Gérard Bolduc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1906-08-03)August 3, 1906 Montmagny, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | March 8, 1993(1993-03-08) (aged 86) Saint-Romuald, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Known for | Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament |
| Awards | Quebec Sports Hall of Fame |
Gérard Bolduc (August 3, 1906 – March 8, 1993) was a Canadianice hockey administrator. He co-founded theQuebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1960, served as president of the tournament for 15 years, and sought to bring international youth teams toQuebec City to play. He was also involved with theQuebec Amateur Hockey Association and theQuebec Remparts, and was posthumously inducted into the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame.
Gérard Bolduc was born on August 3, 1906, inMontmagny, Quebec, to parents Joseph Bolduc and Diana St-Pierre.[1] As a youth, he won medals competing in skiing andsnowshoeing.[1] He later worked as acivil servant in theGovernment of Quebec overseeing hunting and fishing activities, and also volunteered his time in recreation at the parish of Saints-Martyrs in Quebec City.[1][2]
Bolduc was an officer in theQuebec Amateur Hockey Association during the 1950s, and was chairman of the Quebec District Committee which oversaw the Quebec Hockey School that trained players and referees.[1][3] He toured with youth teams to tournaments inGoderich, Ontario andDuluth, Minnesota, and proposed having a similar event inQuebec City to coincide with the annualQuebec Winter Carnival.[1][2]
Bolduc collaborated withPaul Dumont, Jacques Boissinot, Pat Timmons, and Edmond de la Bruere, to establish the firstQuebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, which began on February 20, 1960, atQuebec Arena atVictoria Park.[1][2][4] Bolduc successfully recruited 28 teams to the first tournament, which drew nearly 20,000 spectators.[5] The event proved so popular, that he switched games later in the week to theQuebec Coliseum, to accommodate the larger crowds. He also set up a recurring donation of each year's proceeds from the tournament to the Patro Roc-Amadour parish.[4]
Bolduc served as president of the tournament from 1960 to 1974.[1][2] He aspired to have teams from around the world at the tournament, and by the 12th event he had recruited teams from theUnited States,France,West Germany, and theSoviet Union.[6] The tournament operated within the festivities of the Quebec Winter Carnival during this time, but later became more autonomous from it in 1977, after Bolduc retired.[7] His contributions to the tournament were chronicled in the bookThe story of a fantastic tournament: which each year makes the Quebec Coliseum vibrate during the Winter Carnival by Jacques Revelin, published in 1969.[4]
In 1969, Bolduc was one of the founders of theQuebec Remparts.[1]
Bolduc died on March 8, 1993, inSaint-Romuald, Quebec.[1] He frequently wore aTyrolean hat.[4] He is the namesake of the Gérard Bolduc trophy, awarded to the winning team of the pee-wee tournament's AA division from 1965 to 2001.[1] He was named Man of the Year in 1973 by theMolson Brewery, and was honoured in the Circle of Molson Builders.[1][2] He was posthumously inducted into the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.[2][7]