Lionel “The Train” Conacher: Canada’s Greatest All-Around Athlete — and My 3rd Cousin, 2x Removed

Lionel “The Train” Conacher was an iconic Canadian athlete — a multi-sport superstar known as “Mr. Everything” for his ability to excel at virtually every sport he played. I was fascinated to discover that Lionel is actually related to me through my paternal 4th great-aunt, Grace McLagan, who was his great-grandmother. That makes Lionel my third cousin, twice removed — a connection I stumbled upon quite by accident.

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Discovering a Famous Relative

While reading the obituary of another Conacher cousin, Hector (my 2nd cousin, twice removed), I noticed a line that caught my attention:

“A member of a family widely known in Canada for their professional athletes.”

The name Conacher rang a bell. A bit of research revealed that Lionel — along with several other Conachers — had achieved fame in Canadian sports history. A distant relative later confirmed their remarkable athletic legacy.

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Early Life and Family Background

Lionel Pretoria Conacher was born on May 24, 1900, in Toronto, Ontario. His middle name “Pretoria” was inspired by British victories in the Boer War, taking place at the time of his birth. (Coincidentally, I was in Pretoria myself nearly 100 years later for business at the commissioning of a new BMW plant.)

Lionel was the eldest son and third of ten children born to Benjamin Conacher and Elizabeth Black. The Conacher family lived in Toronto’s Davenport area, north of Christie Pits — then considered one of the city’s “higher-class slums.” Lionel’s brother Charlie once described their neighborhood that way.

Like many families of the early 1900s, Benjamin struggled to provide. Lionel left school after eighth grade and worked ten-hour days hauling sod to help support his family — a familiar echo, as my father, Albert Taylor (Lionel’s second cousin), did the same work fifty years later.

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Discovering His Athletic Gift

At Jesse Ketchum School, where sports were encouraged to keep boys out of trouble, Lionel quickly realized he was good — exceptionally good — at every sport he tried. Football, lacrosse, baseball, wrestling, hockey: he excelled at all of them. Sports soon became his path out of poverty.

As a teenager, Lionel played on 14 sports teams, winning 11 championships. At 16, he won the Ontario Lightweight Wrestling Championship, and by 20, he was Canada’s amateur light-heavyweight boxing champion. In 1921, he even sparred in an exhibition bout against heavyweight legend Jack Dempsey.

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The Making of “Mr. Everything”

One legendary story captures Lionel’s versatility: after hitting a triple to win the Toronto city baseball championship, he rushed across town to play in a lacrosse game where his team was trailing 3-0. Lionel scored four goals and an assist — turning the game around for another victory.

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Football Fame: The Toronto Argonauts and the Grey Cup

Football was Lionel’s favorite sport. He began playing at age 12, and by 1920, a scout for the Toronto Argonauts noticed his talent. In his very first game, Lionel scored 23 of the team’s 27 points. During the 9th Grey Cup in 1921 — the first East-vs-West matchup in history — Lionel led the Argonauts to a 23-0 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos, scoring 15 of those 23 points himself.

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Conacher on Ice: From Amateur to NHL Star

Although hockey was his weakest sport (he didn’t learn to skate until age 16), Lionel’s athleticism carried him far. He turned down early offers from the Toronto St. Patricks and Montreal Canadiens to preserve his amateur status.

In 1923, while playing for the North Toronto Seniors, Lionel made history again when their game became the first hockey game ever broadcast on radio. Later that year, he joined the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, who provided him with a job and college tuition.

When the Yellow Jackets turned professional in 1925, becoming the Pittsburgh Pirates, Lionel began his NHL career — scoring the first goal in Pirates history on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1925, against the Boston Bruins.

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NHL Career Highlights

• Pittsburgh Pirates (1925–1926) – 9 goals in 33 games

• New York Americans (1926–1930)

• Montreal Maroons (1930–1933)

• Chicago Blackhawks (1933–1934) – Won first Stanley Cup (also the Blackhawks’ first)

• Montreal Maroons (1934–1937) – Retired after the 1937 season

 

From Sports Legend to Politician

After retiring from professional hockey, Lionel entered politics as a Liberal Party candidate. He was elected MPP for Ontario in 1937 and served until 1943. In 1949, he won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the Liberal government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, and was re-elected in 1953.

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A Tragic Final Game

In May 1954, while participating in the annual MPs vs. Press Gallery softball game in Ottawa, Lionel hit a triple and ran hard to third base. Moments later, as he caught his breath, he collapsed from a heart attack. Despite efforts to revive him, Lionel Conacher — named Canada’s Greatest Male Athlete of the Half Century (1900–1950) — passed away at just 54 years old.

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A Legacy of Excellence

Lionel “The Train” Conacher remains one of Canada’s greatest athletes — a man who mastered every sport he touched, from football and hockey to wrestling and lacrosse. As both a sports icon and a family member, he is someone I’m deeply proud to call part of my heritage.