Herder trophy in jeopardy as east coast teams refuse to play season in central
There also will not be a senior hockey league in central Newfoundland
After years of trying to keep senior hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador, a HockeyNL executive says there will not be a Herder Memorial Trophy championship this upcoming season.
There also will not be a senior league in central Newfoundland because there are only two teams.
"I wish I had better news to report," Gary Gale, chair of senior hockey for HockeyNL, told CBC Newfoundland Morning.
Gale said last year the Clarenville Caribous were accepted into the East Coast Senior Hockey League, which left only two teams in central.
The Herder Cup is like the Stanley Cup of Newfoundland hockey.- Andrew Pearcey
The east coast league, which is made up of six teams, agreed to "interlock" last year to play teams in the central league, but have refused to do that again this year, Gale said Wednesday.
"We don't have a provincial setup here that would lead to a Herder," said Gale, referring to the annual hockey championship that dates back to 1935.
"As it stands right now we don't have a Herder."
This will be the first time since the 1990-91 season that the trophy will not be awarded.
Gale said because the Herder is a provincial senior 'A' championship, constitutional changes would have to be made in order to make it a league championship.
The two teams left in the central league are the Gander Flyers and Grand Fall-Windsor Cataracts.
"They have to break the news to the fans that we don't have a game for these two teams that have been around for many years," Gale said.
The West Coast Senior Hockey League is settled away with three teams, including the Corner Brook Royals, the Deer Lake Red Wings and the Port aux Basques Mariners.
The Herder Memorial Trophy was started by Ralph Herder, a member of the family that formerly owned the St. John's Telegram. It was named in honour of five of his brothers who were avid hockey players in St. John's.
'Somebody has to have a vision'
It's sad news for Andrew Pearcey, who played eight seasons in the senior hockey league and whose career included three Herder championships.
"The Herder Cup is like the Stanley Cup of Newfoundland hockey," said Pearcey. "Not having something like that is disappointing to me."
Pearcey said many of the great local players in history had played for the trophy.
Pearcey said that as upset as he is, he is not surprised. He said there is "disorganization" across the entire senior hockey system that needs to be resolved.
"Somebody has to have a vision…. There has to be more preparation, more planning going into it."
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In an interview, Pearcey said it's unfair to the players and communities to find out last minute what their teams schedules are or if there are even games.
Having once played for Grand Falls-Windsor, Pearcey said not having a senior hockey team is a blow to the community.
"I know there are guys that go to Tim Hortons on a Tuesday, Wednesday, they can't wait to talk about the Cataracts, so I am disappointed for those people," he said.
"For them not to be a part of senior hockey is a crying shame."
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From files with Newfoundland Morning