Dignitaries unveil a new plaque, honouring Jack Laviolette, at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, on June 23/16. (Photo: Quinte News)
Residents and visitors to Belleville can learn more about a founding father of one of Canada’s greatest hockey franchises, now that a new plaque has been unveiled at the Quinte Sport and Wellness Centre.
The plaque honouring Jack Laviolette, one of the “Flying Frenchmen” who would go on to found the Montreal Canadiens, was unveiled today and will be hung at the Wellness Centre’s west entrance.
Belleville Sports Hall of Fame Past President James Hurst tells Quinte News, Laviolette was born in Belleville in the late 1800s and was raised here until he was about ten.
Hurst added, that along with being a hall-of-famer in lacrosse and hockey, Laviolette had a real interest in motorsports, which would lead to a serious injury.
The plaque was unveiled in partnership between the Hastings County Historical Society and the Ontario Heritage Trust and is the 11th to be installed in the city.
Historical Society President Richard Hughes says it’s crucial to keep passing on the stories of significant figures from our past, who have done great things for our country and the world.
Other plaques in the city recognize people and places like Sir Mackenzie Bowell, Susanna Moodie, Albert College, City Hall and more.
Province-wide, the Ontario Heritage Trust has helped to put up more than 1,200 historical plaques.
