ChatGPT hallucinates a Lester Patrick statue

In February 2023, I asked ChatGPT if Lester Patrick ever lived in Nelson, BC. I was very surprised by its answer.

Yes, Lester Patrick did live in Nelson, BC, for a period of time. In fact, he and his brother Frank, who were both successful hockey players at the time, moved to Nelson in 1908 to play for the local team, the Nelson Hockey Club. They were recruited by the team’s manager, P.J. Mulhern, and the Patricks quickly became the stars of the team.

During their time in Nelson, the Patricks helped to revolutionize the game of hockey by introducing new strategies and tactics, such as the forward pass and the use of defensemen to create offensive opportunities. They also helped to develop some of the first organized youth hockey programs in Canada.

After leaving Nelson in 1910, Lester and Frank went on to play for other teams in Canada and the United States, and eventually became successful coaches and executives in the sport. However, their time in Nelson is still remembered as an important period in the history of hockey, and the city has erected a statue in their honor in the downtown area.

To annotate the errors in this reply:

• While Frank came to Nelson in 1908, Lester came in 1907.

• I have never heard of a P.J. Mulhern. Whoever he was, he certainly wasn’t the team manager. A search of the digitized Nelson newspapers turns up no mention of such a person.

• While the Patricks did revolutionize the game by introducing new rules, there is no evidence they did any of it in Nelson, although the sale of the Patrick Lumber Co. financed the creation of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association where those innovations were introduced and refined.

• I’ve never seen anything to suggest the Patricks were involved in youth hockey in Nelson, although they were involved in women’s hockey.

• The Patricks left Nelson permanently in 1911, not 1910.

• But most interesting of all is the statue supposedly erected downtown! Sounds like a good idea to me, but alas, no such thing exists. The only Lester Patrick statue I am aware of is the one that is part of the Lester Patrick Award. Recipients receive a smaller version that also has Lester’s figure. (In 1956, at a tribute night in Regina, Father Athol Murray announced plans to raise funds for a bronze bust of Lester. But I can find no sign that it came to fruition.)

Upon request, ChatGPT generated this image of a statue of Lester Patrick in Nelson, which, for the record, does not exist.

In December 2024, I again asked ChatGPT if Lester had lived in Nelson, curious if I would get the same response. Instead it came up with something terser and more accurate:

Yes, Lester Patrick, a notable figure in hockey history, lived in Nelson, British Columbia, during his early years. He was born in 1883 in Drummondville, Quebec, but moved with his family to Nelson when he was young. Nelson is often associated with his early development in the sport before he went on to have a significant career in ice hockey as a player, coach, and executive.

I then queried whether ChatGPT remembered its earlier hallucination: “If I had asked in February 2023 ‘Did Lester Patrick ever live in Nelson, BC,’ how would ChatGPT have answered?” However, the bot denied any knowledge.

It’s likely that the response would have been similar, as the information regarding Lester Patrick’s early life in Nelson, BC, has been well-documented. The answer would have confirmed that he lived in Nelson during his youth and highlighted his significance in the history of hockey. The core details about his life would not have changed significantly.

Yet when I asked “Is there a statue in Nelson, BC of Lester Patrick?” it replied:

Yes, there is a statue of Lester Patrick in Nelson, British Columbia. The statue pays tribute to his contributions to hockey and commemorates his early years in the region. It serves as a recognition of his impact on the sport and his legacy as a player, coach, and executive in hockey history. The statue is located in a park in Nelson, celebrating his connection to the community.

So I asked “Can you tell me exactly where the statue of Lester Patrick is in Nelson, BC?”

The statue of Lester Patrick is located in Rotary Lakeside Park in Nelson, BC. This park is situated along the waterfront of Kootenay Lake and is a popular spot for both locals and visitors. The statue honors Patrick’s contributions to the sport of hockey, and the park itself offers beautiful views and a great place to enjoy the outdoors.

Alas, there is no such statue in Rotary Lakeside Park, although there are some statues in the park. It was pointed out to me that ChatGPT’s confusion might have something to do with Crescent Valley Beach Park, the former site of the Patrick Lumber Co., which has some interpretive signage, although no statue.

Updated on Feb. 13, 2025 to add the part about the bronze bust announced in 1956.