elmer skov                                                                               Return to All Inductees

Elmer was raised in the Wheatley area before embarking on an outstanding hockey career.  After finishing minor hockey he was summoned by the Windsor Spitfires of the O.H.A. and played over 4 seasons for them.  At that time the NHL was made up of only 6 team and many outstanding young junior players had very few places to play.  The O.H.A. Senior league was exceptionally strong because of this and many hockey people say that some of those teams would compete and do well in a NHL format.  Elmer joined the Owen Sound Mercurys for the next 3 years and then came to Windsor with the Bulldogs for the following 3 years.  It was at this time in 1959 that a trade with Chatham for goalie Don Head and a convincing talk with coach John Horeck that Elmer started his life in the Maple City.

After the exciting Allan Cup win, then 3 more years playing with the Maroons in the IHL followed by 3 years in Guelph in the OHA senior league, Elmer slowed down just a little.  He turned his attention to home life and his job with the Department of Highways.  With his boys in minor hockey he began to coach in the Chatham system.

With the Junior Maroons starting up in the 59-60 season it wasn’t long before they were tapping into Elmer’s wealth of experience to help them with their teams.  Elmer joined the Maroon’s George Aitken and Harold MacFarlane as a manager and defensive coach in the 67-68 season and would be involved in some capacity with the team for the next 24 years.  His only break would come in the mid seventies to again coach one of his boys in minor hockey.

Elmer’s credibility as a player had him on the ice regularly with the teams as a coach and instructor, but most of this time was spent as a general manager.  His job as a manager was respected by other teams in the league as well and he assumed the convenorship of the Western Ontario Junior B League while working with Harold in the mid 80’s.  When talking about Elmer and his contributions to the Maroon organization it is very difficult to pin just one title on him.  He did so many different jobs with so many of the teams that he had become a constant fixture synonymous with the Maroon name.  What was Windsor’s loss would become the community of Chatham’s gain for many years.

Married to his wife Anna for 55 years they had 3 children.  Lorna in Burlington, Kevin in Kitchener and Allan in Denver.  They are also proud grandparents of Sara Ann and Katie.