The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
King of the ice Marsh’s boots weren’t made for walking
The late Marshall Key is one of Dundee’s very own sporting legends – and Craigie is delighted to hear from a reader seeking to preserve the ice hockey star’s heritage.
Born in the city in 1932, Marshall was brought up in a house just a few hundred yards along the Kingsway from the old Dundee-angus Ice Rink. Aged 13, he learned to skate at his hometown rink during visits to public open sessions at the venue with his sister and mother.
The Morgan Academy pupil went on to enjoy a glittering ice hockey career that took him to a string of top sides on both sides of the border, plus a stint in Switzerland, while also starring for both Scotland and Great Britain.
Perthshire resident Hilda Hutcheson has got in touch to reveal that she has kept a unique piece of memorabilia linked to Key – who died in 2016 aged 83 – safely tucked away at home for the past seven decades.
The Collace resident writes: “My late husband Gregor knew Marshall and actually bought a pair of ice skates from him when he was a teenage skater at Dundee Ice Rink in the 1940s. These skates have now been in the family for 75 years and surprisingly have survived many house removals.
“My husband never continued skating after leaving school – Morgan Academy, same as Marshall – university, national service, a career and family taking up his interests, but he never wanted to part with them. I have now retrieved the ice skates from our attic, with the help of a younger member of the family, and after a quick polish they look in very good condition.
“The skates are size 11 and two-thirds and were made by CCM, Weston, Canada. They look remarkably similar to ones that were pictured in an article about Marshall in The Courier a few months ago.”
Hilda says she hopes that by being featured in Craigie, Marshall’s former skates might find a new home where they can be put on show for the benefit of ice fans of all ages, adding: “With all your many contacts, Craigie, you might be able to help, as I would
like these skates to go to an organisation, museum or a display somewhere where they would be appreciated as another part of Dundee’s history.”
It was after meeting Dundee Tigers player Alex ‘Red’ Forbes at one of the club’s practice sessions in late 1945 that Key’s skating technique really developed. Following professional ice hockey’s resumption after the Second World War, he progressed from the Tiger Cubs to the junior Rockets in 1947.
Tigers’ Canadian coach Laurie Marchant realised the Dundee youth’s potential and gave him his debut for the senior side during the 1948-49 season when he was just 16.
The following season Marchant’s countryman Walt Macdonald deployed Key as a centreman on his Tigers second line on a regular basis, and the teenager went on to be a regular on the club’s offence until pro hockey at the Kingsway folded in 1955.
Marshall’s first Scotland run-out came in 1950, when he scored a goal and provided three assists in a 12-1 hammering of England at Falkirk. He was also selected for the GB team that went to the Paris World Championships in 1951, but national service at Leuchars prevented his participation.
He missed out again on GB glory two years later when the Dundee directors stood firm in a club versus country scenario and refused to release him to travel to the global event when it was staged in Switzerland.
Key spent the 1955-56 season in the Scottish Amateur League with Perth
Panthers before joining Swiss side Cranssur-sierre for a short but eventful spell as player-coach.
While based in the Sierre district he was asked by silent film icon Charlie Chaplin to give his son Michael skating lessons!
The latter part of his playing career saw Marshall prove a prolific scorer for Harringay Racers in the British League, and he also starred on high-profile tours of Russia, Czechoslovakia and Scandinavia.
A brief but successful stint with the shortlived Edinburgh Royals followed, before a move to Paisley Pirates coincided with the last two seasons of the British League. Returning to Dundee, Key took over the running of his father’s newsagent shop in North Lindsay Street, opening the Keyhole pub in an expansion of the premises.
Marshall played on after British hockey went amateur in the ’60s, helping the Murrayfield Royals to a famous title win in 1960-61 and returning to a reborn GB team. A serious back injury sidelined him for two years, but typically 1963-64 saw him back on top at Murrayfield and captaining Great Britain before announcing his retirement.
He made a comeback with Dundee Rockets aged 37 in 1969, forming a kids’ school that brought through a number of talented players, and retired for good in ’71.
If any worthy causes are in a position to offer a suitable new home to Mrs Hutcheson’s historic piece of sportswear, they should email craigie@thecourier.co.uk