Editing Toe Blake (section)

==Personal life==
Born in what is now the [[ghost town]] of [[Victoria Mines, Ontario|Victoria Mines]], Blake was raised playing outdoor hockey in the town of [[Coniston, Ontario|Coniston]] near the city of [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]] in [[Northern Ontario]].

His nickname came from a childhood experience: his younger sister had difficulty pronouncing his name, rendering it as something like "Hec-toe". Thus, the nickname "Toe" arose, and ultimately replaced the nickname he had been given as a scorer, the Old Lamplighter, because he often activated the light behind the goal.<ref name=Christie/>

After retiring from the Canadiens, Blake and his family resided permanently in Montreal. In 1952, he opened Toe Blake's Tavern, at the corner of [[Guy Street]] and [[Saint Catherine Street]] in Montreal, just a few blocks from the [[Montreal Forum]].<ref name=Christie/><ref name=Tavern>{{cite web|title=Faubourg Building|url=http://archives.concordia.ca/faubourg-building|access-date=February 9, 2015|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210010451/http://archives.concordia.ca/faubourg-building|archive-date=February 10, 2015}}</ref> The tavern closed in 1983.<ref name=Tavern />

Blake suffered from [[Alzheimer's disease]] in his final years.<ref name="NYT obit">{{cite web|last1=Thomas Jr.|first1=Robert McG|title=Hector (Toe) Blake, 82, Is Dead; Coach of Canadiens Title Teams|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/18/obituaries/hector-toe-blake-82-is-dead-coach-of-canadiens-title-teams.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 9, 2015|date=May 18, 1995}}</ref> When respected writer [[Red Fisher (journalist)|Red Fisher]] visited him in the nursing home in 1989, Blake could not recognize his old friend. Blake died on May 17, 1995,<ref name="NYT obit" /> at the age of 82.

He was the uncle of [[Mike Blake]].

===Legacy===
Blake was elected to the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in 1966 in the player category, and was made a Member of the [[Order of Canada]] in 1982.<ref name=HHOF /> A park located next to his [[Montreal West]] home is named in his honour.

In 2011, the community centre in Blake's hometown of [[Coniston, Ontario]], was renamed the "Toe Blake Memorial Arena" in his honour.<ref name="arena named">{{cite web|last1=Punch|first1=Rachel|title=Toe Blake honour long overdue|url=http://www.thesudburystar.com/2011/09/12/toe-blake-honour-long-overdue|publisher=Sudbury Star|access-date=February 9, 2015|date=September 13, 2011}}</ref>