Late 1950s saw substantial growth in local hockey
After the completion of Humber Gardens in 1955, hockey in Corner Brook underwent a period of substantial growth. The second half of the decade were formative years for the sport.
The local Senior League finally became a somewhat stable setup backed by the Corner Brook Hockey Association and the town's regional sports clubs. An excellent Minor hockey program produced two provincial championship PeeWee teams. And the newly formed Commercial League opened the sport up to players who otherwise might not have had a chance to play.
The Pats and Royals difficulties continued unabated however; the latter being consistently defeated by import driven powerhouse teams like the Grand Falls Andcos.
It was not until the early 1960s, when Corner Brook's hockey promoters, following the precedent set by the inland teams of the previous decade, began to bring in semi-professional "player-coaches" from the mainland with the expressed purpose of winning the Herder Memorial Trophy that the fortunes of the town's Senior all-stars reversed. In fact, the 1960s could be called the Royals' decade.
Backed by the high scoring exploits of perennial fan favorite Frank (Danky) Dorrington, and a solid local contingent, the Royals captured four All-Newfoundland titles. Moreover, on a provincial level the sport expanded on all fronts.
The number of island wide minor hockey tournaments increased as well as High School and Intermediate contests. Corner Brook participated regularly. Nevertheless, there were some clear indications that all was not well with hockey in Newfoundland's "second city".
Though successful on the ice, the Royals were often in trouble financially. Having to provide imports with a salary and pay local players while on the road contributed to a lingering and substantial debt.
Likewise the pervasive "Herder fever" throughout the town (the focus on winning the Senior trophy) shifted attention away from the local Senior, Junior and Minor hockey squads, the very groups required to provide future players for the Royals, and resulted in the veritable collapse of local Senior and Junior play. Yet, though the sport was faced with challenges it generally remained as popular as ever.
For most of the 1960-61 season attendance for local Senior League games remained at the 150 level; a far cry from the early years at "the Rink" and Humber Gardens, but still somewhat respectable - Senior play in Grand Falls had to be disbanded because of lack of fan support.
The Town Aces, Humber Hawks, West Side Monarchs and Curling Rangers returned once more with the Hawks taking the regular season honours and the Monarchs downing the Rangers in four games for the league playoff championship. The Western Star's sports editorial columnist called the season, "the best hockey that Humber Gardens has ever seen."
Barring some complaints that Seniors were playing for Commercial teams that league functioned smoothly as well. The Avalon Telcos were dual champions, winning both the regular season and playoff titles.
They also defeated the St. John's Avalon Commercial team in a two game, total goals inter-town exhibition series.
High School hockey remained a fan favorite and the boys from Regina wrested the City Motors Trophy from Amalgamated Regional High School for the first time in several years. Minor hockey week, featuring competition among some 36 teams at various age levels, and the annual Championship Night continued to draw scores of spectators.
In a pre-tournament exhibition match between the two-time Newfoundland champion PeeWee all-stars and Rimouski in Quebec, Corner Brook won again, but in official competition against squads from Quebec, Ontario, and Rhode Island, the island lads failed to advance to the finals.
That same week Corner Brook played two more exhibitions; defeating Hershey, Pennsylvania, and losing to Ste. Foy, Quebec. All players were treated with great hospitality and were guests at a banquet in Rimouski.
In the provincial tournament, the same Corner Brook entry was eliminated before the final round, and the Bantam all-stars, in the first ever island wide playoff in that division, suffered a similar fate. The Junior Pats, finally reaping the rewards of a well-structured minor system, advanced to the All-Newfoundland finals for the first time after downing the Gander Junior Flyers and the Grand Falls Jays, but they were stopped by the Junior Capitals in the trophy round.
The 60-61 season was the first in which the C.B.H.A. consciously enlisted imports to increase the Royals competitiveness.
During the early years of Humber Gardens player-coaches like Joe Iannarelli were required to not only play with the Royals but also to guide Junior and Minor League players. Playing provincial Senior hockey was more or less a secondary consideration. This focus shifted early in the 60s. A winning Royals' team became the number one priority.
At this juncture a brief explanation of the import phenomenon in Newfoundland hockey in broader terms is appropriate for a better understanding of the later financial and organizational difficulties experienced by Corner Brook hockey. The Buchans Miners, supported by the American Steel and Refining Company, were the first to enlist imports in the quest for the Herder.
After losing to St. John's in the 1948 finals, and losing face in their rivalry with fellow inlanders Grand Falls after the Andcos had acquired their modern stadium, the Miners administration secured a transfer of several players from another company mine located at Kirkland Lake, Ont., recognized as an excellent hockey breeding ground. Once the N.A.H.A. allowed these players to play, the Miners were virtually unbeatable, winning several Herders in a row.
By the mid 1950s, the Andcos were doing the same thing and they too won a number of championships.
Initially, the whole idea of imported talent was anathema to Corner Brook hockey organizers. They argued that the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association should remain true to its name and not allow semi-professionals. In fact, the Royals sat out the 1953 season in protest of this situation. However, the constant humiliating defeats, and indecisiveness on the part of the N.A.H.A. executive, became too much for the Corner Brook hockey community and importing players began in the early 1960s.
As Gregory White says, "As soon as one team gained an advantage, others had to scramble to attain parity, or throw the balance in their own favour." Hockey promoters in Corner Brook were certainly searching for a way to challenge for the Herder at this time.
Veteran import Orin Carver was permitted to play with and coach the Royals after failing to meet the residency requirements the year before.
Heroes of the Past |
The following is a list of players who performed for Corner Brook in provincial senior hockey competition since play for the Herder Memorial Trophy began in 1935. 1958-59 Royals: (Defeated in Western Final by Grand Falls) Joe Iannarelli (Playing-Coach), Bernard McDonald, Donald Morrison, James MacLean, Rich Cormier, Guy Thistle, Austin Taylor, Peter Miller, Donald Marshall, Ed Lawrence, Bob McGinn, Fred Doucette 1959-60 Royals: (Eliminated from Western Round Robin by Grand Falls) Orin Carver (Coach), Bert Brake, George Boljkovac, Bern Basha, Ed Lawrence, Albert McDonald, Donald O'Connell, Bernard Pollett, Edward Roche, James Ryan, Ronald Smith, Leslie Tulk, Godfrey Wedgewood, John Sweetland, Bud Allen, George Aucoin, John Barriault, Ronald Batten, Frank Colbourne, Bob Colbourne, Jake Critch, Gerald Dwyer, Joe Hall, Dave Brake, Charlie Harris, Ed Kays, Kevin Pardy, Patrick Power, Clayton Reid, Francis Walsh 1960-61 Royals: (Eliminated from Western Round Robin by Gander) Orin Carver (Playing-Coach), Edgar Hillman, George Aucoin, Bernard Pollett, Don O'Connell, Ed Kays, Bob Colbourne, Ed O'Quinn, Jake Critch, Pat Power, Ed Lawrence, Al McDonald, Francis Walsh, Mike Brothers, Gerald Dwyer, Michael Walsh, George Boljkovac, John Madinsky, Bert Brake, Jack Barriault, Frank Colbourne, Les Tulk, Dave Brake, Clayton Reid, Alex Park, Kevin Pardy, Derrick Hefford. |
The C.B.H.A. also acquired the services of Cape Breton league players Edgar Hillman and goaltender John Madinsky. In exhibition play, the Royals put up a good showing.
They split a series with the defending Herder champion Conception Bay CeeBees, and tied the first and won the second against Madinsky's former team, the Sydney Millionaires. In Buchans however, Corner Brook dropped a pair to the always tenacious Miners.
Again, the All-Newfoundland playoffs were organized in a round robin format. Throughout the 12-game schedule the Royals were either first or second in the Western Division standings.
The relatively new Gander Flyers proved to be the other top team, with their referees and fans becoming the Royals' greatest headache. One excerpt from a Western Star article detailing the abuses of Gander referees and spectators shows just how rowdy the capacity crowds in Newfoundland could be.
There are many substantial incidents of a pretty rugged session: A fan jumps on the ice and jumps a Corner Brook player; fans grab Corner Brook players, spit in their faces and subject them to other indignities; Corner Brook fans are insulted and threatened...You had an instance where a Corner Brook player was held and the Gander player had full licence to punch him in the face, which immediately brought an angry Madinsky to the rescue.
The Royals battled through these difficulties and were tied for first in the West with Gander at the end of the schedule.
A one game playoff was required to decide the "best in the West" but, unfortunately for the Royals and the people of Corner Brook, the Flyers emerged triumphant. Nevertheless, the season was an overall success even though no city teams won a title. Local hockey was on a firm footing, all teams provided good showings against out of town squads, and the Royals had not been so high in the standings for almost a decade.
Attendance at local Senior contests during the 1961-62 season dipped slightly to approximately 125 fans per game.
The lower turnouts, and the two month gap between the regular schedule and the playoffs (to accommodate All-Newfoundland play) did not dampen the spirits of the four teams however.
The Humber Hawks were number one in both the regular season and the playoffs. In the Commercial League, the Avalon Telcos were knocked out of the top spot in the regular season by the Deer Lake Red Wings, but the Telcos rallied to win again in the playoff finals. Regina also repeated at the High School level.
A Junior League, comprised of young men between the ages of 16 and 20, was organized in the city for the first time as well.
The four teams were named after Senior squads. The Curling Junior Rangers had the most points after the short round robin and took the Murphy's Transport Trophy in the playoffs.
The Minor hockey divisions were altered in the hopes of providing a more balanced league. The former territorial arrangement in each section, which often led to an imbalance when one part of Corner Brook had an excess of good players, was scraped in favour of putting all the players into a pool with each team getting a pick.
Secondly, line changes were set at every three minutes so that all children, regardless of skill, would get a chance to play.
Corner Brook's position in province wide minor hockey remained relatively static.
The PeeWee all-stars made it to the sudden death final but lost to a team from St. John's, and the Bantam boys did not make it to the deciding game. Amalgamated played a four game home and home series against Grand Falls Academy and dropped every game to the inlanders. In inter-town exhibition matches, the Pats split two with the Junior Capitals, but they were subsequently eliminated from the All-Newfoundland Junior playoffs in two straight games by the Jays.
The history of hockey in Corner Brook, researched by Neil White for the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame covering the period from
the 1920s up to 1990.
The series of articles was first published in The Western Star from December
2000 to May, 2001.
To buy a reprint of this page as it appeared in The Western Star email [email protected]