WATSON GOOBIE
Date of Birth: 1929
Place of Birth: Bishop’s Falls, Nfld.
Inducted: 1998 (Player Category)
Wats Goobie was an extremely talented hockey forward with a terrific shot and great scoring ability. An amazing stickhandler with great speed, he always displayed the utmost of sportsmanship and was renowned for his gentlemanly style of play. In 1951, all these skills and attitudes came together when he was selected to the first provincial senior all-stars for an exhibition game against the champion Buchans Miners.
Goobie was outstanding in the Grand Falls’ local league as a leader with the Bishop’s Falls Hawks and the Grand Falls Wildcats. From 1945 to 1950, he dominated local scoring, winning five titles and being voted the Most Valuable Player in the league for the 1951 season.
After playing provincial senior hockey for Wes (Bucko) Trainor in Gander in 1952, Goobie was back in a Grand Falls’ uniform for the 1953 season, and led the club to the provincial title and the Herder Memorial Trophy.
From 1955 to 1958, Goobie was an important part of four consecutive Herder Trophies that the Grand Falls Andcos won. He was also an outstanding performer in a series of exhibition games and Maritime tours made by various Grand Falls teams, once scoring five goals and adding five assists against Corner Brook.