Oxford Park, Montreal
The park was made famous for its sporting tradition. Hockey greats as Doug Harvey, Howie Morenz, Kenny Mosdell and Fleming Mackell learned their crafts on the outdoor rink which was part of a larger neighbourhood house league, including such teams at Terrebonne Park, Benny Park, and Patricia Park. The park was also where boxing legend Johnny Greco played sports as a child. The park is bounded by Oxford, Upper Lachine, Old Orchard Avenue and Saint Jacques Street.
The park was initially part of a farm owned by the Brodie clan, who bought the land after arriving from Scotland.
After several generations the family sold to the city of Montreal in 1949 for $73,000 under the condition that the historic farmhouse would be turned into a library or facility for children. The city reneged on this clause and the stone building was demolished in the 1960s.
The park was also home to a longstanding Italian Festival which was cancelled after the city added a controversial fenced-off plastic turf soccer field, which could get damaged during fireworks. Many italian events still take place in the park, such as ItalFestMTL, the Montréal Italian Week.
References
- ^ "Parc Georges-Saint-Pierre". Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Parc Georges-Saint-Pierre". City of Montréal. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Doug Harvey: The man who changed the game". July 24, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ 'Robert Brodie's memoirs- an excerpt', Coolopolis blog (Montreal), December 27, 2007.
- ^ Gravenor, Kristian (2005-07-07). "The tragedy of Brodie farm". Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
- ^ "Montreal's Italian Week is back for a 26th edition from August 9 to 18, 2019". Newswire. August 9, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Laurence, Jean-Christophe (August 5, 2013). "Ici l'Italie: Hommage à l'Émilie-Romagne". La Presse. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "ItalFestMTL (2023)" (PDF). 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.