History of Hockey (Part 20 of a series)

Ninth Herder title for the Royals in 87-88 season

After the Corner Brook Royals won the Allan Cup in 1985-86, the practice of importing declined steadily for the next few seasons as did the N.S.H.L. The greatest hockey prize that a Newfoundland Senior hockey team could win had been captured for the first time and the island's various team organizations realized that the high costs incurred in the quest to be the best in Canada were no longer meaningful.

Paying for talent did continue in the Senior League, resulting in a ninth Herder Memorial Trophy for Corner Brook in 1987-88, but by 1990 importing had become a thing of the past. A generally depressed attitude toward the sport combined with lack of player interest and fan support contributed to the demise of the Royals, the C.B.H.A., and the old Newfoundland Senior Hockey League in the new decade. In the 1990s, competition for the trophy became the privilege of smaller centres such as Badger, Flatrock, and LaScie. Also, the near total emphasis that had been placed on the Royals throughout the 1980s led, in part, to the stagnation of other hockey leagues in the city. High school hockey had been eliminated, Junior and Juvenile leagues struggled from year to year, and Minor hockey had been in decline, in terms of registration, for years as well. In 1990, the future of hockey in Corner Brook was anything but certain.



However, apart from the lack of provincial Senior play, hockey continued. In fact, the sport expanded into new areas as the millennium approached. West Coast Senior and Junior leagues were formed and a Newfoundland AAA Midget League was put together. Minor hockey continued and the Royals managed to return to Senior competition for a couple of seasons in the latter part of the decade even though they never competed for the Herder again. The biggest boost to the sport, and to the city, came with the selection of Corner Brook as the host of the 1999 Canada Winter Games, another sporting first for Newfoundland. Not only were the games good for tourism and the local economy, but they also facilitated the construction of a brand new, two-ice surface civic centre to replace the aging Humber Gardens. As with the former stadium in the mid-50s, thousands of Corner Brook and area residents pulled together to help finance the construction of the civic centre, and volunteer their time to ensure that the top amateur sporting event in the nation went over smoothly. Difficulties were indeed kept to a minimum and after the games were over local hockey players returned to the new "pond" to complete their season.

Finally, 1999 marked a milestone which went unmentioned in the city's various media. It was the 75th anniversary of hockey in Corner Brook.
Winning the Allan Cup strained the C.B.H.A.'s finances once again. At the start of the 1986-87 season, the organization was more than $100,000 in debt. This was similar to the situation which had forced the Royals to withdraw for two years earlier in the decade, but Cliff Gorman and company were determined not to let that happen again. Various fundraisers took place, such as the sale of the commemorative Champs booklet, and by April Gorman announced that the debt had been diminished substantially. The restructuring of the Royals was another method of saving money. Dave Matte, Dan Cormier, Rob Forbes, Daryl Ulrich, and Gilbert Longpre were the only regulars to have their contracts renewed and in the first half of the season the only new import was Sam Haydie from the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Mike Anderson returned to coach the team. For his efforts in the 85-86 season, Anderson was named Coach of the Year in Newfoundland and Labrador and the Royals won the Team of the Year award for the second term in a row.

The Royals, Jets, Capitals, and Mount Pearl Blades made up the N.S.H.L. in 86-87 and at the end of the first half of the campaign Corner Brook was in the familiar second slot behind Stephenville. In the second half various injuries and lacklustre spirit kept the Royals playing on their heels and at the end of the regular season they had dropped back to third position in the standings. The Jets were their opponents in the semi-finals and although the Royals won two of the first three contests they could not hold back their old rivals any longer and dropped the series in six games. It was the first time the team had not at least made the finals since the early 80s.

Locally, only the Junior and Minor Leagues saw action. The Warriors, Monarchs, and North Shore All-Stars were the three squads in the Junior League and by early February the regular season had to be discontinued because the All-Stars pulled out due to lack of player interest, the perpetual thorn in the side of hockey organizers in the city. A best four of seven final was set up between the Monarchs and Warriors with the latter winning the championship four games to one even though the West Side crew had Forbes and Matte as co-coaches. Minor hockey enrolment continued to decline as well. Only 300 children signed up in 86-87, a far cry from the 500-600 that had skated regularly during the 1970s. The main factor in the decline was the high cost of registration coupled with the expense of equipment. Also, there were other winter activities such as skiing which young people could take part in, and finally there were most likely not as many kids in the city as their had been in previous decades. Lowered numbers did not affect the city's participation in the season ending provincial "A" championship tournaments however. Unfortunately, none of Corner Brook's Minor division all-star teams won a title. The closest were the PeeWees who finished second in their tournament.

The Junior League did not get off the ground in 1987-88 until late January. The West Side Monarchs and S.W.G.C. Warriors returned to play and Midget All-Stars were the third team. Once again, the Warriors took the regular season and playoff honours and they also won the Coca Cola Provincial "B" Juvenile Hockey Tournament. Minor hockey registration was up slightly, but in the "A" tourneys only the Bantams were competitive, finishing in second place overall.

Within Corner Brook there was a movement afoot to bring the Canada Winter Games to the area. The idea had been in peoples minds for several years and it was hoped that the city would get the Games in 1995. To compliment the event and better facilitate local hockey and figure skating there were also plans to build a new stadium. Since the mid-80s, residents had been arguing for a building to replace the more than 30-year-old Humber Gardens. By 1987 planning for the new civic centre had begun under the chairmanship of Wayne Trask though it was still in its infancy.

The Royals were certainly not hampered by the lack of a modern hockey venue. After being dumped prematurely out of the playoffs by the Jets in the previous season the team returned with a vengeance stifling critics and rivals alike. In the pre-season Mike Anderson stepped down as coach and Gus Greco returned to the team in a player-coaching capacity. Other familiar faces included Cormier, Matte, Stark, Zeitlin, and Forbes. Currie, Ulrich and Longpre did not make the lineup. They made way for several new faces; Craig Jenkins, Richard McKinnon, Chip Crandell, and Mark Tournier. As always, local talent provided the team's backbone. Players like Ed Kearsey, Kevin McCarthy, and Kev Lundrigan were just three of the home town boys who had been with the team for years.

The N.S.H.L. was made up of six teams in 87-88; the Port Aux Basques Mariners, Stephenville Jets, St. John's Capitals, Mount Pearl Blades, Corner Brook Royals, and the completely local Gander Internationals. A 48 game schedule was drawn up and although the teams complained that it was not the best possible schedule the season featured excellent competition on the whole.