Percivale St-Helier LeSueur[1] (November 21, 1881 – January 27, 1962), known as "Peerless Percy",[2] was a Canadian senior and professional ice hockey goaltender and later involved in the game as referee, coach, manager and owner.
He was a member of the Smiths Falls Seniors for three years, with whom his performance in a 1906 Stanley Cup challenge series attracted the attention of his opponents, the Ottawa Silver Seven.
[5] In March 1906, the Smiths Falls Seniors, as a member of the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), issued a challenge for the Stanley Cup to the Ottawa Silver Seven (during that era, teams were allowed to challenge the present Cup holder once a year for possession, provided they were part of a senior hockey association and had won their league championship).
[7] Despite giving up 14 goals during the series, LeSueur's work in net was impressive: the Montreal Star remarked that his performance in the first game had kept the Seniors in contention, noting that the "most spectacular saves of the match were made by [him]".
Ottawa had lost confidence in its previous goalkeeper, Billy Hague, following a 9–1 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Wanderers in the first game of their two-game, total-goals Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) playoff series for control of the Stanley Cup.
Harry Smith appeared to put Ottawa ahead 11–10, but what would have been his seventh goal of the game was disallowed by an offside call.
[8] The Wanderers responded with a "furious attack",[9] resulting in Lester Patrick scoring two late goals, leading Montreal to a 12–10 series victory and the Stanley Cup.
He finished second in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) in goals against average in his first season with Ottawa, giving up 54 in 10 games played.
[12] That season LeSueur was Ottawa's sole representative at the Hod Stuart Benefit All-Star Game, played on January 2.
[13] LeSueur remarked in the Ottawa Free Press that while joining the Silver Seven was his "biggest thrill", his participation in the All-Star Game came a "close second".
[4] In the 1909 ECHA season, LeSueur won the Stanley Cup with Ottawa, now nicknamed the Senators, after the team led the league with 10 wins.
Published right before the start of the 1910–11 season, the book provided instructions on how to play every position, and contained photos of the star players of the era.
[14] The team led the regular season standings in the National Hockey Association (NHA) with 13 wins, regaining possession of the Stanley Cup.
[16] LeSueur was traded to the Toronto Shamrocks for Fred Lake and $300, as the Ottawa club engaged Clint Benedict for its goaltender's job.
[4] LeSueur initially became a full-time practicing accountant after retiring as a player, but with the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 enlisted with the 48th Highlanders, who served as the 134th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
As manager of the Windsor Arena and the Detroit Olympia, he helped assemble an ownership group that acquired the Victoria Cougars from the Western Hockey League (WHL) prior to the 1926–27 season.
Forced to play a stand-up style, LeSueur was aggressive in goal and was sufficiently athletic to be able to stop two or three shots in quick succession.
His playing style was exemplified in a game against the Quebec Bulldogs, where LeSueur was reported to have sprinted towards and "floored" an opposing forward who was on a breakaway.
[31][32] LeSueur died on January 27, 1962, in Hamilton, Ontario, following a lengthy illness, a few months after his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.