Newfoundlanders and Labradorians came home for Come Home 2022 celebrations and the province welcomed many first time visitors too.  The weather coorperated with record breaking sunshine for one record setting NL  summer.

There was a little something for everyone to enjoy. Wonderbolt Productions celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022, and they dazzled and delighted audiences all summer long. The George Street Festival was a huge hit and so was the Churchill Park Music Festival with both attracting huge and enthusiastic crowds. 

But whether it’s the large concerts on George Street or the smaller gatherings on an outport wharf, it’s been quite a summer to celebrate, Premier Andrew Furey said. “To see this (Come Home 2022) come from a concept to reality, and then to see the return, well the actual numbers speak for themselves,” he said as he launched into some cheerful chatter about the rise in tourism numbers throughout Come Home 2022. And the fun continues through the fall too with Come From Away: The Concert and Tell Tale Harbour yet to be celebrated and enjoyed. 

What was your favourite Come Home 2022 experience? Was it the Stanley Cup or a concert? Was it seeing family or friends or was it a wedding celebration that was delayed due to the pandemic. 

Share your super summer story with us at letters@nfldherald.com 

Charles & Camilla’s 2022 Royal Tour

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived St. John’s on May 17th to begin a three-day Canadian tour largely focused on reconciliation with Indigenous people. 

The couple attended a welcome ceremony at the provincial legislature with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon then it was off to Gov. House and Quidi Vidi.

Photos provided by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, taken by Alick Tsui Photography.

Kellie Loder Proves They’re Fearless

Not only is Kellie Loder selling out shows, but they are selling totally out of merch at these performances as well, they added when The Herald swung by for a chat. “The opportunity to be on a national television show, what that has done for me is amazing. People stop you on the side of the road and people shout at you from their cars. And it’s so positive,” they said of appearing on Canada’s Got Talent. 

 Had reality set in yet? Since being a  national sensation on CGT, so much had changed. “You work so, so hard for so long to get that sort of recognition that when you finally get it it’s a bit wild. Like, I still feel like I’m a small town kid from Badger and now people are wanting to carry my things and bring me water and food and steam my clothes. And I’m like, ‘What’s happening right now?’” 

Loder also felt “different” seeing their face on a NL Herald cover. “I would go to the store and The Herald would always be on the front counter, and I would see different faces every week on the cover and I always wondered if I was ever going to make the cover, do you know what I mean? I always wondered that, even when nobody knew who I was.” Well, now they certainly do! 

Show Your Pride in NL

Irma Gerd made NL proud as one of the contestants of the third season of Canada’s Drag Race. 

Gerd told The Herald that “The amount of support that I’ve gotten from all of Atlantic Canada, not just Newfoundland, has been overwhelming. Just positively overwhelming in the best way.” 

Pride events throughout NL recognized and celebrated the diversity of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community within the province and the Provincial Government sponsored St. John’s Pride Week as a part of Come Home 2022. Sponsored events included Drag on Water held on Saturday, July 23 as well as the St. John’s Pride Parade

Staycation with the OZFM Summer CREW

Kali Kenny and Noah Perchard hit the road in the OZFM Staycation Summer Cruiser and brought the cheer and the joy to many as they travelled the province throughout the summer of 2022.

Kenny told The Herald that being a member of the Staycation Summer Cruiser Team was a “dream come true.” 

The Regatta Returns

For the very first time in Royal St. John’s Regatta history, there was a Women’s Long course race. 

North America’s oldest annual sporting event concluded with repeat champions in both the men’s and women’s races. NTV were winners of the Men’s Championship Race and Hyflodraulic won Stirling Communications Women’s Championship Race with a time of 5:11.

This year’s Regatta saw crowds return to the banks of Quidi Vidi Lake for the first time since 2019.

Jaida Lee Makes History

At 16 years old, Jaida Lee became the first female to compete in Men’s Baseball at the Canada Summer Games in 2022. The teenage baseball sensation and her father, Dave Lee, shared with media how “unreal” the experience was,  included the fact that she got to throw an opening pitch at a Blue Jays game.

Alex Newhook Brings Home Lord Stanley

Colorado Avalanche forward and St. John’s native Alex Newhook couldn’t stop smiling the day he brought the Stanley Cup home to St. John’s! 

The timing couldn’t have been better and fans young and old couldn’t get enough of the party that came with Lord Stanley held during Come Home 2022 celebrations.

About being only the third player from Newfoundland and Labrador to win the Stanley Cup, Newhook shared how he received congratulations from the other two who had done so before he did – Daniel Cleary and Michael Ryder. Newhook cheered along with fans so loudly as he yelled, ’Our fans are the best in the world’ that Newhook seemed to  have lost his voice during part of the Stanley Cup parade.

Was it emotion or cheering along with fans that cause the brief quiet spell? Probably a bit of both, but whatever the reason, it was a grand day in the province and an unforgettable day for Alex Newhook and his family and friends. Congratulations! 

Before the St. John’s Maple Leafs stepped on the ice at Memorial Stadium, a kind of semi-pro hockey was played here. The names of the players form a litany of very skilled hockey men, many just one skill short of making it to “the show” or perhaps kept from it by something so cruel as bad luck. 

That litany would include names like “Danky” Dorrington, Mort Verbiski, Jacques Allard, Toy Toy Gallant, Clobie Collins and scores more. They plied their trade in places like Buchans and Bell Island and Grand Falls and Gander and Harbour Grace and a bunch of other hockey towns.

These towns were able to compete in Newfoundland senior hockey by virtue of money. Teams from small centres could not match the skill gene pool of large centres like St. John’s, so they brought in players from the mainland and paid them or found them work. Not a whole team, but select “star” strengthening players. They worked in mines or mills, and they played hockey.

Hockey Mercenaries 

George Faulkner writes about how he came back to Newfoundland from pro hockey to run a hockey program in Harbour Grace and play for the much-loved CeeBees. He did it because he could make more from that than from the minor leagues of the Montreal Canadiens organization. 

George and brother Alex, who came back from the NHL and a stint with the Detroit Red Wings, became the stuff of legends in senior hockey and very much a part of the communities where they skated.  

It was not just for cash. Sometimes it was employment. If you could play hockey you might work at the Buchans mine or the iron ore mine on Bell Island and never spend a day underground. I cannot name names for the paper mills at Grand Falls or Corner Brook, but I am told there were situations there as well where handling a puck or being able to stop one might be a key skill in finding work. 

To me from St. John’s they were villains. They were foreigners who had an unfair advantage against us “townies.” That was not true, but it’s what we thought at Memorial Stadium.  

Those early hockey mercenaries are but memories now, but if you stand under the old Memorial Stadium scoreboard at what’s now a supermarket near the shores of Quidi Vidi you can hear the echoes of skates on ice in a building that once was home to senior hockey.   

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

Paralympic swimming champion Katarina Roxon was a highlight, a close tie with the time I chatted with both Carl English and Ryane Clowe on the same day.  Since we’re name dropping – I also chatted with Mark Critch that very same day – and while he’s not a sports star, he sure made it one cool afternoon at the office none the less. But, while I’m proud as punch of these homegrown heroes and pleased as a peacock to have grabbed a snap as I sang their praises inside the pages of The Newfoundland Herald, I am not and have never been a sports fan. 

Stole our Hearts

All that has changed since last fall, however when my partner introduced me to the world of ECHL hockey and the Newfoundland Growlers. At first, going to every single home game seemed like a cool way to pass a long, dreary Newfoundland winter, but it soon became clear that attending six (sometimes seven) home games over a ten day period is way, way more than an opportunity for a few stadium fries and a cold one. 

As any season ticket holder will tell you, it’s about the hockey, and your eyes better be on that prized puck if you are going to make it through as a new fan of the game. Before long, I began to recognize the players without having to see their number. I knew that James Melindy was the big lad who seemed to levitate more than skate. 

I knew Todd Skirving by the hungry way he went for each play and Orrin Centazzo, with his flowing blonde hockey-hair curls, became the “wee one with the big heart,” who played way bigger than he was. 

My daughter, 13, and I (52) both fell hard for the player who stole our hearts by playing rock, paper, scissors with the kids through the plexiglass partition. 

Number 29 made my heart skip and my blood pump every time he jumped over the boards and landed on his skates. I was officially a fan of hockey. 

Grit & Guts

Since that time I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know number 29’s mom and step dad, and thrill that I can call Noel Hoefenmayer’s mom, Deb, a friend. 

I’ve chatted with Melindy’s mom on the concourse and with Tyler Boland’s dad, and I’ve shared in the pride they have in their lads and their accomplishments. While none of these players actually belong to me, it’s interesting how quickly feeling invested took hold for someone who couldn’t even manage to master the flex arm hang in school. 

Maybe that’s part of it: the sense that these young men are masters at something so few ever get the chance to even try. The grit and the guts it takes to lace up a pair of skates and just go for it is something, if nothing else, worthy of admiration. 

And, for a new fan girl like me, proud to cheer on “her Growler b’ys” it doesn’t hurt watching for curly blonde flowing hockey haired number 29 to swing his legs over the boards at game time, either. Just sayin’. 

Pam Pardy, The Herald’s Managing Editor, can be reached by emailing pghent@nfldherald.com

A look back at 30 years of professional hockey in St. John’s and celebrating the local stars who gave fans plenty of reason to cheer

It’s been three decades since professional hockey arrived in the province’s capital, a sports journey that has embraced several franchises, two leagues and an alumni of NHL legends.

The Baby Leafs 

That first year was pure magic for the province as the American Hockey League’s St. John’s Maple Leafs, the farm team of the storied Toronto Maple Leafs, captured the hearts of sports fans – narrowly losing the 1991-92 league championship. 

The Baby Leafs – featuring 21-year-old Corner Brook forward Todd Gillingham and led by rookie coach Marc Crawford – gave fans at Memorial Stadium its first taste of the pro game.

But the city’s first dalliance with the pro game actually came way back in 1983 when Ian McKenzie, owner of Regatta Ford, organized a four-team AHL exhibition tournament with an eye to bringing a pro team to St. John’s. AHL president Jack Butterfield balked at the idea of having his teams, which travelled exclusively by bus, fly to the island.

 But by the early 1990s pro hockey talk heated up. In 1990 the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and general manager Bobby Clarke signed a deal with Mayor Shannie Duff to place Minnesota’s minor league affiliate in St. John’s. 

There was only one problem, the North Stars minor league team at the time was based in Kalamazoo, Michigan of the International Hockey League and the AHL refused to allow Minnesota to simply transfer the club to the league without buying an expansion franchise first and the deal fell through.

Standing room only

Undaunted, the city turned its attention to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were unhappy with their AHL franchise in Newmarket, Ontario. Shifting the franchise to St. John’s would not pose the same problem the North Stars encountered. And despite Butterfield’s concern about travel, Cliff Fletcher and his Toronto Maple Leafs would be finally bring pro hockey to Newfoundland.

Rabid St. John’s hockey fans quickly snapped up every season ticket available in the 3,500 seat Memorial Stadium and the standing room only crowd were treated to an exciting brand of hockey that culminated in a Calder Cup run.

Gillingham was the first of many Newfoundlanders to play the pro game in St. John’s. Players like Terry Ryan and Harold Druken followed with the Baby Leafs, but the most memorable was South Shore senior hockey league legend Andy Sullivan, one of the province’s all-time great amateur players, who turned pro with the Maple Leafs as a 32-year-old.

First pro goal

Venerable Baby Leafs radio broadcaster George MacLaren said when Sullivan scored his first pro goal it was like the roof just about blew off the old Stadium — cheering never heard since the night George Spracklin scored for the St. John’s Caps senior hockey team versus the visiting Soviet national team, featuring the likes of Vladislav Tretiak.

 By 2005, the pro hockey landscape had changed and many teams wanted to have their AHL affiliate close to the parent club for salary cap reasons and the Maple Leafs were one of those clubs — moving the Baby Leafs to the Ricoh Colleseum in Toronto.

 While the St. John’s Fog Devils of the Quebec Major Junior league filled the hockey void for a couple of years, it would be several years until the American Hockey League would return to St. John’s.

Miracle on ice

In nothing short of a miracle, former Premier Danny Williams convinced the newly-formed Winnipeg Jets to place their AHL franchise in St. John’s. The IceCaps were a smash hit at Mile One Stadium — setting an AHL record for most consecutive sell-outs and advancing to the league semifinals in year one, led by Corner Brook native Jason King.

The IceCaps would advance to the AHL finals in 2014 and play one more year as the Jets’ top farm club before, like Toronto, the club was moved to the same city as the parent club. 

As a stop gap, the Montreal Canadiens, building a new AHL arena in nearby Laval, needed a place to temporarily house its minor league team and the IceCaps lived on for two more years.

Go Growlers, Go!

There was another absence of pro hockey in the capital city until 2018 when the Toronto Maple Leafs came into the picture once again, this time with an ECHL affiliation for St. John’s.

The ECHL is considered a tier below the AHL, but the team would be considered the class of the league, bringing St. John’s its first professional sports title. And like the city’s previous hockey clubs the Newfoundland Growlers were led by a handful of Newfoundlanders — NHL veteran Adam Pardy, snipers Zach O’Brien and Marcus Power and tough defenceman James Melindy. The club was also coached initially by long-time NHLer Ryane Clowe, of Fermeuse, who had to leave the bench due to lingering concussion issues.

Glenn Stanford

The Growlers did not get to defend their title in 2020 as the playoffs were cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Growlers then voluntarily suspended operations for the 2020-21 season as the pandemic still had ongoing travel restrictions.

Of course, no story about professional hockey would be complete without mentioning Glenn Stanford, the executive who has overseen every interaction of professional hockey in the city and has a sterling reputation in pro hockey circles. 

Buddy the Puffin

Another fixture on all pro hockey teams in St. John’s was Buddy the Puffin. He was previously the mascot of the St. John’s Maple Leafs and later the St. John’s IceCaps and Growlers. Buddy’s number is 92, which represents 1992, the year that he was introduced as the mascot of the St. John’s Maple Leafs. For most of Buddy’s tenure, the man in the suit was Chris Abbott, who tragically passed away in early February.

Pro hockey dream

Among coaches who steered St. John’s pro hockey teams two men — Marc Crawford and Joel Quenneville of the St. John’s Maple Leafs – went on to coach NHL teams to Stanley Cup championships. Arguably the greatest player to ever play the pro game in St. John’s is former IceCaps goalie Connor Hellebuyck who won the 2020 Vezina Trophy, the only St. John’s pro hockey alumni to win a major NHL individual player award.

The pro hockey dream continues in the province’s capital with the Newfoundland Growlers still chasing another ECHL title. This team –and the many teams over the past three decades – continue to give fans a reason to cheer.

Glenn Stanford reflects on his 30 year involvement with professional hockey in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador

When Glenn Stanford stood on the ice at the Mary Brown’s Centre at the Growers Game against the Cincinnati Cyclones in early April, he drew a standing ovation.

Stanford, currently the Governor and Chief Operating Officer of the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL, has been called everything from “the glue” to “the heart” of any and all hockey franchises that have called this province home and has been labeled “the reason why” there’s been professional hockey played in Newfoundland for over thirty years.

Hockey accolades

Stanford’s hockey career began as a high level administrator and organizer as the Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador High School Athletic Federation and continued when he became the manager of the St. John’s Memorial Stadium.

Stanford has been named the top CEO with the American Hockey League twice – one of only four people in the history of the league to twice earn the honor. Stanford has earned praise from past politicians (former premier Danny Williams is one) and former players (like Adam Pardy) as he led the extremely successful St. John’s IceCaps and St. John’s Maple Leafs hockey operations in the American Hockey League. Danny Williams has said Standford’s leadership played a major role in the IceCaps recording 127 consecutive sell-out crowds at Mile One.

‘He’s a gentleman’

With awards that include the 2005 Thomas Ebight Award for career contributions to the AHL, 2004 Special Olympics Sports Celebrities Festival National Volunteer of the Year and selection as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs, Stanford has more than earned his place in hockey history in NL. But talk to anyone who knows the man and they will simply say, “he’s a gentleman,” and it’s been his reputation that Stanford has relied on over the past 30 years. 

What started his passion for pro hockey? The fact that it wasn’t here, he said.  “I ended up managing (Memorial) stadium in 1996, and one of the things I realized was that they never had a tenant in the building,” the former teacher said.

He began exploring the possibility of housing an  American Hockey League franchise. With guts and grit, the St. John’s Maple Leafs settled in. 

“We sold out in Memorial Stadium, but that only had 2,500 capacity, but then in 2011 with the IceCaps at Mile One, we had sell out after sell out in a much bigger space.”

‘30 years of success’

While many say that Standford is the reason pro hockey’s here, he’s quick to share the praise with others. 

“In 2011, Danny (Williams) came back (to hockey) and then Dean (MacDonald) got involved, so there wouldn’t be hockey without their support, but if you’re really going to point the finger in a good way to why we are successful here that finger has got to be pointed towards the fans because they’re the ones that stuck it out and they’re the ones that supported hockey over the years. You can have a good product on the ice and you can have a league and you can be competitive on the ice, but if you don’t have fans you’re not going to be successful.”

There’s been a core group of fans that have been with the sport for 30 years, he added. “Many of our corporate partners have been with us for that whole time, too. The reason why we’re successful is simply the fans and corporate partners.” 

It hasn’t always been easy. The realities of the geography has been challenging for one thing, he said. “Obviously no disrespect, it’s tough to attract people to come to the province simply because of the travel. We’re an island. The weather is not great. With those things in mind, we took the philosophy early on that we’re going to treat this team and this organization as best we can.” They focused on every detail, from food to lodgings, and they did their best to attract the best. Word soon got around that this province was the place to be.

‘One of our own’

“Word spread that if you come to St. John’s,  you’re going to be well taken care of. The fans are going to support the team. There’ll be good coaches and development opportunities with the Toronto Maple Leafs and that attracted players to come here.”

Fans of these game began “treating come from away players like one of their  own, even though they might be from Ontario or from the states,” he said.

“When someone plays for that Newfoundland Growlers team, our fans treat them like one of our own and take care of them. Fans embraced the parents of the players, they take them out for fish and chips or out sightseeing. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. That’s the culture that we have developed over a number of years.”

Growlers Nation

Fans of the game are part of the Growlers Nation (join the fans on the Facebook page, Growlers Nation) and “People know, you come here, it’s a special place with a special group of people and you’re going to be taken care of.” 

Stanford has a special relationship with the players too. Many of the NL contingent, like Marcus Power, James Melindy, Zach O’Brien, Nathan Noel and Tyler Boland, have developed an enduring bond with Stanford.

“They are great players and great young men. But what’s really cool about the whole idea of having Newfoundland players is that we’re not just having Newfoundland players for the sake of having local players … What’s really cool about all of our Newfoundland players on our team is they make an unbelievable contribution to the team and they have made a big contribution to our overall success.” 

Danielle Goyette

As the father of two daughters, Stanford is also proud of the role women have taken within the league, he added. The team earned headlines for having the first female coach in the history of the ECHL when Danielle Goyette stepped in to help when coach Eric Wellwood had COVID. 

“Having females involved in the game at all levels, from coaching to assistant general managers, is a good thing. And this year Kelly-Anne Roberts became the first full-time female colour commentator in ECHL history. That speaks well for our game, that speaks well for us as an organization and hopefully where we are league leaders when it comes to that. Personally, I’m married, I have two daughters and I have two granddaughters and what we’ve done speaks well for the future of the game and that’s the way it should be.” 

Focusing on the game itself, Stanford is proud of the team’s standings and hopeful for the playoffs. “Obviously we hope our team wins on the ice, but we don’t control the outcome from the office. The players and the coaches do a wonderful job of making sure our team is competitive on the ice. The other part of that for us is the entertainment value so when people come down to the games, not only are they entertained by what’s happening on the ice, but they’re also entertained when the puck isn’t in play.” 

He loves hearing fans as they exit a game saying that “it was fun.” 

‘A critical time’

Speaking about current franchise owner Dean MacDonald, Stanford paused. 

“Dean came in at a critical time. The IceCaps had moved on, the American Hockey League had moved on, simply because of the geography – we were an island out in the middle of eastern Canada. Then Dean came on board because he felt that there was a need for hockey in the community. And he’s a successful business person in this community and then legitimately wanted to try to give something back.”

The last four years have not been easy, he admitted. “In the last two years, almost every business has struggled but to his credit, through trying times and troubling times, he stayed with it. He’s doing what he’s doing for all the right reasons. He wasn’t getting rich off hockey, let’s just say that.”

The charity piece is huge, he added. From Growlers Give to the Growlers Academy, to the time the players themselves donate to so many causes, it’s been a feel-good time to be in the organization, he said. “Hockey has made an enormous contribution financial, millions of dollars over the 30 years has gone back to the community.” 

People like the late Murray Chaplin who sold 50/50 tickets at the games was one. 

“Buddy appearances, hospital visits, the player appearances, shovelling during Snowmageddon. The list just goes on and on and on. I think that’s one of the best benefits of having a pro sports team. Yes, it’s on wheels in the stadium at game time, but I think hockey is a great asset to the community in so many ways.”

Buddy the Puffin

The conversation turns towards the loss of Chris Abbott, the man behind the team’s mascot, Buddy the Puffin. 

“We were lucky when Chris became involved and Chris, as Buddy, became the face of our franchise. The kids might know the players names, but they knew Buddy. Everybody in Newfoundland knew Buddy and he was putting smiles on people’s faces at the games, not only kids, but a lot of adults, too. He became the face of our team and the face of our organization. 

“Chris was going beyond what was expected, and he’s done everything over the years. There was a Mission Impossible opening ceremony in one of the games and he propelled from ceiling. He put so much effort into Buddy and he took so much pride in Buddy. I never heard that he turned down a request.” 

Treasured memories

There’s hundreds of stories, and so many treasured memories, he added.

Stanford has taken time to reflect, he said, and now at the 30 year mark, he can say that “it’s been a ride.” 

“I don’t see myself as the face of the organization even though I’ve been around for 30 years, because longevity doesn’t necessarily mean anything. And although people might like to thank me for being around 30 years, it’s the volunteers. It’s the staff at the Mary Brown’s Centre, the officials and the volunteer staff. It’s the season ticket holders, the fans. It’s the corporate partners…” 

The list goes on. “Looking back, it’s been amazing and people shouldn’t be thanking me. It’s really me who should be saying thank you. So thank you.”

(Posted May 1st, 2022. The Growlers are currently in the playoffs for the Kelly Cup. For tickets and info visit /https://www.nlgrowlers.com/#tab_statistics-players-leaders=forwards

Nathan Noel is proud to be playing professional hockey in his home province. He says he is “really feeling the love” from the fans.  

“I think there’s a lot of support for our hometown guys on the team and for guys who have been here in the past, like Todd Skirving,” he said, and he’s “looking up” to those who have played here longer, like James Melindy, Zach O’Brien and  Marcus Power. 

“It’s definitely really cool to be able to represent your home province,” he said. While his parents are “well-travelled,” having followed his hockey career, it’s nice to have family and friends in the stands for home games. “My parents  have basically followed me everywhere in my career – from Minnesota to Rockford to St. John, New Brunswick. Anywhere I’ve went, they were able to come and see a lot of games. But obviously it’s a lot easier when it’s in your backyard,” the St. John’s born player said. 

The loss of Buddy (Chris Abbott) goes beyond the loss on the ice. “I played soccer with (Chris Abbott’s) son growing up, and I knew him pretty well. I knew (Chris)  as a guy, I knew him outside his Buddy suit. So it was a big shock to everyone here. And whenever you lose someone you know or you’re close to you just obviously feel for the family. I mostly thought of (his son) when it happened. That was my  first concern, for his mental health and how he took it.”

But his memory remains, he added.  “We keep him and his spirits on the ice. Hopefully we can show just a fraction of the passion he put into the game.” 

 As the playoffs loomed, we ask if there’s any advantage to playing with guys like James Melindy and  Zach O’Brien. For sure, he said.  “Those guys are leaders on this team and they’ve won before, so they kind of carry the torch and they kind of show the way for us younger guys in the room, the new guys to this side of hockey. We just got to do our part and we’ve done a good job of that so far this year and moving forward in the playoffs, we’ve just got to keep that rolling. 

Matteo Pietroniro was born in Boise, Idaho, but the game of hockey has kept him well travelled. As for his stint with the Newfoundland Growlers? “So far so good,” he said with a laugh.  “You got to go to the hockey so you travel around everywhere but I love it here. I think it’s a very prideful town and when you come play for the Growlers, you’re proud to be a part of it and people are welcoming. The teammates were welcoming from the start, so it’s been an easy adjustment and I’ve enjoyed it a lot.” 

How is it to play with people like (Zach) O’Brien and (James) Melindy and (Marcus) Power, we ask. “I think when you can have guys that are from St. John’s and they are leaders, you feed off their energy and how much pride they take to win games and the pride in the fans so you learn from them,” he said. 

“The leadership. How they play the game … it’s been great for me as a overall learning experience and for making friendships as well.” 

 As COVID restrictions lifted, the game became more exciting too as the fans started to fill the stands. “Raising the capacity and seeing more fans come and seeing the fans have a good time has been great.”

 For now, he’s focused on the playoffs.

“I would like to go all the way and win, and I might have to get on a plane pretty soon after that to get married. But winning? That’s the biggest thing on my to do list for sure.” 

  Has he and his fiance been enjoying their time here?  “We are having a blast. We got a dog and are just enjoying life here. It’s definitely been a great experience so far.”

 Marcus Power doesn’t miss a beat. He’s excited for the playoffs and it shows.  “It’s exciting this time of year and it’s really fun to be a part of it. And we’re just hoping we can bring the (Kelly) Cup home again this year.” 

Power has been playing with (James) Melindy, (Zach ) O’Brien and (Todd) Skirving for three seasons now. Does that make a difference, we ask? “Having some familiar faces around and then us being the older guys on the team helps. We’re trying to mentor the younger guys and make sure they’re comfortable and create that winning culture. And I think we’re doing a pretty good job with that so far,” he said. 

  The fans have noticed, it seems. “We got a lot of loyal fans so that’s great to see. And we’ve had a few Saturday nights here where the place is rocking, so we’re hoping to see that in the playoffs because it definitely matters. When the building is loud and you can hear that the fans are behind you, it’s great,” he said.” 

Power had known Buddy the Puffin (Chris Abbott) pretty much all his life. The loss was “tough,” he said.“That was heartbreaking. We’d see him every morning and he was just so happy and so joyful and I would see him and you just yell out to him and he’d yelled back. He was just such a loving, joyful guy, and I can’t really put it into words how much he’s missed out here.” 

 Power had a setback this season and had sat out a few games tending to an injury. How’s he feeling? “I’m taking it day by day as this is my seventh concussion overall, so it’s been pretty hard. You do have a life after hockey so you try to do the right things and hopefully I’ll be back for playoffs.”

  While an injury is a setback, he still says he had a great season. One highlight? “The first game we played back down here (Mary Brown’s Centre). Getting back into this building was awesome. We really missed playing down here. CBS were great to us and they treated us really well, but getting back was incredible.” 

Orrin Centazzo has ‘it,’ whatever that ‘it’ is. The player from Marwayne, Alberta has been a hit with young hockey fans since day one and can often be found interacting – like handing over a puck or playing rock, paper, scissors – with kids at the plexiglass divider during warm up.  Phrases used to describe the young man with the blond curls hanging outside his helmet are, “he plays bigger than he is,” “What a spitfire,” and “can that kid ever skate.” He has spunk, attitude, and displays a kindness and sweetness that’s impossible to not adore.   We ask Centazzo what he thinks of a life lived in the spotlight. “You look out at all the signs that they have around in warm up and if your name’s on it, you try and acknowledge it and try and play rock, paper, scissors or trade a puck for something so they know you noticed,” he said with a smile. 

 He’s long has a passion for the game himself, so inspiring the next generation feels good, he added. “I start playing hockey or skating when I was two, and my dad wouldn’t tie my laces up tight to keep my strength on my ankles.” Did it help? He smiled, “I guess…”

There’s a passion in Centazzo and he says he’s glad it’s noticed.   “I am not taking any of this for granted. It’s the best game in the world and I get to play and I’m thankful for it and I’ll never take it for granted.” Centazzo’s mom and stepdad came to visit for six games. What are their thoughts? “They love it. It’s different from Alberta and the roads are confusing,” he laughed. 

As for the fans? They are the best. ”It’s such a great group of people to play for and the fanbase here? I love it.”

He also has praise for his teammates. “We have  a very skilled team. Playing with Obie (O’Brien) is crazy and playing with Skirvs (Skirving) is incredible, I mean, (Skirving) works hard. He can pass the puck like I haven’t seen before and it’s pretty easy – when you get a puck on your tape, you score.”

 Centazzo won Rookie of the Year this season. Thoughts?   “We’re excited for the playoffs. We want to bring another Kelly Cup here so hopefully we can do that and I think we’ve got the team to do it. I’m excited for the playoff atmosphere and to just continue to keep things going.”

Todd Skirving may have been born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, but after three seasons (one not played because of COVID) with the Growlers, he’s embraced Newfoundland as his home.  “This is kind of a second home to me. My heart’s here, so I like to think I’m an honourary Newfoundlander,” he said.  

  His heart is in the game – and in the province – so fiercely that he adds, “I don’t want to break out the news too early, but I’d like to come back next season to play again.”

Part of the attraction are his teammates. “We’re definitely fortunate. We get a lot of help from up top from the Leafs and the Marlies so we get a lot of good players and a great coaching staff… we’re a tight knit group and having the staff and the support systems that we have here, from nutrition to mental health on and off the ice, I think that just makes everyone feel comfortable and excited to play.” 

Skirving has had a great hockey season and he’s been a fan fav. His thoughts? “I always say and I tell the young guys, as long as the opportunities are coming, that’s a good thing. It’s when they’re not coming you should worry. Just take it one shift at a time and then focus on the next opportunity.” 

 The team has been blessed with not only strong players but great goalies too.  “Our goalies have been the backbone to our team this year. It allows us to play the kind of style of game we play offensively.”

Has he adjusted to the NL weather here now that he’s three seasons in? He laughed. “It’s like Thunder Bay, four seasons in one day; rain, snow, sun, clouds, and all of the above.”

 Skirving shared he has a good rapport on and off the ice with Marcus Power, James Melindy and Zach O’Brien as they’ve been playing together since their first Kelly Cup championship. “Marcus and Obie (O’Brien) are two special players. Obviously, they’re very talented, very gifted offensively, they put up a lot of goals and points and helped our team win a lot of games, but at the end of the day, they’re also good people too. I enjoy being around Obie and Marcus and our captain James Melindy.”

Melindy worked towards becoming a firefighter when the season was cancelled due to COVID, so the team wasn’t sure if he’d be back.  “I remember saying all summer long how he was the last piece to our puzzle. He is the anchor in our locker room. These players have been at the top, they’ve helped us win a championship, and they are good people off the ice and it keeps the locker room tight.”

Skirving was also close to Chris Abbott who portrayed the mascot Buddy the Puffin. “It still almost doesn’t feel real. The last couple of games, being at home again for three games and not hearing him holler? We talk about it in the locker room. I think our playoff this year is going to be for Abbo. We’re starting to come up with some slogans and whatnot. It’s definitely a big loss, not just for us and the Growlers team, but I think for the hockey community in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

 There’s a framed picture of ‘Buddy’ at home, he added, and a little display dedicated to his late friend. “It just feels like life cut short and we missed out on a lot of opportunities. I feel like we always said we’re going to grab a drink but life gets busy. He was a big Yankee fan and opening day is today, so we probably would have got together and I miss him.”