Fever Season (25 page)
The Montefiore Home where David is taken during the Spanish Flu epidemic was a real place in Montreal, though it didn't actually open until a few years later. Judy Gordon has written two very interesting books about the Montreal Hebrew Orphans' Home, which opened in 1909, and the Montefiore Hebrew Orphans' Home. Judy's husband, Myer Gordon, lived at the Montefiore Home in the 1920s and 1930s, and between Judy's books and the willingness of both of them to answer my questions, it seemed the perfect place for David. Not everything I wrote may be entirely accurate, but any changes were made for the sake of the story and are my responsibility.
My own French isn't very good â in fact, almost non-existent â so I'm most thankful to Jean-Patrice Martel for providing me with French translations and proper phrases for the French characters in the book. The funny thing is, I had already named a key character J-P after Jean-Patrice before I even thought to ask him for his help! Jean-Patrice is a colleague with the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR), and there are many other SIHR members who helped, either directly or indirectly, with bits of research for this story. Among them are Ernie Fitzsimmons, Paul Kitchen, Bill Sproule, and Jason Wilson.
Craig Campbell and Phil Pritchard at the Hockey Hall of Fame have always been very helpful to me, and in this case I must thank Craig especially for showing me Joe Hall's scrapbook in the Hall of Fame's resource centre and for introducing me to Larry Hall, the grandson of “Bad Joe” himself. As it turns out, Larry and I are practically neighbours!
Another person who deserves a huge “assist” for her help in researching this novel is Jo-Anne Colby of the CP Archives. Jo-Anne provided invaluable information about the trains, routes, and ferry schedules that would have taken the Canadiens to Seattle in 1919. Although I changed their voyage a little bit â the Canadiens actually stopped to play exhibition games in Regina and Calgary en route west â this was again done for the sake of the story. Dona Bubelis and the Magazine and Newspaper Department of the Seattle Public Library were most helpful, as well. I was very impressed with their online service.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Barbara. Her support and encouragement are never-ending.
B
OOKS
Barry, John M.
The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of
the Deadliest Plague in History
. New York: Penguin, 2004.
Coleman, Charles C.
The Trail of the Stanley Cup: Volume 1
1893â1926
. Toronto: National Hockey League, 1966.
Diamond, Dan et al.
Total Hockey: The Official
Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League Volume
2
. Kingston, NY: Total Sports Publishing, 2000.
____.
Total NHL: The Ultimate Source on the National
Hockey League
. Toronto: Dan Diamond and Associates, 2003.
Fischler, Stan, and Shirley Fischler.
Heroes and History:
Voices from the NHL's Past!
Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1994.
Getz, David.
Purple Death: The Mysterious Flu of 1918
. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000.
Gordon, Judy.
Four Hundred Brothers and Sisters: The
Story of Two Jewish Orphanages in Montreal
. Toronto: MJ Publications, 2002.
____.
Four Hundred Brothers and Sisters: Their Story
Continues â¦
Toronto: MJ Publications, 2004.
Iezzoni, Lynette.
Influenza 1918: The Worst Epidemic
in American History
. New York: TV Books LLC, 1999.
Jenish, D'Arcy.
The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of
Glory
. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2008.
Krohn, Katherine.
The 1918 Flu Pandemic
. Mankato, MN: Coughlan Publishing, 2007.
Pettigrew, Eileen.
The Silent Enemy: Canada and the
Deadly Flu of 1918
. Saskatoon: Western Producer Prairie Books, 1983.
W
EBSITES
Bibliothèque et Archives nationals Québec,
Collections:
www.banq.qc.ca/portal/dt/collections/collections.jsp
.
Digital collections allow searches of old newspapers and street guides.
Canadian Pacific Railway:
www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/ General+Public/Heritage/default.htm
.
An online history of the CPR.
Hockey Hall of Fame:
www.hhof.com
. The official website of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hockey-Reference.com:
www.hockey-reference.com
.
A statistical database of every player in NHL history.
Joe Hall:
www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?type=Player&mem=P196105&list=ByName#photo
. Joe Hall's page features a biography, his statistics, and photos.
Judaism:
http://judaism.about.com
. This comprehensive guide to Judaism gives great detail and insight into rituals, beliefs, and holidays.
“The Killer Flu Pandemic of 1918”:
www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/25771/the-killer-flu-pandemic-of-1918
. This high-quality yet heartbreaking slide show features beautiful photos from the flu pandemic of 1918 and photos showing similar effects from the 2009 epidemic.
Montreal Canadiens:
http://canadiens.nhl.com
. The official website of the Montreal Canadiens, including photos, statistics, and history.
Museum of History and Industry:
www.seattlehistory.org
. An online history of Seattle and a photo archive.
National Hockey League:
www.nhl.com
. The official website of the NHL features an extensive archive of players and teams, as well as current information on favourite players.
Newspaper Archive:
www.newspaperarchive.com
. Search old newspaper articles online.
Seattle Public Library:
www.spl.org
.
Emails with research questions are answered promptly.
Society for International Hockey Research:
www.sihrhockey.org
. A huge database of information and hockey statistics for members of the Society for International Hockey Research.
Stanley Cup Championship (1919):
www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/asset_library/history/1919_ StanleyCupChampionship.pdf
. A fantastic article with all you need to know about the 1919 Stanley Cup Championship and how it was affected by the Spanish Flu.
Toronto Public Library:
www.torontopubliclibrary.ca
. Find articles in magazines, newspapers, and more.
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