September 8, 2021

Grand Falls-Windsor, NL- the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame will be welcoming eight new members to the Provincial Hall in Corner Brook, when Hockey NL holds their Annual Induction Ceremony at the Corner Brook Civic Centre on Saturday, November 13, 2021.

Hall of Fame Selection Committee outgoing Chair, Gerry Evans of Mount Pearl, announced that Players Sandy Gibbons, Colin Greening, Jason King, Dave Matte, Adam Pardy, and Builders

Randy Browne, Jim Hare, and the late Bob Molloy will be among the class of 2021.

 

SANDY GIBBONS

When Sandy Gibbons was five years old, he saw Memorial Stadium open for the first time across the street from his boyhood home. Little did he realize at the time how much that building would impact his life.

Sandy grew up playing minor hockey at Memorial Stadium, where he quickly became a prolific scorer; leading St. John’s teams to five provincial minor championships at the Pee-Wee, Bantam and Midget levels during a five-year period between the early to mid-1960s.

When he jumped to the ranks of senior hockey with the St. John’s Capitals, and later the St. John’s Blue Caps during the 1970s, the championships followed.

He led the Caps to three-straight Herder titles as Newfoundland Senior Hockey League champs from 1973 to 1975 and got his hands on the trophy once again in 1978 as part of the Blue Caps’ 4-3 series victory over the Gander Flyers.

The Herder titles for Sandy’s Capitals earned the squad the right to compete nationally for the Allan Cup Canadian championship. And, while St. John’s fell short in each of Sandy’s three years competing for the Allan Cup, he was among the squad’s top scorers during the run.

In 11 Allan Cup playoff games over three seasons, Sandy banged home nine goals and assisted on seven others. His 16 points ties him for 20^th overall in all-team Allan Cup scoring for a player from this province.

After playing partial seasons between 1976 and 1978 due to university commitments in Nova Scotia, Sandy returned to St. John’s for his final season of senior hockey in 1979-80.

By the time he hung up the blades, he had amassed a career total of 59 goals and 73 assists for 132 points in 109 regular season games, as well as 23 goals and 36 assists in the playoffs.

 

COLIN GREENING

When Colin Greening was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the seventh round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, the 204th overall pick never envisioned a long career in the National Hockey League.

But his speed and skill set kept him in ‘The Show’ for the better part of six seasons.

Before getting his break with Ottawa, Colin played four full seasons of NCAA collegiate hockey at Cornell University, where he captained the Big Red in his junior and season years.

During his college career, he never missed a game; suiting up in 137 contests for Cornell, scoring 55 goals and adding 63 assists. Along the way, he was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s second all-star team for three-consecutive years.

After graduation, Colin made his professional debut with Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton, New York. But, midway through his rookie pro season, he was called up to the NHL, and made his debut with the Senators in February of 2011 against the New Jersey Devils.

He played 24 games for Ottawa that season; scoring six times and assisting on seven goals.

By the next year, he was a permanent fixture in the Senators’ line-up; playing all 82 games that season, primarily on a line with Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza. During the NHL All-Star Weekend that year, Colin was one of a dozen rookies invited to take part. In the fastest skater skills competition, Colin posted the fastest time overall; topping the likes of Marian Hossa, Carl Hagelin, and Phil Kessel.

Colin spent parts of six seasons with the Ottawa Senators before he was part of a nine-player trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs that saw the Leafs ship their captain, Dion Phaneuf, to Ottawa.

Colin played one more year with the Maple Leafs before wrapping up his career with a three-year with the Toronto Marlies — the Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate — winning a Calder Cup as AHL champions in 2018.

It was his second AHL title, after helping the Binghamton Senators capture the Calder Cup during his first season as a pro.

In 303 games in the NHL, Colin notched 48 goals and 59 assists.

 

JASON KING

Jason King played his first game of minor hockey at the age of four, and he’s been a part of the sport at one level or another ever since.

Playing his entire minor hockey career in his hometown of Corner Brook, Jason joined the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the 1999-2000 season.

After he scored only three goals and tallied 10 points in 53 games during his rookie season in Halifax, few in the Mooseheads’ organization realized they had a budding superstar on their hands. But, during the 2000-2001 season, Jason caught fire – leading the team in scoring with 89 points in 72 games.

It was following that season the Vancouver Canucks made him their seventh-round pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

But, before turning pro, Jason had more to prove at the Major Junior level.

During his final year in ‘The Q’, he not only led the Mooseheads in scoring again with 99 points in just 66 games, but his 63 goals that season led the entire Quebec League.

Jason turned pro at the start of the 2002-03 season, splitting his time between the Vancouver Canucks, and their American Hockey League affiliate in Winnipeg – the Manitoba Moose.

He spent two seasons with Vancouver, often sharing a line with brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Jason scored 12 times in 47 games that season, and the success of the partnership with the Sedins led to the Vancouver media dubbing them ‘The Mattress Line’ – two twins and a King.

Jason spent the next three seasons with the Moose in Manitoba before a contract dispute with the Canucks prompted him to play in the Swedish Elite League during the 2006-07 season.

After Vancouver traded his rights to the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, Jason returned to North American pro hockey and split that season between the Ducks and their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates.

Jason returned to Europe in 2008; playing three seasons in the German Elite League before returning to his home province to wrap up his playing career, spending two seasons with the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League.

And, while he hung up the skates following the 2012-13 season, his professional hockey career was far from over.

At the start of the next season, Jason moved behind the bench as an assistant coach with the IceCaps for two seasons before joining the AHL’s Utica Comets in the same role where he remained for four years before getting the call back to the NHL – joining the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff in 2020; a position he continues to hold.

 

DAVE MATTE

Dave Matte was, arguably, one of the most popular hockey players to ever suit up for the Corner Brook Royals in the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League.

Matte — more commonly known in provincial hockey circles as ‘Okie’ — arrived in Corner Brook in the fall of 1985; just months after the Royals lost to the Thunder Bay Twins in Game 7 of the Allan Cup Canadian senior hockey championship.

Eager to get the job done the following season, Royals’ general manager Cliff Gorman brought in a slew of import players to bolster the roster for another Allan Cup run.

Matte, from Levack, Ontario, got the call to stand guard between the pipes for Corner Brook; a call that resulted in him finishing the 1985-86 season as the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League’s top goaltender, and league regular-season Most Valuable Player.

But the trophies didn’t stop there.

With Matte between the pipes, the Royals went on to capture the Herder Memorial Trophy as Newfoundland and Labrador champions; starting a march towards a Canadian senior hockey run that saw the squad capture the Bolton Cup as Eastern Canadian champs. That series win qualified the Royals to face off against the Nelson Maple Leafs in British Columbia, with the Royals sweeping the Canadian final in four games to secure Newfoundland and Labrador’s first Allan Cup championship.

To cap the series, Matte posted a 7-0 shutout victory; earning him the playoff Most Valuable Player award.

‘Okie’ remained in Corner Brook for the next three seasons; leading the Royals to another Herder title in 1988; dominating between the pipes as Corner Brook topped the St. John’s Capitals with an overtime win in Game 7 of the provincial final.

After leaving Corner Brook, Matte went on to capture two more Allan Cup titles; with the Charlottetown Islanders in 1991, and the Saint John Vitos in 1992 — a team that also included former Royals Allan Cup teammate and Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Famer Todd Stark.

Throughout his playing career in Newfoundland and Labrador, Matte was widely regarded as the best goaltender in the province. Royals’ teammate Robbie Forbes — the uncle of Pittsburgh Penguins’ superstar Sidney Crosby — described ‘Okie’ as “the best player at any position that I ever played with who didn’t play in the American Hockey League.”

Matte was honoured by the Royals in 2011 when the team officially retired his No. 30 jersey.

His induction into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame this year makes him the 14th member of the ’85-86 Corner Brook Royals Allan Cup squad to be enshrined in the provincial Hall.

 

ADAM PARDY

By his own admission, “hard work and a few lucky breaks” took Adam Pardy from a minor hockey rink in his hometown of Bonavista, all the way to the National Hockey League.

After a successful minor hockey career in this province, Adam caught the eye of the Antigonish Bulldogs of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. While playing with that club, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League acquired his rights, but a dispute between Cape Breton and Antigonish over his release resulted in Adam not being able to join the Screaming Eagles until he was 19 years old – typically a year or two older than most players entering ‘the Q’.

But he made the most of his first year of Major Junior; suiting up in 68 games as a defenceman for Cape Breton – racking up 16 points and 137 penalty minutes; enough to convince the Calgary Flames to make him their sixth-round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

At the time, he was 20 years old; two years older than most players in the draft, as he had been passed over in the prior two NHL Entry Drafts.

He spent one more season with Cape Breton before turning pro in 2005; joining the Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate in Omaha. It would be the first of what turned into a 14-year career in pro hockey.

Adam cracked the Flames’ roster in the 2008-09 season; scoring once and collecting nine assists while amassing 69 penalty minutes in his rookie year.

After three seasons in Calgary, he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars and spent one year with that club before being shipped to Buffalo. After one season with the Sabres, he was a free agent once again, and ended up with the Winnipeg Jets, where he remained for three years before short stints with the Edmonton Oilers and the Nashville Predators over each of the next two seasons.

His career as a pro came to an end where it all began, at home in Newfoundland and Labrador, where he led the Newfoundland Growlers to the Kelly Cup as East Coast Hockey League champions in 2019.

During his career, Adam played a total of 342 games in the NHL; scoring four goals and adding 48 assists while racking up 269 minutes in penalties.

 

RANDY BROWNE

Randy Browne was a goaltender for his hometown St. John’s Caps, but it was his work off the ice that has him among the list of Hockey Hall of Fame inductees.

When his playing career was curtailed by a career-ending knee injury in 1975, rather than step away from the game, Randy stepped behind the bench; taking over as head coach of the St. John’s Jr. Shamrocks organization in 1976.

During his 11 years leading the Jr. Shamrocks, Randy led the team to four St. John’s Junior Hockey League championships, including three in his first four years as coach. Over a two-season stretch between 1982 and 1985, when the Jr. Shamrocks won back-to-back league titles, the club posted a stellar record of 58 wins, compared to just 10 losses and four ties.

Randy’s efforts were not overlooked by the league, as he was twice named Coach of the Year.

Randy became head coach of the Bay Arena Jr. Rovers in Bay Roberts during the 1988-89 season; around the same time he was hired as the technical director for the Bay Arena Minor Hockey Association. Over the 12 seasons he oversaw that organization, he helped advance Bay Arena Minor from Division C to Division A.

In fact, in just his season year in Bay Roberts, Bay Arena Minor teams picked up a total of eight medals at provincial Easter tournaments; a feat the organization repeated again three years later.

Before retiring from hockey in 2007 after 30 years of coaching, Randy also served as Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador’s Technical Director, was a certified Level IV coach who oversaw clinics all throughout the province and was an associate coach with the Conception Bay North CeeBees when that organization won its first Herder Memorial Trophy as provincial senior hockey champions for the first time in 40 years during the 2005-06 season.

 

JIM HARE

Jim Hare has spent a lifetime laying down the law; in his professional career as an RCMP officer, and on the ice as one of the best officials to ever carry a whistle in this province.

A native of North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Jim first arrived in this province in 1971, when the RCMP transferred him to a detachment in Placentia.

And, while he did involve himself in local hockey in the following two years he spent in Placentia and Harbour Grace, it wasn’t until he was transferred to Corner Brook that his career as a referee took off.

During his five-year post in Corner Brook, he officiated at the minor, junior and senior levels, and spent three years as referee-in-chief for the Corner Brook Minor Hockey Association.

Over the same period, he worked Herder Trophy playoff games, Eastern Canadian Allan Cup semi-final playoffs, and an exhibition Midget-Division game between clubs from Corner Brook and Sweden.

After a work transfer took him to Ottawa for five years in 1980, Jim returned this province in 1985 and spent the next decade in Bay Roberts and Trepassey. During that period, he continued to officiate, and added ‘Instructor’ to his list of credits when he received certification from the Canadian Hockey Officiating Program.

In 1994, work commitments saw Jim on the move again; this time to St. John’s but, despite the change in location, he remained active in hockey circles all over the province.

Among his list of accolades over the last 27 years since his move to the St. John’s Metro region, Jim has been the Avalon Zone Coordinator for Hockey NL officials; the Supervisor of Officials for the Atlantic Pee-Wee championship, the 1999 Canada Winter Games, the Esso National Female Championship in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the Atlantic AAA Midget Championship, and the World Under-17 Championship.

Jim is a certified Level V referee and served six years as Hockey NL’s Referee-in-Chief. For the past 18 years, he’s also been an off-ice official in the professional ranks for the American Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and most, recently, the East Coast Hockey League.

When he’s not wearing the stripes, Jim has also served in executive positions with the St. John’s Junior Hockey League, and the Metro Referees Association; has served as head coach of the Mount Pearl Junior Blades; and was a two-time Coach of the Year in the Deer Lake Intermediate Hockey League.

In 2007, Jim was honoured with the Ray Bowe Award for outstanding contribution to the Hockey NL Officiating Program.

 

BOB MOLLOY

Bob Molloy’s induction in the Builders Category couldn’t be more appropriate, as he literally helped build the ‘House of Hockey’ in his hometown of Grand Falls-Windsor.

His involvement with hockey began in 1969 when he joined the Grand Falls Stadium Committee. One year later, he took over the role as the organization’s treasurer, and remained in that post for three years.

In 1974, the stadium committee became the Grand Falls Cataracts Hockey Club, with Bob serving as that organization’s general manager; a job he held onto for the next 12 years until the Cataracts folded.

During that time, Bob helped build a championship-calibre senior hockey team, as the Cataracts captured back-to-back Herder Trophies as provincial champions between 1980 and 1982. The titles came exactly a decade after Grand Falls won two-straight Newfoundland Senior Hockey League championships, when Molloy was still the club’s treasurer.

As General Manager, Bob’s duties went beyond assembling the right mix of players to form a championship-winning squad. He was also tasked with raising money to keep the organization going.

During his career, Bob spearheaded fund-raising efforts that brought approximately one million dollars into the Cataracts’ coffers.

Bob often made personal sacrifices to keep senior hockey alive in Grand Falls; going so far as to use his car and personal insurance policies as collateral to obtain loans from the bank in order for the Cataracts to have enough cash to start the season.

Bob even once asked his mother for a $20,000 loan prior to help pay the Cataracts’ bills. Like any good mother, Mrs. Molloy gave her son the cash – and he promptly paid her back in full at the end of the season.

Bob also had a keen eye for talent; signing a solid list of players that included Tony White, Don Howse, and Terry Ryan Sr; all of whom eventually went on to play in either the National Hockey League or World Hockey Association, and who Bob now joins as inductees in the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame.

 

The Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize, honor and pay tribute to all individuals on the basis of playing ability, sportsmanship, and character and who have achieved extraordinary distinction in hockey whether that distinction be achieved in amateur and/or professional hockey.

The Hall of Fame has been located on the upper level of the Corner Brook Civic Centre since 2000 and is home to 197 inductees.

 

MEMBERS 

Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame are: 

1994

Player — Frank “Andy” Cahill, Alex Faulkner, George Faulkner, Doug Grant

Athlete/Builder — Jack Reardigan, Terry Trainor

Builder — Msgr. George Bartlett, Robert S. Furlong, Don Johnson, Brian Wakelin

1995

Player — Jack Faulkner, Jim “Bucky” Hannaford, Joe Lundrigan, John Murphy, Bill Scott

Athlete/Builder — Joe Byrne, Roger Howse, Hugh Wadden

Builder — Walter Clarke, Carl Hansen, Harold Hillier, Vince Rossiter, T.A. “Gus” Soper

1996

Player — Frank “Danky” Dorrington, Al Dwyer Jr., Frank Finlayson, Robert Petrie, Frank Walker

Athlete/Builder — Herbert Augustus “Gus” Herder

Builder — Claude Anstey, Cliff Gorman

1997

Player — Stan Breen, Cal Dunville, Hugh Fardy

Builder — Eric Dawe, Ron Taaffe

1998

Player — Watson John “Wats” Goobie, Wilson “Copper” Leyte, Harry “Moose” Watson

Builder — George “Daddy” Dawe, Sam Rose

1999

Player — Charlie Cahill, Mike Kelly, Bill Martin, Leo Murphy

Athlete/Builder — Walt Davis

Builder — Arthur Johnson

Media — Bob Cole

2000

Player — George Connors, Jimmy Dawe, Zane Forbes, Merv Green, Don Howse, Jim Kennedy, Ed Philpott, Terry Ryan Sr., Harold Stanley

Athlete/Builder — Bob Badcock

Builder — Neil Amadio, Peter Duffy, Ambrose O’Reilly, William Parrott

Media — John M. Tobin

2001

Player — Terry Gilliam, Rob Gladney, Jim Temple

Athlete/Builder — Rick Babstock

Builder — Mel Andrews, Charlie McCarthy

Media — John Mayo

2002

Player — Randy Pearcey, Jim Penney, Tony White

Athlete/Builder — Ray Bowe

Builder — Ron Healey

Female — Colleen Tapper

Media — George MacLaren

2003

Player — Ian Campbell, Brian Gibbons, Ernie Hynes, Dick Power

Athlete/Builder — Joe Maynard, Gerry Taylor

Builder — Don Walsh

Female — Glennis (Thorne) Thomey

Media — Joe Mullins

2004

Player — Ted Gillies, Jimmy Guy, Hubert Hutton, Gerry Lahey, Cyril Power

Athlete/Builder — Stan Cook

Builder — Claude Browne, Howie Meeker, Wayne Mercer, Mike Squires

2005

Player — Bill Breen, Roger Dean, Bern Fitzpatrick, Alfie Hiscock, Andy Sullivan

Athlete/Builder — Wes “Bucko” Trainor

Builder — Frank Moores

Female — Debby Power

2006

Player — Nigel Facey, Roger Kennedy, Doug Squires

Builder — Francis Wiseman

Media — Don Gibbon

2007

Player — Mike Anderson, Alex Blanchard, Leo Kane, Harry Katrynuk

Builder — Len Butt, Gerry Kelly

Media — Bill Callahan

2008

Player — Eg Billard, Jake Critch, Clar Goulding

Athlete/Builder — Ed O’Brien

Builder — Wayne Russell

2009

Player — Al Bargery, Ford Metcalfe, Ed Oates

Media — John Murphy

2010

Player — Jim Grant, Art Hamlyn, Ed Lawrence

Media — Bruce MacDonald

2011

Player — Kirk Johnson, Ed O’Quinn

Builder — David Brazil, George Fardy

Media — Dee Murphy

2012

Player — Bert Brake

Athlete/Builder — Jim Hornell Sr.

Builder — Jim Hayward, Danny Williams

2013

Player — Ron Cadigan, Len Coughlan, Wayne Faulkner, Todd Stark

Athlete/Builder — Art Barry

Builder — Michael Dinn

2014

Player — Clobie Collins, J.C. Garneau, John Slaney

Builder — Marv Ryder, Glenn Stanford, Leo Rose

2015

Player — Darren Colbourne, Darren Langdon, Dwayne Norris

Builder — Jim Hornell Jr., Rosemary Marshall, Ken Williams

2016

Player — Charlie Babstock, Juan Strickland

Builder — Wally Dalley

Media — Brian Rogers

2017

Player — Glenn Critch, Michael Ryder, Ed Kearsey

Athlete/Builder — Darryl Williams, Derek Clancey

Builder — Kevin “Fox” Fagan

2018

Player — Ryane Clowe, Dan Cormier, Jim Heale, Kevin Morrison, Cec Thomas

Athlete/Builder — Bob Jackman

Builder — Bonnie Evans

2019

Player — Sheldon Currie, Pat Dempsey, Harold Druken, Bob O’Neill

Builder — Dec LaCour

2020

Player — Daniel Cleary, Tony Cuomo, Charlie Greene, Jack Hill, Teddy Purcell, Mac Tucker

Athlete/Builder – Chris Peach, Mark Robinson

Builder – Don Kelly

Media – Brendan McCarthy

2021

Player — Sandy Gibbons, Colin Greening, Jason King, Dave Matte, Adam Pardy

Builder – Randy Browne, Jim Hare, Bob Molloy

 

For more information please contact:

 

Craig Tulk

Executive Director,

Hockey NL

[email protected]

709-489-5512