Ken (Red) Grahame

Ken (Red) Grahame was born in 1934 in Kemptville.  He learned to play hockey on the Kemptville Creek.  During his first year at North Grenville District High School he was quarterback of the football team.  The next fall, at age 15,  he was recruited to play junior hockey in Guelph. Playing for the B team he was called to play for the Guelph Biltmores A team who went on to win the Memorial Cup (Canada’s Junior Championship) – the year was 1951-52 and his team mates Andy Bathgate, Harry Howell and Lou Fontinato went on to play in the NHL.At 16, Ken was invited to the New York Rangers training camp. Encouraged by Frank Boucher, Ken became the property of the Rangers for the next 5 years.  His skates cost $100.00, his dad’s salary was $40.00 per month.

Returning to Ottawa he played for Eastview St. Charles from 1952-55 (part of the Ottawa Junior City League).  There he was part of a dynasty – winning the ODHA championship three years in a row and going on to the Eastern Memorial Cup playdowns eliminating North Sydney Combines in Nova Scotia, then losing to the Quebec Frontenacs.

After Junior, he went on to play in the Eastern Senior Pro League (EHL) for the Clinton Comets (New York – 1955-57).  In January 1958 he was traded to Washington and then came home to play for the Kemptville Royals for the 1958-59 season.

In 1960-64 Ken played for the Prescott-Kemptville/Royals Combines under the coaching of Ralph Hurley. They travelled to Moncton, New Brunswick, in 1962-63 for the Allan Cup Quarter finals (Senior Canadian Championships). Ken won scoring titles in the process – “The Red Headed Right Wing Shooting Left”, all the while raising a family and working in the family business (Grahame’s Bakery) with his father.

The Kemptville Arena was condemned in 1965 which meant players had to find elsewhere to play while rebuilding.  After building a new arena in 1967, Ken was asked to form a new Kemptville Royals team for the opening.  Using his resources and scouting abilities he put together some locals and imports along with Ken Seymour to form a team (1968-70).

He coached the Kemptville Royals 1968-71, Junior B Comets in  1972-73, later to become the Kemptville 73’s.  While coaching, Ken played Industrial League (Kemptville Fire Department Smokies) winning scoring championships in 1969-70.

Ken was a silent scout for some OHL teams and American University Teams.  He would often pick up the phone and call a coach to promote local talent and pursue hockey careers.

Ken’s favourite pastime was to tell stories of the old hockey days, from his time as a boy on the Kemptville Creek, to how close he came to playing in the NHL.

In addition to hockey Ken also enjoyed playing fastball, and he was part of the group who developed the first ball diamonds in Riverside Park.

She now has her own highly-successful training and horse sales business.