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May 7, 2015
Media Release
For immediate release

HOCKEY NL INDUCTS NEW MEMBERS IN THE PROVINCIAL HOCKEY HALL OF FAME

Grand Falls-Windsor, NL- Six new members have been elected to the Newfoundland Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame. Selection Committee Chairman Gerry Evans of Mount Pearl announced the six and said they will be officially inducted during an awards ceremony being held in conjunction with hockey’s annual general meeting at the Albatross Hotel in Gander on Saturday, June 13, 2015.

The six include player Darren Colbourne of Corner Brook, player Darren Langdon of Deer Lake, player Dwayne Norris of St. John’s, builder Jim Hornell of Buchan’s, builder Rosemary Marshall of St. John’s and builder Ken Williams of Bay Bulls.

Evans said “all six are exceptional hockey people. Their achievements and contributions are extremely impressive and their election will certainly add to the prestige of the Hall”.

“We would also like to express our thanks to those responsible for the nominations and in doing so ask all those who have information on other hockey people who deserve to be considered for the Hall of Fame to forward this information to the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey office in Grand Falls-Windsor for their consideration”, said Evans.

Besides Chairman Evans, the Selection Committee members include Hugh Wadden of Buchan’s, Don Bradshaw of Corner Brook, Robin Short and Jack Lee of St. John’s.

Biographies for each inductee:

DARREN COLBOURNE
After a top minor hockey career in his native Corner Brook, Darren Colbourne put together an award-filled career that lasted nearly thirty years and included some exceptionally remarkable achievements. From college to professional hockey, he stood out and earned glowing recognition.

He spent five years in the Ontario Hockey League playing junior hockey with Oshawa and Cornwall. Always the top scorer, he scored nearly 150 goals in the junior league and added almost 130 assists as he compiled noticeable totals that resulted in the Detroit Red Wings drafting him in 1988. He played two games with the national team and spent one year at Acadia University prior to moving to pro hockey in 1991.

Though he did not make it to the National Hockey League, Darren Colbourne still went on to have an outstanding career. The successes that he experienced in Canadian Major Junior, Canadian Inter-Collegiate, the East Coast Hockey League, and the West Coast Senior Hockey League and Herder play speak for themselves.

His East Coast Hockey League career started in the 1991-92 season when he scored 69 goals, added 50 assists, for 119 points in 64 games. He was named Rookie of the Year and was named to the league’s first all-star team. He added another all-star team selection and he is one of only three players in East Coast Hockey League history to have three 50 plus goal seasons. During his seven season career in the East Coast Hockey League he scored 323 goals in 420 games. He was inducted into the East Coast Hockey League Hall of Fame this year.

While at Acadia University he twice earned selection as an AUAA first team all-star and a CIAU all-star.
He returned to provincial hockey in 2000 and played until 2009, during which time he won five regular season scoring titles and had four regular season MVP awards in the West Coast Senior Hockey League in addition to two provincial MVP’s and one provincial scoring title. Playing for Corner Brook, he played a major role in four league championship achievements and the 2002 Herder Memorial Championship. In 2011 he joined the Clarenville Caribous as a coach and was a major factor in their winning the national Allan Cup title.

His contributions to Corner Brook hockey were recognized in 2015 when his number 25 was retired by the Corner Brook Royals.

DARREN LANGDON
Darren Langdon had a tremendous hockey career with 10 seasons in the NHL. He started with fine performances in local minor and Atlantic junior hockey and concluded his playing career by giving back plenty to hockey in his hometown.

After impressive performances in the East Coast Hockey League, he was invited to the New York Ranger’s training camp and moved up to the New York club February 18, 1995 and his top league hockey lasted until 2006 when he retired from the NHL. At the time of his retirement he had appeared in 521 NHL games which was the most by any Newfoundlander. His NHL totals were 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points and 1251 penalties in minutes with more than half coming in fighting majors. He had 25 Stanley Cup playoff games. Besides the Rangers he played with the Montreal Canadians, the New Jersey Devils, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vancouver Canucks.

It is interesting to note that Langdon was twice selected in 1996 and 1997 as winner of the Players’ Player Award, an award as voted on by the Rangers themselves.

It was in 1992 that he joined the ECHL’s Dayton Bombers, who also included Darren Colbourne of Corner Brook. When he played with Montreal, Michael Ryder of Bonavista was a teammate. A left-winger, he enjoyed scoring success in Prince Edward Island with 83 points and 441 penalties in minutes playing with Summerside. With the ECHL, in one season he had 45 points on 23 goals and 22 assists in 54 games and a team record of 429 penalties in minutes. Overall, he was an impressive ECHL performer prior to moving up to the NHL.

During his NHL career he earned a reputation as an “honest player”, one who would become involved 130 times in fights against the league’s most noted tough guys, including Bob Probert, Shane Churla, Donald Brasheer, Rob Ray, Wade Belak, Georges Larocque, Krzysztof Aliwa, Sandy McCarthy, Tie Domi, Marty McSorley, Todd Ewen, Tony Twist and Reid Simpson.

While he didn’t score much, he was extremely effective defensively and rarely took a “bad” penalty.
Langdon always displayed an effective interest in Newfoundland senior hockey. During the 2004-05 NHL lock-out he played for the Deer Lake Red Wings in the West Coast Senior Hockey League and helped the club to a Herder Memorial Trophy and a provincial championship. He continued this interest at the end of his NHL career playing and coaching for Deer Lake and Corner Brook in provincial senior hockey, and is currently continuing to share his coaching experiences.

DWAYNE NORRIS
Dwayne Norris of St. John’s is the only Newfoundlander to win a hockey Olympic medal, a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He was also the first Newfoundlander to win a World Junior Hockey championship. The medals were the highlights of the outstanding hockey career that Norris fashioned.

At the Olympics and at the Junior World Championship he was fourth in Canadian team scoring. At the Olympics he had two goals and two assists in eight games and at the 1990 Junior Championship he had two goals and four assists in seven games.

Drafted by the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques, he played 20 NHL games with Quebec and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He had an 86 point total in the American Hockey League in 1995-96 and then moved to Europe for 11 seasons in the German Elite League with the Cologne Sharks and Frankfurt Lions. In fact in 2006-07 he was the Lions playing general manager and he remained with the club until 2010.
Norris’ minor hockey career was in the Avalon system. At 15 he scored 8 goals in four games and was the Most Valuable Player at the Atlantic Bantam Championships. That was followed by a move to Athol Murray College in Saskatchewan, a renowned hockey institution.

Following his days at Athol Murray College, he attended Michigan State University on a full athletic college scholarship. He enjoyed All-American status at Michigan State and helped the Spartans to a pair of conference championships and two “Frozen Four” U.S. national final appearances.

While at Michigan State his teams compiled a 115-44-17 record as he played in two Frozen Four National Championships. Norris had 105 goals and 113 assists for 218 points. He had 44 goals and 83 points, won the CCHA Player of the Year Award, and was selected to the All-CCHA first all-star team and was also a first-team All-American pick. He scored 105 goals and 113 assists for 218 Michigan points. He ranked seventh in goals and points.

Norris established himself as an extremely competent player and hockey executive during his time in Germany and remains a much respected hockey personality by European hockey people. His decision to play the vast majority of his senior hockey in Germany is regarded as an excellent move by the winger.

JIM HORNELL JR.
Jim Hornell Jr. has a lifetime of very impressive contributions to hockey from the local to the international level, and especially for Canada. The Buchan’s native was introduced to ice hockey in his hometown and thanks to a devotion to the sport, which his father Jim Hornell Senior played extremely well, moved confidently through the ranks until in 2013 he was elected Chairman of the Board for Hockey Canada. His election certainly demonstrates the respect that he generated throughout his hockey life.

His overall contribution in the building aspect of hockey within Canada is almost unbelievable as he played major roles in all areas of the sport, especially coaching.

At the international level he has represented Canada at many, many extremely important meetings and conferences including the Socci Winter Olympics where Canada won men’s and women’s hockey gold medals, and he is responsible for the launching of Hockey Canada’s 100th Anniversary Celebrations and the Cross Canada Century Tour.

He played a major role in the implementation of the new governance structures required for sports federations by Canadian federal legislation respecting the not-for-profit sectors. In this role his detailed expertise was extremely important.

Three years as Chairman of Hockey Canada’s Hockey Development Council is typical of the many vital roles he has fulfilled since he was first elected an Officer of Hockey Canada in 2003. They included Hockey Canada’s leader for tournaments in Hungary and Belarus and the World Women’s Championship in Sweden. All the roles that he has been asked to fulfill for Hockey Canada were extremely successful and again high-lights the great respect he has generated within the nation, and also demonstrates the confidence that he has achieved.

While his hockey began in Buchan’s where he played all divisions of minor hockey and through high school and inter-residential university operations, he stood out on the many teams for which he performed. His devotion to improving play through coaching resulted in him serving as Assistant Coach for Grand Falls Bantam All-Stars in 1975 and continued in 1976 up to 1984. It was in this role that he attended the CAHA’s Instructor Training in Kitchener, Ontario. His willing attitude allowed him to continue in the improvement and coaching clinics and the work he provided earned him the Provincial Joe Byrne Hockey Development Award.

Joining his father in the Hockey Hall of Fame, he has been a wonderful ambassador for Newfoundland hockey across Canada and into world activities. The respect that he has earned will allow him to continue in a variety of important and productive positions for hockey well into the future.

ROSEMARY MARSHALL
Rosemary Marshall has been a beneficial supporter of hockey, especially minor hockey, since the early 1970s and she continues to work for the sport in an extremely positive manner. Influenced by her three sons, she was the first female minor hockey coach in Newfoundland and Labrador and has made valuable contributions to hockey ever since.

In order to participate, she obtained her level two coaching certificate as the only female in her class. She formed the first atom aged team in St. John’s and invited a Toronto team for exhibition games, and took a club to the 1972 provincial competition in Labrador City.

She served on the Board of Directors of St. John’s Minor Hockey including the position of President and in 1976 the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association named her an Outstanding Minor Hockey Award winner.

Recognizing the need for more ice surfaces within St. John’s, she played a major role in the construction of Twin Rinks and held the position of Secretary of the Avalon Arenas Association. The facility continues to provide an important venue for local hockey.

When her husband Doug died in 2005, she joined with her sons in the sponsorship of a new league for midget hockey players. The Doug Marshall Hockey League was designed to provide competitive games for midget aged players who were at risk of leaving the game at a critical juncture in their young live. During the past ten seasons, the Doug Marshall League has enjoyed tremendous success and she continues to be responsible for one of the finest award presentations of amateur sport within Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2011 she was named to the advisory board of the St John’s Ice Caps for their inaugural season. Club President Danny Williams explained that she was selected because “she had forgotten more about hockey and what constitutes a good game to attend” than any other people.

In addition to hockey, she served as President of Sport NL as its first female president and is credited with successfully lobbying government for an increase in the Labrador travel subsidy program. She played an important role in the organization of an athletic scholarship program that assists many sports in addition to hockey and continues to the present time.

She received a commemorative medal for the 125th Anniversary of Confederation in 1992 in recognition of her outstanding volunteer work in her community and she is an honorary life member of Sport NL.

KEN WILLIAMS
Ken Williams owns a 32-year hockey career that is overflowing with hard work, valuable contributions and a multitude of sensible decisions that have been very important to the overall success of hockey within Newfoundland and Labrador. He is simply an extremely good hockey person.

During the 2013-2014 hockey season, he continued his valuable contributions to various levels of hockey within Newfoundland and Labrador.

He was very successful with hockey at the local and provincial levels as he accepted positions that were important at every level and worked with others to improve and provide opportunities for many, many people to enjoy hockey on a regional and provincial basis. He was deeply involved in obtaining facilities and in organizing and operating a wide range of teams and leagues.

His hockey life started on Maggoty Cove Pond in Bay Bulls and he played his only organized hockey as a junior player in the Southern Shore Junior League.

In 1986, the decision was made to construct an arena on the Southern Shore and he was extremely active within the group that realized the facility. He served as Manager of the Southern Shore Arena.
He was elected the founding President of the Southern Shore Minor Hockey Association and remains a volunteer with the organization. He has been the HNL provincial co-ordinator for 24 years.

He was instrumental in reviving senior female hockey at the provincial level and brought the first team in many years to Prince Edward Island to compete nationally. He held a director’s position on the provincial female hockey committee for several years.

In 1993 he played a major role in organizing the Avalon West League as its first President and served as a Director of the Southern Shore Breakers Senior Club. He served as Treasurer for the Avalon East League and was President of the Southern Shore Amateur Hockey Association, which encompassed both junior and senior hockey.

He served as Chair of Provincial Senior Hockey and was Branch Representative on Hockey Canada. In 2006, he chaired the Hockey Canada extremely successful meetings held in St. Johns. He is Provincial Senior Hockey Secretary and continues as President of the Southern Shore Hockey Association.
Ken Williams has been, and continues to be, an outstanding contributor to hockey within Newfoundland and Labrador.

Note to Editors: Full nominations and pictures for the six new members are available upon request.

MEMBERS

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

(The Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame inducted its first members June 11, 1994.)

1994
Athletes – Frank “Andy” Cahill, Alex Faulkner, George Faulkner, Doug Grant.
AthleteBuilder – Jack Reardigan, Terry Trainor
Builder –Msgr. George Bartlett, Hon. Robert S. Furlong, Donald S. Johnson, Brian Wakelin

1995
Athletes –Jack Faulkner, Jim “Bucky” Hannaford, Joe Lundrigan, John Murphy, Bill Scott
AthleteBuilder — Joe Byrne, Roger Howse, Hugh Wadden
Builder — Walter Clarke, Carl Hansen, Harold Hillier, Vince Rossiter, T.A. “Gus” Soper

1996
Athletes — Frank ‘Danky’ Dorrington, Al Dwyer (Jr.), Frank Finlayson, Robert Petrie, Frank Walker
AthleteBuilder –Herbert Augustus “Gus” Herder
Builder –Claude Anstey, Cliff Gorman

1997
Athletes – Stan Breen, Cal Dunville, Hugh Fardy
Builders — Eric Dawe, Ron Taaffe

1998
Athletes — Watson John “Wats” Goobie, Wilson “Copper” Leyte, Harry “Moose” Watson
Builders — George “Daddy” Dawe, Samuel James “Sam” Rose

1999
Athletes — Charles “Charlie” P. Cahill, Michael “Mike” D. Kelly, William Clifton George Martin, Leo Murphy
AthleteBuilder — Walter “Walt” Davis
Builders — Arthur Johnson
Media — Robert “Bob” Cole

2000
Athletes – George Connors, Jimmy Dawe, Zane Forbes, Merv Green, Donald Howse, Jim Kennedy, Ed Philpott, Terry Ryan Sr., Harold Stanley
AthleteBuilder – Bob Badcock
Builders – Neil Amadio, Peter J, Duffy, Ambrose O’Reilly, William Parrott
Media – John M. Tobin

2001
Athletes – Terry Gilliam, Rob Gladney, Jim Temple
AthleteBuilder – Rick Babstock
Builder – Mel Andrews, Charlie McCarthy
Media – John Mayo

2002
Athletes – Randy Pearcey, Jim Penney, Tony White
AthleteBuilder – Ray Bowe
Builder – Ron Healey
Female – Colleen Tapper
Media – George MacLaren

2003
Athletes – Ian Campbell, Brian Gibbons, Ernie Hynes, Dick Power
AthleteBuilder – Joe Maynard, Gerry Taylor
Builder –Don Walsh
Female – Glennis (Thorne) Thomey
Media – Joe Mullins

2004
Athletes – Ted Gillies, James Guy, Hubert Hutton, Gerry Lahey, Cyril Power
AthleteBuilder – Stan Cook
Builder – Claude Browne, Howie Meeker, Wayne Mercer, Mike Squires

2005
Athletes – Bill Breen, Roger Dean, Bern Fitzpatrick, Alfie Hiscock, Andy Sullivan
AthleteBuilder – Wes “Bucko” Trainor
Builder – Frank Moores
Female – Debby Power

2006
Athletes – Nigel Face, Roger Kennedy, Doug Squires
Builder – Francis Wiseman
Media – John Gibbon

2007
Athletes – Mike Anderson, Alex Blanchard, Leo Kane, Harry Katrynuk
Builder – Len Butt, Gerry Kelly
Media – Bill Callahan

2008
Athletes – Eg Billard, Jake Critch, Clar Goulding
AthleteBuilder – Ed O’Brien
Builder – Wayne Russell

2009
Athletes – Al Bargery, Ford Metcalfe, Ed Oates
Media – John Murphy

2010
Athletes – Jim Grant, Art Hamlyn, Ed Lawrence
Media – Bruce MacDonald

2011
Athletes –Kirk Johnson, Ed O’Quinn
Builder – David Brazil, George Fardy
Media – Dee Murphy

2012
Athlete – Bert Brake
Builder – Jim Hayward
AthleteBuilder – Jim Hornell Sr.
Builder – Danny Williams

2013
Athletes – Ron Cadigan, Len Coughlan, Wayne Faulkner, Todd Stark
AthleteBuilder – Art Barry
Builder – Michael Dinn

2014
Athletes – Clobie Collins, J.C. Garneau, John Slaney
Builder – Marv Ryder, Glenn Stanford
Builder – Leo Rose

2015
Athletes – Darren Colbourne, Darren Langdon, Dwayne Norris
Builder – Jim Hornell Jr, Rosemary Marshall, Ken Williams

For more information please contact:
Craig Tulk
[email protected]
709-489-5512