Herder Memorial Trophy

The Herder Memorial Trophy, or Herder, is the championship trophy of senior ice hockey in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the most prestigious hockey championship solely dedicated to Newfoundland, and as a result, has a significant following within the province. In recent years, Herder games were usually held at Mile One Centre (and before it was built, at Memorial Stadium) in St. John's and frequently sold out the 6,000 seat building. Games were also held in the Pepsi Centre in the city of Corner Brook, on the west coast of the island, when teams from that area were playing for the cup. In 2013 things changed, and the two teams playing for the 'Herder' got the right to play the games in their home stadiums.

In 1935, the trophy was donated by Ralph Herder, who was president of The Evening Telegram newspaper, in honour of his five hockey playing brothers. The trophy was to be awarded to Newfoundland's best ice hockey team.^[1] Having been published by a member of the Herder family since the founding of the paper in 1879 until the retirement of Stephen in 1993, has meant that the Telegram has played an integral role in the promotion and sponsorship of the Herder, which continues to this day.

Originally donated by Ralph Herder in memory of his five brothers, it now honors the memory of eight Herders. The “original five” Herders were Arthur, William, Douglas, Augustus and Hubert and they were later joined by brothers Ralph and James. In 2009, Ralph's son Stephen was added in memoriam. The seven brothers were fine hockey players and often played together, with four of them sometimes playing together on championship teams. In fact, James Herder coached the 1935 Guards team that lost the initial Herder championship to Corner Brook in a two-game, total-goal series at the Prince’s Rink in St. John’s.

1. It was Ralph who first put the award in place.

2. Captain Arthur, a lawyer, died of First World War wounds in 1917.

3. Hubert was a lieutenant when he was killed at Beaumont Hamel July 1, 1916.

4. William was a vice-president of the Evening Telegram when he died in 1934. (see William James Herder (1849–1922), publisher, born Old Perlican, Newfoundland, Canada, founder of Newfoundland's first daily newspaper, The Evening Telegram).

5. Douglas died from illness in 1908.

6. Augustus was a vice-president of the Evening Telegram when he died in 1934.

7. Ralph, also a lieutenant, was seriously wounded July 1, 1916. He survived the war. He became Publisher on the deaths of his brothers in 1934, and was the driving force behind the creation of the Herder Memorial Trophy in memory of his five brothers who predeceased him. Ralph was the father of Rendell [Rex] and Stephen and he died in 1955.

8. James was the youngest of the seven brothers. He was vice President and General Manager of The Evening Telegram when his brother Ralph died in 1955. Jim, as he was known, took over as Publisher and piloted The Evening Telegram Ltd through a period of tremendous growth and prosperity during the late 1950s and through the 1960s. He died in 1970.

9. Stephen succeeded his uncle Jim and was the longtime publisher of The Telegram. An environmentalist long before his time he was known for saving Rennies River, and a bridge over that river is dedicated to his efforts. Steve was a proud proponent of the Herder memorial Trophy. He and died in 1993, at the age of 65.

The original base of the Trophy consisted of two tiers but as they were filled out with shields bearing the names and years of championship teams, two larger tiers were added to bring the award to its present size and shape.

St. Bon’s star Edward “Key” Kennedy was the model for the hockey player that stands atop the Trophy. Donor Ralph Herder took a photo of Kennedy, in playing pose, to New York where he had a model made and then had the figure cast in silver.

Hockey had been played on ponds and natural ice rinks in St. John’s, Newfoundland's capital, since the late 19th century. Not only was it good physical exercise but it provided a measure of relief from the tedium of long, cold winters. By 1924, the sport had been an organized one for roughly 30 years in St. John's, but in the Bay of Islands area of the west coast, hockey was still a novelty. If there were games, they were played on the frozen bay and were more recreation than competition.^[2]

In 1925, a senior league had been organized in Corner Brook, a community in the Bay of Islands on Newfoundland's west coast, under the direction of the Corner Brook Athletic Association (later to branch out into the Corner Brook Hockey Association) and hundreds turned up on a regular basis to cheer for their favorite players.

The St. John's Guards had earned the right to compete for the inaugural Herder Memorial Trophy in 1935 by first defeating St. Bon's in a 2-game series to become St. John's city champions, and later toppling the Bay Roberts Rovers in a 2-game, total goal series to become the Avalon Peninsula champions. The championship match-up was then set - the Guards of St. John's would play host to the Corner Brook All-Star Team. Fans in St. John's eagerly awaited the arrival of the Corner Brook Royals; tickets to the 2 games were sold out quickly. The Royals edged the Guards 1-0 in Game 1, and were victorious in Game 2 by a 4-2 margin to become the island's top team, and Herder Trophy Champions.

Today, fan interest and competition is as keen as it was in the glory days of senior hockey. The Herder Memorial Trophy will liver forever in the minds and hearts of the people of Newfoundland.

The 1985-86 Herder Trophy champion Corner Brook Royals didn't stop at the provincial title alone. After the Herder finals, they went on to win the Allan Cup, the national 'AAA' championship trophy of Canadian senior hockey. The Royals defeated the Stephenville Jets in 6 games to win the Herder in their quest for the Allan Cup, and then became Eastern Canadian champions by defeating the Flamboro Motts Clamatos in a tough, 7-game series to hoist the G.P. Bolton Cup. In the final, the Royals downed the Nelson (B.C) Maple Leafs in 4 straight games to win the Province's first Allan Cup. The following year, the St. John's Capitals won the Herder, but were ousted in the Allan Cup semi-final in 6 games by the Brantford (Ont.) Motts Clamatos, led by the stellar goal tending of former NHL star Don Edwards. In 2010-11, the Clarenville Caribous became the second Newfoundland team to win the Allan Cup, defeating the Bentley Generals (Alberta) in the finals held in Kenora, BC.

After broadcasting the Cup-winning games on Rogers Television (and province-wide using the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Channel) in 2007 and 2008, games 3 to 5 of the 2009 finals were streamed online at thesportspage.ca.

Past champions

Notes

1. ↑ Abbott, Bill: Herder Memorial Trophy. A History of Sr. Hockey In Newfoundland and Labrador, page 9. Breakwater, 2000.
2. ↑ White, Neil (2001) History of Hockey, The Western Star, Corner Brook, NL.

External links

• Herder History
• See also: Abbott, Bill. Herder Memorial Trophy: A History of Senior Hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's: Breakwater Books, 2000), ISBN 1-55081-156-8