From a participation viewpoint, the 1986 Allan Cup victory by the Corner Brook Royals would be the highlight, followed by the 1989 Hardy Cup victory by the Port aux Basques Mariners, but both the on-ice wins have to share the “national” spotlight with the election of three hockey personalities from Newfoundland and Labrador as Canadian presidents.
Three Canadian hockey annual meetings were hosted in St. John’s, XXX minor championships were won by teams from Newfoundland and Labrador, teams from various categories participated in a variety of competitions against mainland teams, international exhibition games were held within the province, officials were part of a variety of national and international competitions, and a wide range of national programs involved many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
The affiliation of the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1966 has been very beneficial for both organizations.
While hockey within Newfoundland and Labrador was affected by “mainland” hockey at the turn of the century, the real and important influence came after 1966 when the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association became a full branch of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.
There was an extremely large amount of interaction between Newfoundland hockey and “Mainland” hockey prior to the 1966 agreement. From the turn of the century, St. John’s and then Corner Brook, Grand Falls and Buchans teams looked for competition against teams from off the island.
There was much discussion, and a relatively large amount of travel and mail before the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association became a branch of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1966.
