Hockey historian Paul Kitchen passes away

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Paul Kitchen - Win, Tie, or Wrangle[/caption] _ I was sad to hear that Paul Kitchen passed away last month. Paul was a hockey historian who wrote the excellent “Win, Tie or Wrangle”, an account of the early years of the Ottawa Senators.  He was also the driving force behind the campaign to build a Stanley Cup monument in central Ottawa, commemorating Ottawa as the birthplace of hockey’s most famous trophy. _ _ A few years ago I spent a day with Paul shooting this video with Sens TV .  We hopped in my old minivan and drove to the sites of old arenas where the Senators played around downtown Ottawa.  He shared some of his vast treasure trove of stories.  He was always very generous with his time when I needed to fact check an obscure piece of hockey trivia. _ _ -GG. _ ** Paul Howard Kitchen, 1937-2015. ** Born in Toronto on November 14, 1937. Died in Ottawa on August 29, 2015. Survived by his wife, Anne; sons, Kevin (Christine Mitchell) and Peter; and granddaughter Marianne. Predeceased by his parents Percy and Mary Kitchen; and brother, Boyd.

Paul received a BA (English) from Carleton University in 1963, and a BLS from the University of British Columbia in 1964. He worked as a professional librarian, first at the National Library of Canada from 1964 to 1975, and then as Executive Director of the Canadian Library Association from 1975 to 1985. From 1985 to 1998 he was President of Paul Kitchen & Associates, a parliamentary affairs consulting firm.

Paul was also a well-known hockey historian. He was a regular commentator in local and national media, and author of Win, Tie or Wrangle: The Inside Story of the Old Ottawa Senators, 1883-1935.

A celebration of Paul’s life is being planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to a local public library or archives.