Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

Austin Burke, elite hockey player for the Étoiles de Sainte-Anne – Beginning in 1900, the students of College Sainte-Anne started to have hockey teams. One of its elite players was goalie Austin Burke, from Sluice Point, NS. His stellar play attracted the attention of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, who invited him to attend their 1946 training camp. However, he decided to enter the seminary and later became the Archbishop of Nova Scotia. He was very popular with young people and often gave them hockey cards that featured his photo and story.

The Étoiles de Sainte-Anne team became a very popular fixture in the Southwestern Nova Scotia hockey scene of the 1950s and 1960s. During this period, hockey increased in popularity. A hockey arena was built in the late 1950s and a league of teams – based in Bridgetown, Digby, Cornwallis (at the naval base) and Church Point (Sainte-Anne) – was formed. Spectators filled the new rink. In a region where baseball had been king, hockey became the dominant sport.

A game that Clare’s sports fans still remember fondly took place in the late 1960s, against the Halifax Junior Canadiens. This team played against the best major junior teams in Canada and won regularly. With one minute remaining in the game and the score tied 2-2, Camille Caissie scored to give Halifax the victory. It is also well remembered that the linesman had not noticed that Caissie was offside.

Topic: Sports and Leisure

Date: 1942-45

Reference: Université Sainte-Anne Collection Centre Acadien Series F, photo 37

For more information, visit the Centre Acadien website.