Champagne On Ice - new book featuring Yorkshire-born heroes
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2026 10:47 am
Hi Steelers fans,
I am one of your own but also an author and journalist.
Some of you will already know that the British team who won Winter Olympic gold in 1936 contained two Yorkshire-born lads, Archie Stinchcombe (Barnsley) and Jimmy Chappell (Huddersfield).
I would like to think that had the Steelers been around at that time they'd have picked them both up!
Anyway, I'm covering their whole lives in the book, not just the major upset they helped pull off in front of Hitler and the like by defeating the Canadians on the way to winning gold.
Archie and Jimmy led amazing lives and both spent their childhoods in Ontario whilst retaining their Yorkshire identity.
Archie was actually blind in one eye and that cost him a deal with the Detroit Red Wings. He also did a bit of bootlegging in his younger days!
Jimmy later served in the Second World War and also managed to play cricket for Canada (as did his son Christopher). Amazingly both returned to play in the 1948 Winter Olympics too. Jimmy even refereed at the 1950 World Championships.
Archie coached that team down the road in the early 50s and helped them to two titles whilst Jimmy moved back to Canada.
I am hopeful the book (out next year) will be able to raise some money for charity too but still working on that and I'll need plenty of support to get to a profitable stage.
I'll be posting further updates on here (admin permitting) and also on a new Facebook page at: https://tinyurl.com/Champagne-On-Ice
Please share it around hockey fans you think might be interested.
Also happy to answer any more questions about their lives and that amazing team.
I am one of your own but also an author and journalist.
Some of you will already know that the British team who won Winter Olympic gold in 1936 contained two Yorkshire-born lads, Archie Stinchcombe (Barnsley) and Jimmy Chappell (Huddersfield).
I would like to think that had the Steelers been around at that time they'd have picked them both up!
Anyway, I'm covering their whole lives in the book, not just the major upset they helped pull off in front of Hitler and the like by defeating the Canadians on the way to winning gold.
Archie and Jimmy led amazing lives and both spent their childhoods in Ontario whilst retaining their Yorkshire identity.
Archie was actually blind in one eye and that cost him a deal with the Detroit Red Wings. He also did a bit of bootlegging in his younger days!
Jimmy later served in the Second World War and also managed to play cricket for Canada (as did his son Christopher). Amazingly both returned to play in the 1948 Winter Olympics too. Jimmy even refereed at the 1950 World Championships.
Archie coached that team down the road in the early 50s and helped them to two titles whilst Jimmy moved back to Canada.
I am hopeful the book (out next year) will be able to raise some money for charity too but still working on that and I'll need plenty of support to get to a profitable stage.
I'll be posting further updates on here (admin permitting) and also on a new Facebook page at: https://tinyurl.com/Champagne-On-Ice
Please share it around hockey fans you think might be interested.
Also happy to answer any more questions about their lives and that amazing team.
