Prince of Wales Hockey Line 1943-1946

When you look at the hockey stories in the Charlottetown sports pages from 1943 to 1946, it’s hard to miss the continual references to three players by the names of Nicolle, Robertson, and Blanchard. This forward line was an unstoppable combination that led Prince of Wales College to two PEI Collegiate Championships and a City of Charlottetown Championship.

During their careers, the stories describe how they defeated the “league-leading Saints 7–0,” “buried the hatchet deep into the neck of the Acadia Axemen...5–4,” and “trounced Mt. A. 5–0.” They had what it took to succeed. They were prolific scorers in their own right, as the stories attest: “Blanchard gets 4 goals,” “Blanchard, Nicolle and Robertson line pick up nine scoring points between them...they accounted for four goals...,” and “Nicolle gets three for College Boys, Robertson gets two and two assists.” As a line, they were a potent combination that worked well together. “Nicolle, Robertson and Blanchard roam all over the ice,” “Nicolle and Blanchard working a passing attack before shooting it over to Robertson on left wing who sends it into the corner,” “Nicolle—the Minute Man—fought through the defense to slide the disc over to Blanchard parked in front of the net.... Less than two minutes later, the same two raced in with Robertson and it was Nicolle who fired one past Nixon.”

Not only were they good, they were beautiful to watch. Their style of play is aptly noted in quotes: “Nicolle slamming the wafer home on a beautiful piece of combination with Robertson and Blanchard,” says one story. Another recalls, “They finally clicked at 9:12 when Nicolle, Blanchard and Robertson went in on a sweet pattern.” Still another story describes “the prettiest goal of the night came when Nicolle snared the puck from a maze of players. Twisting away, the ex-juvenile raced down the left wing, outwitted the defense to swing in on net and fire a low shot that caught the corner of the net.”

Clayton “Nick” Nicolle, Wilmont Robertson, and Elmer Blanchard were, as the newspapers of the day describe, a “dynamite trio.” Those who saw them play still talk about their skill, finesse, and effectiveness as a line. Nick Nicolle is living in Saint John, NB, while Elmer Blanchard and Wilmont Robertson are both deceased.