in French down there). The first year they started this tradition the third game ended in a tie and we decided to play overtime to decide the first winner. I happened to score the goal in overtime, so it stuck with me and told some of the guys over coffee about it. We actually skated around the ice holding the trophy—it was pretty silly. I can’t remember if it was a skate, but I assume so. I don’t think it was as good as our is now! The French change came naturally. I don’t think Cal and Stanford do it anymore, so we have really taken the torch on this one.”
