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.

James Taylor’s newest album, American Standard – his 19th studio album – has already earned Taylor the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and given him the honor of being the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades. From Something in the Way She Moves (James Taylor) in the 60s, to Fire and Rain (Sweet Baby James) in the 70s to Her Town Too (Dad Loves His Work) in 1981, the hits have kept coming and the fans grew along with each release. Little wonder. Tunes like You’ve got a Friend and How Sweet it is (To Be Loved by You) combined Taylor’s smooth yet rawly simple tones with lyrics that held meaning. With each of Taylor’s tunes, you have music sure to please any folk/rock/pop or country fan of any age. Follow that musical lineup with the fun and playful Handyman, and you have a playlist compilation to outlast any island roadtrip or just ‘chillin’ it’ kitchen party enthusiast.

The best part for anyone with a Newfoundland or Labrador connection? Taylor has been here before, posing cheerfully with fans and staff at Fred’s Records in downtown St. John’s during his last visit and has gained an admiration for this place.  

Taylor, along with his wife Kim and their sons Rufus and Henry, reside in Western Massachusetts, so the weather here doesn’t bother him, for one thing, he says with a chuckle.

“How are things today in Newfoundland?” the artist opens warmly, sharing that, “We’re actually going to be rehearsing American Standard while in Newfoundland so I can stay there for a couple of days, which is rare and wonderful for me.” 

Taylor continues, adding that he “met some new friends and reconnected with some old friends,” and was shown around quite a bit the last time he visited here while on tour.  “I’m hoping to be able to connect with some of those people when I’m in town. But yeah, we get to stick around for like three or four days, which is really good,” he said.

Fans will no doubt be honoured to show the musician a grand time, we say, adding that there might even be an iceberg or two for him to see while he’s here this time around.

Taylor says, with pure genuineness, that it’s an honour to be returning. “It’s great coming back. It’s always a great thing to come to Newfoundland because it’s an extraordinary thing and an unusual thing in some ways because it’s not a place that’s on the route from one place to another while on tour,” he said. If you are going to Newfoundland with a band, that’s usually your intended destination, he added.  “You really have to want to be there. You’ve got to make specific plans to get all the equipment up and the lighting and all that stuff. So, you know, it’s an endeavor.”

But in his opinion, it’s always worth it, he added enthusiastically.

 “If you want to make the effort, and if you make the effort, and the response that you get from the audience – at least in my limited experience – makes it feel like just an extraordinary place, then you want to come back like we do,” he said.

 Of course, the fans are reacting to the music of a master with a lifetime in the business. Taylor’s music has long embodied the art of songwriting in its most personal and universal forms as he’s a descriptive master in a way that resonates with people everywhere. In 1971, Taylor was on the cover of Time magazine, heralded as the harbinger of the singer-songwriter era and five decades later, his warm baritone, introspective lyrics and unique style of guitar playing still cuts a path to which many young musicians aspire to travel. 

His songs have had a profound influence on songwriters and music lovers from all walks of life too; Country Road,   Mexico, Your Smiling Face, Sweet Baby James, Today Today Today  and so many, many more will leave those in attendance on April 21st in awe.

Beside his many hits, Taylor will perform tunes off American Standards, an album that salutes the Great American Songbook with Taylor’s unique take on songs by writers of the ‘20s through the ’50s, from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Cole Porter and Frank Loesser and more. The albums recent release also happened to mark 50 years since the release of Taylor’s Sweet Baby James, the album that launched his stardom at the age of 21.

Why kick off the tour in Newfoundland? It’s a show that’s been in the planning stages for years, he said, and COVID has delayed things enough.  “We meant to do it in April of 2020, two years ago, and then we put things off until September of ‘21. And then even that we couldn’t make that work. So it’s something that we’ve had ready and we’ve been looking forward to really for about four years now, but it’s been in the works and in the planning stages for that long.”

So, the time is now, he added with a laugh.

 “Why start in Newfoundland? I don’t know if it’s for one reason, it just seems like a good place for us for all the reasons I mentioned about. It’s been such an extraordinary place to be and to play and it was so memorable for everybody in the band. And we’re just trying to mix in some enjoyment or a sense of place in the work we do and get to know another town that we’re playing in,” he said. Mixing work and pleasure these days just seems to make a whole lot of sense, the 74 year-old added. 

We ask about the American Standard album, about where the passion for the project came from.  “These are songs that I learned as a as a kid because they were part of the family record collection, you know, they were standard songs. Really well known tunes that came from Broadway and some of them from movies and some of them from popular sheet music of the day.”

Bottom line; they were songs he knew and knew well.  “I played them on the guitar. I sort of developed a guitar arrangement and they were part of my learning and sort of expanding (my skill) as I learned to play these songs.”  He also felt that the album was “just something that needed to be done.”

 “There were songs and arrangements that I had as a kid and that I really wanted to record at some point in my life. That was the main reason to make that album. It wasn’t so much that we’re turning to a nostalgic place or looking for a simpler time – a less complicated time – it was more just about having this batch of tunes that I had arranged on a guitar over the years and wanting to turn it into a project, wanting to get it down on record.” We ask about the significance of special guest, Jackson Browne.  “Jackson and I have had very parallel and very similar  life paths and … starting in the late 60s we came out of the box at about the same time and we sort of represent a kind of a singer-songwriter movement,” he said.

 They are very similar, he continued. “One of Jackson’s main focuses and mine too is maintaining a sort of a musical community with whom you have this shared musical life. And one of the real achievements of a career is to basically have a band, have a group of players with whom you collaborate. And that’s Jackson. That’s like the most important thing is his relationship with his band, his crew and obviously his audience.”

And their fan base seem to “get along well,” he adds. “That’s been another interesting thing about this tour because Jackson and I, I think our audiences get along well and it’s a whole thing that you feel as an artist and that the audience seems to respond to.”

Things have been going so well, he added, that he simply wishes for more time to keep doing what he loves. 

“For me, it’s been great. And I wish (touring with Browne) could go on forever. But for the time being … this will be the end of our year of touring together.”

For more, including getting tickets for the show at Mary Brown’s Centre on April 21st, visit mbcentre.ca or www.jamestaylor.com 

*First published January 30th, 2022

From small towns to curling’s biggest games, the power of teamwork, family, community and hard-work is undefeated, teases the set up for the YouTube series titled Sweeps and Stones: A Canadian Curling Story.

Kubota Canada, the genius behind farm equipment, construction equipment, mowers, and UTVs, has also been behind one of this country’s finest to ever pick up a broom; NL’s own Brad Gushue.

Olympic-worthy

Kubota teamed with Brad Gushue, Kerri Einarson, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker to proudly present Sweeps and Stones: A Canadian Curling Story, a behind the scenes look at what it takes to win as Team Gushue compete for curling glory on the world stage at the Olympics in Beijing. 

One of the things that quickly becomes apparent in this five part series is how much time investment it truly takes to hone any talent at an Olympic-worthy level. 

Team Canada curling is not a ‘hobby’ you can dabble with on weekends or in the evening hours.

Going for Gold

Going for gold requires time, energy and commitment, and that means everything else in life – from working to family events – are often put on the back burner as  the team members reach for the stars. Add a global pandemic to the mix and you have some wild times for Gushue and co.

“You hit the nail on the head. For us especially this time around, having the support of partners like Kubota made all the difference for us. When I look back at the success we had 16 years ago, we were in our young 20s. We didn’t have families, we didn’t have kids. We we were pretty well 100 per cent focused on the Olympics,” Gushue began.

As such, each and every resource went into that goal, he added.

“At our age, we have wives and kids and businesses and other endeavors so for us to still be competitive with all the other teams in the world, we have to take a considerable amount of time away from our workplaces and from our families.”

Priority one

Without support from sponsors like Kubota, such golden opportunities might not be as easily within reach, he added. 

“Having Kubota on board with us for the last four years made a significant difference to us, to be quite honest. We were able to travel essentially anywhere we wanted to compete and (the financing) allowed us access to the best trainers around, which made a huge impact on our performance. All that will hopefully allow us to perform at our ultimate level when we head over to Beijing,” he said.

With everything that’s happening in the world these days, is his head in the game, we ask. “I’m okay. I have a good perspective on everything. But to be honest, there’s anxiety. There’s nerves about catching the virus before we get there. At this point, if we do catch (COVID), the likelihood of us being able to go is very slim and you don’t want your Olympic dream being taken away by a virus.”

Priority one: avoid the virus like, well, the plague, he said with a chuckle. 

“We have to do everything we can to make sure that we can get to Beijing with negative test results. Then, everything shifts to we have to perform. It’s a balance. Isolate as much as humanly possible so our only trips out of the house is to practice. We ‘bubble’ as a team and hopefully that’ll kind of blend the priorities that we need to focus on, which is getting ready.” 

Sweeps & Stones

In Sweeps and Stones, Gushue shared how he fell in love with the game of curling at a young age. He reflected on that life-changing moment of switching from hockey to curling.

“I knew curling was the sport for me from day one. I loved watching it, but when I actually played it, I fell in love with it that much more. My first day of curling was the day after my last game of hockey.” 

His love for the game was instant, he added. “I went and tried curling and I’m like, ‘You know what? This is what I’m going to do. This is where I want to spend my time as a young teenager,’ and my family were very supportive. My dad had just bought new hockey equipment, but he got on board pretty quick when he saw how passionate I was about it.”

Gushue shared he’s “passionate” about Sweeps and Stones too and the stories it tells.

‘“I’m anxious for everybody to see all the episodes as it really tells our story. It tells how the team has evolved and there’s a bit about our time here in St. John’s and the bubble we had last year and in the spring where we spent three months away from family and friends to be in the arena getting ready for those big moments on the ice. It gives a behind the scenes look at what we’ve given up and gone through, so I’m excited for everybody to see it. I think it tells the true story of who we are and what we’ve always had to do as a team to get where we are.” 

Team Gushue

Say ‘Team Gushue’ and many across Canada can recall where they were when the Canadian curlers achieved Olympic Gold in 2006. In this province, locals can even take the Team Gushue Highway, we tease, in honour of the win. 

“I’m sure they are not cheering when they go over the potholes,” Gushue joked. 

We ask if he’s feeling the pressure this time around. “It is quite an honour to have the amount of support that we have across the country. I think early in my career (knowing all eyes were on the team) added a lot of pressure, but I think the fact that we’ve had the success that we’ve had, that helps.”

‘True to ourselves’

There’s no amount of success that can change who they are at this point, he added. “How we are treated within the community and whether we go to the Olympics and win or don’t win a game, I don’t know if it’s going to change too much when we come home. They can’t name another highway after us, can they? So that’s been done,” he joked.  

Gushue shared that it’s all about doing their best. “A win is not going to be the life changing moment we had 16 years ago. I think accepting that takes a lot of the pressure off or takes a lot of the edge off. We want to be true to ourselves, and do our best for our families and for our supporters.”

Don’t get him wrong, he added, he very much enjoyed being one of NL’s Golden B’ys.

“16 years ago, it was very much a provincial win. Our province was just coming out of some bad times and things were looking good. And then when we won, it felt like the whole province  jumped on board with us and the celebration was for a whole bunch of reasons.” 

Back to the Olympics

Today Gushue is a dad to two daughters, aged 10 and 14. They are into “typical teenage and preteen girl stuff,” Gushue shared. 

“They are into dance. They play soccer and volleyball. They both curl as well, which is exciting. They’re very, very excited to see us go to the Olympics and that was a big motivator for me over the last four years. Getting back to the Olympics when they were old enough to understand the magnitude of what we were doing is pretty awesome. I’d love for them to be over there, but that’s not possible, but they’re going to be watching every game here at home and supporting us as much as possible.”

Gushue’s mom, Maureen, had battled cancer and had to cheer her son on from home during the 2006 Olympics. How is she today? 

Mom’s Boy

“My mom is great. 16 years ago was a scary time for our family and she was going through cancer treatments and things didn’t look as good as we had hoped at the time. She’s in a really good place now and 16 years removed from it, she’s doing very well.”

Obviously family is very important, something that becomes very obvious throughout Sweeps and Stones. 

“Going back to the partnership with Kubota, that’s allowed us to balance things better. It’s allowed me more time to spend with family when I am home. Then you have the team, so that’s almost two families that I am able to be devoted to.”

In the fall and early winter, Gushue spent as much or more time with ‘the guys’ than with his actual family, he shared, and tight bonds were formed.  

“You develop ties to these four guys and I think that really shows up in episode three when we talk about being in that bubble for three months and living in a house together. You know, at the end of the day, that’s who I want to play for and what I’m trying to achieve; it’s for my family on and off the ice. It’s for  home. And, it’s to give my kids that little bit of inspiration that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve it.”

Family time

Gushue’s family have certainly seen his commitment, he added.

“They’ve seen me now over the last number of years trying to achieve this goal of getting to the Olympics and they know how much hard work has to be done to get there. I think that’s a bigger lesson, in my opinion, than they are ever going to get in school or anywhere else. They’ve been able to witness it firsthand. Now, if they had any dreams – whether it’s in sport or in academics or in the business world – they know how much effort has to go in to achieve it.” 

‘Accurate depiction’

Any last words?

“I just encourage everybody to watch (Sweeps and Stones). I think it’s a very accurate depiction of who we are as a team and it shows what we’ve had to go through and it shows how big having the support of a company behind us is to achieving our goal.”

The folks who “pay the bills” don’t always get the credit they deserve, he added. “One of the first things I did after we won the trials was thank them because at this stage in life, without the support that Kubota has given us as our biggest sponsor,  we couldn’t have done it.”

As for the Olympics? Watch that too, he encouraged. “Watch it. Enjoy it. Cheer. That’s all we can ask for.”

For more visit Kubota Canada’s YouTube channel.

By: Jason Sheppard

• Originally published January 30th, 2022

Lindsay Anne Delaney’s passion for photography has long been a part of her identity. In high school, she was that young woman who constantly carried a disposable camera, taking pictures of everybody. Much of her inspiration, she says, developed from leafing through fashion and pop-culture magazines. 

“When I was a kid, I was obsessed with those,” Delaney tells The Herald. “I was a huge fan of New Kids on the Block. Looking at the different stylistic things they would wear during a shoot sparked my interest into what went into a photo.”

Delaney lived in Stephenville until her father moved the family to Alberta, where he obtained his PhD in educational leadership. In Edmonton, she was exposed to big city life at a young age. 

“I knew I wanted more,” Delaney said, setting her sights on bigger cities with bigger opportunities. After a stint working on George Street, Delaney moved to Boston, enrolling in the New England School of Photography.

Gaining experience 

“My mother had an interesting reaction to that, because my sister moved to England a week later,” shared Delaney. “She had two different children in two different countries in a matter of a week.” 

When she completed her studies in Boston she returned home to Stephenville, enrolling in College of the North Atlantic’s now dissolved Visual Arts program. From there Delaney was awarded a scholarship to Halifax’s Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in photography. Her experience in this program helped evolve Delaney’s influences, as well as her art. “I’ve been a huge Warhol and Basquiat fan for a long time,” she said. “I’ve always been obsessed with their work and their relationship. The aesthetics, colour, vibrancy and contrast have no doubt influenced my work.”

Delaney, a self-described “hustler,” has worked hard to find success in the Canadian fashion scene, valuing respect among colleagues as particularly important. She strives for a high standard of work and believes in encouraging individuals to be their best, sharing that, “If someone says something can’t be done, I say, ‘hey, I’ll make it happen.’”

Good vibes & energy

Delaney has shot a myriad of celebrities including Private Eyes stars Cyndi Sampson and Jason Priestley of Beverly Hills 90210 fame. A force to be reckoned with behind the camera and the editorial desk, Delaney is also luxury publication Preferred Magazine’s fashion editor. 

When asked what helps make a strong collaborator, Delaney suggests “Good vibes and good energy. Trust in the work’s process and you can’t force anything. And if you let that go, sometimes things will come up more beautiful than what you intended.”

With her position cemented in the industry, Delaney aims to ensure inclusivity and diversity play key roles. 

“When I was first sent out photo assisting, there was a stylist who told me I should be a producer because of my personality and because you don’t see very many thick fashion photographers in Canada. From then on, it was important for me to showcase inclusivity, in front of and behind the camera. You can do other things outside of what you should do and the box that people put you in.”

Delaney cites a recent documentary, The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion, as being enlightening as well as inspiring. 

“It’s been a long time coming in terms of acknowledging the history of black culture and the influence they’ve had in fashion and in the music industry. As good as it has been to see increased diversity in campaigns, I personally believe that in order to elevate the fashion community we also need to ensure that diverse representation is found in all aspects of the industry, including positions of power. George Sully’s creation of Black Designers of Canada is a great example and it’s the beginning of what needs to be done moving forward to amplify BIPOC voices.”

‘A bucket list moment’

Some of Delaney’s recent projects include British Vogue, Vanity Fair, Living Luxe Magazine, Marquis Magazine and ET Canada. Her recent work in Vanity Fair and British Vogue was with RVNG, a vibrant new Canadian fashion brand. This year she also shot for New York Fashion Week. “If you look at every project I do, I organize everything, especially with editorials. I did a cover shoot for Vitalize Magazine featuring Kim Cloutier dressed in Mikhael Kale. Shooting in the lower bay station in the Toronto subway system is an experience I will never forget. Clearly, working with Brandon Walsh from 90210 (aka Jason Priestley) was a bucket list moment.”

Despite her hectic work and travel schedule, Delaney insists home is never far from her thoughts. 

“I bring Newfoundland everywhere in my heart and I bring it to every set. It’s my spirit and my energy. Newfoundlanders are known for making others feel welcome and being from there is one of the reasons why I’m successful. It’s a compass that’s set with me every single day.”

What a year 2021 has been! The holiday season will be a welcome break for everyone. Stirling Communications (NTV, OZFM and The Newfoundland Herald)  just celebrated our 23rd annual Teddy Toss this month, with tens of thousands of bears and gift baskets being distributed to families in need across the province of Newfoundland  and Labrador. 

A holiday tradition

It’s a sweet legacy of giving back to the community, and creating a fun night with a higher purpose. 

The idea of a “Teddy Toss” came to me at a St. John’s Maple Leafs game at the old Memorial Stadium, when I saw a bunch of paper airplanes sailing onto the ice as part of a contest and thought: what if those paper airplanes were teddy bears, and given to kids who aren’t getting anything for the holidays. No child should be without a toy on Christmas. The Salvation Army stepped up to manage distribution, and package the bears with other essentials like blankets and food stuffs. The rest is history. 

For a time I actually thought I invented the Teddy Toss concept, until finding out another minor league hockey team in BC had successfully pulled off the same concept earlier. Independent minds coming to the same idea. Pretty cool. Now it’s a holiday tradition all across North America – teddy bears being thrown out onto the ice at hockey games to give to the less fortunate. 

Funny that we were one of the very first in the world to do it, right here in St. John’s. Newfoundlanders have a track record of giving more to charity (per capita) than any other province in Canada. This heartwarming generosity goes on display every year – whether it’s the Teddy Toss or the Janeway Telethon. It’s just awe-inspiring. 

A Christmas miracle

To finish the story: on that first Teddy Toss night, I was so worried that no one would bring a bear. Even though we had advertised the event on NTV, OZFM and in The Newfoundland Herald, the hockey team wasn’t doing great (games weren’t selling out), people were busy with other seasonal activities, and the concept was new. Moreover, a huge snowstorm hit St. John’s the night of the first Toss. 

A half hour before game time, the stadium was practically empty with nary a teddy to be found. I felt defeated, deflated, and like I was going to cry.

Well, what happened next was a Christmas miracle. Thousands of people streamed into the stadium, almost every one of them holding a teddy bear to throw onto the ice. The game was a sell out, with the home team scoring the winning goal in a thrilling last-second manner. The Salvation Army band played beautiful Christmas carols, families were rejoicing and singing along, Buddy the Puffin was doing his thing and a Newfoundland Christmas tradition was born.

After the game, I delivered the footage we took of the event back to NTV. Right as I was walking into the Master Control Room at the television station, the MCR (Master Control Room) phone rang. It was my grandfather, Hall of Fame broadcaster and station owner Geoff Stirling! Geoff had taken a real interest in the promotion and wanted to know how the evening unfolded. 

‘How was the Toss’

“How was the Toss, buddy? Did anyone bring a bear?“ Geoff asked. As I described the magic of the night, Geoff further inquired: “Do you have footage?” When I answered in the affirmative, he joyfully exclaimed, “Well, give it to the MCR operator, man! What are you waiting for?” 

On NTV’s first commercial break we aired the two minute clip (with some scrolling text giving the footage context). Geoff was so thrilled. I don’t think my grandfather was ever prouder of me; I could hear it in his voice. Geoff concluded: “Close your eyes right now, buddy.” I did. 

‘A big responsibility’

“Never forget this moment. This event showed that advertising with our media works; it has real power. And it’s a big responsibility to always use this power for good, and to give back to the community,” he said.

Well, I have never forgotten that moment. And I’ve always tried to use the power of our local media for good – to reflect the beauty of the province back onto itself. Newfoundland and Labrador is a special place to live, and it’s by having each others’ backs that we get through tough times. Teamwork makes the dream work. 

Keep being good people! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

The Salvation Army in Conception Bay South have faithful church attendees from all over the world these days, says Major Chris Pilgrim. 

With the largest online following of any church in the province – averaging 2000+ following and watching the service at home from the church’s location in CBS every Sunday on Facebook and YouTube – Pastor Pilgrim shared it all came about because there was a need. 

‘The first lockdown’

“When we had the first lockdown, we felt the need to do something when it came to holding church services, but how could we do it when we weren’t allowed in our buildings?” he opened.  Having a “somewhat musically gifted family,” Pilgrim decided to try holding services from his living room. 

“There were five of us and we just decided that we would give it a try so we went live on a Sunday evening just with our family and from there it just took off.”

The response has been amazing, he added. 

“It’s just incredible how the audience just gravitated to the ministry that we were putting out. I guess the old traditional songs that we were singing and our style of worship people enjoyed and it brought about, I believe, some encouragement and a message of hope that people needed during some of the darkest times that they’d ever seen.”

Challenging place

 Keeping the faith, so to speak, helped cope with “the uncertainties that the pandemic brought,” he added.  

“At least they had something to look forward to on Sunday, particularly to those who were faithful church attenders for years and all of a sudden church doors are closed and they can’t attend. It put some in a very challenging place and we were able to provide a service that brought about some hope and gave folks something to look forward to every Sunday, even if it was from their homes.”

The buildings may have been closed, he added, but church services could continue. 

Online presence

Even though church has resumed, they still keep up their online presence, he added. “We have a worldwide following, or a global following. Every Sunday when we go live we have a thousand plus viewers. We’re huge on YouTube as well, with 6,000 hits each service. By the end of the week through Facebook Live we get 20,000 plus views.”

Receiving messages from all over the world is inspirational, Pilgrim added,  “It is just truly remarkable how far reaching this is. It’s brought us to a whole new era of ministry that we never, ever felt we would get to. But it’s just incredible to know of the following and the interest and the encouragement that people give us weekly and the thrill for us is that we know they have the privilege of enjoying church from the comfort and safety of home.” 

Pilgrim says he recognizes many are still struggling. Is there a message at this time of year he’d like to get out to those in need?

“Christmas has become commercialized as we all know, and I think it’s taken the joy out of what this season should be about. You know the old Christmas song that says that this is the most wonderful time of the year? I think many people would push back on that and say, ‘not a chance,’ with the commercialism and the hustle and bustle of it all it’s taken some of the joy away.” 

The message he would put forth is simple. “Get back to the basics of what this season is all about, where it all originated and that is the birth of Jesus. He came to give us hope, peace, joy and love, not just this time of the year, but throughout our lives in the midst of the chaos,” he shared.

“We can gravitate to that message to find peace, he added. Remember Matthew 1:23 which says, So all this was done that it might be fulfilled that which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ Pilgrim shared. “God is with us. And we can, I think, hold fast to that message all throughout the year and hold to it through a pandemic or whatever it is that we’re going through. I guess that’s the message I wanted to bring out. That’s the truth of it for us.”  

NTV’s Sunday Service

NTV has been helping connect viewers to their faith as well, airing Sunday church services from local parishes each Sunday morning at 10:30 A.M. 

Lindsey Andrews, the General Manager at NTV/OZFM and The Newfoundland Herald, shared that the Sunday Service homepage has received over 15,226 page views since the program launched back in April 2020.

It started off with four churches in rotation, Andrews explained; Salvation Army in CBS, Bethesda Pentecostal Church on MacDonald Drive in St. John’s, St. Mark’s Anglican Church on Logy Bay Road in St. John’s and St. Peter’s Parish Roman Catholic Church in Mount Pearl.

 A number of months ago, the United Church in Cowan Heights was added to the rotation as well.

“NTV is very proud, in these pandemic times, to be able to help folks stay connected through their faith,” Andrews shared.

“It has been simply amazing to realize that so many of our viewers watch the weekly Sunday Service program. NTV genuinely appreciates the commitment of the five church denominations for providing their services for us to broadcast,” he added.

This time of year especially, when so many usually attend church services with family, having access to options is important. Spreading a message filled with peace, joy, and hope is always important, but it’s perhaps even more special and more needed at Christmas.

Blessed Christmas

Andrews says he knows the good that has come out of helping local churches spread their message of hope, because he hears regularly from appreciative viewers. It means so much, he shared, to know how much joy NTV has helped spread when it was needed the most.

Any final words, we ask. Andrews nodded. “On behalf of all of us at NTV, have a blessed Christmas season.”

Fore more visit: ntv.ca/category/programs/sunday-services/

NTV’s Chief Meteorologist Eddie Sheerr was visiting family in the states, there to celebrate American Thanksgiving, when we spoke via Skype for The Herald’s cover story. Wife Susan was home alone with the two wee ones, Emily and Allie, for a few days and it – understandably – took her a few extra minutes to be able to join in on our call.

Bittersweet reunion

“It’s bittersweet being here. I’m happy, it’s been 635 days since my last visit, and it’s great to see everyone, but I miss my girls,” he said sincerely. 

Susan, with her hair in a practical though preciously sweet mom-approved pinned-up ponytail, sighed – just a little.

“There’s lots of bittersweet when you have kids. It’s been hectic heading into the holidays, but of course it’s going to be a fun year because Emily’s really excited. She’s talking about Santa. She’s already excited seeing the lights up and so she’s aware of what’s going on this year. Allie, of course, won’t be – she’s too young –but we’re excited,” Susan said.

‘Life in general’

Eddie nodded. “It’s fun just to have the girls around. But life in general, with the two of them at the age they are, is hectic,” he admitted.

Still, the two of them are nothing if not grateful and blessed. 

“It’s different with two and it’s different going through the baby/newborn stage again because we learned so much with Emily. So there’s a lot less panic when it comes to settling Allie when she needs something. But, you know, as Susan said too, it’s hectic, because the difficulty level hasn’t gone up by a factor of one. It’s gone up by a factor of like 10.”

The two of them laugh – one only a parent can get. As a mom myself, I feel their joy as well as their parental pain.  

What’s it like to be state-side visiting family after such a long time away? “Indescribable,” Eddie said. 

The last time he saw his nieces, they were one and three. Now Maddie and Riley seem so grown up, he shared.  

“The differences in them now are just incredible. And it was like, ‘wow.’ It did my heart so good – filled it – to get to see them and hold them and hug them again and spend time with them. And I don’t know if I really was able to fully comprehend how much I missed them.”

Giving thanks

Still, there’s that ease of settling back in with family that so many of us who have lived away know. “It’s also strange because, on the one hand, it’s been a while since I’ve been home. On the other hand, like it just feels like everything was on pause and that we just resumed everything. It fills my heart. It’s weird. It’s very strange. This whole pandemic has been very strange.”

While he’s there to celebrate Thanksgiving, hanging out is important too. 

“It’s just good to see my nieces and my brother and to be together with my parents.”

Of course travelling with two small girls wasn’t wise, so they are at home with Susan. How’s she doing?

While Eddie’s away

“Mom has been here helping out on-and-off since Allie’s been born, and she’s here this week while Eddie’s away. So that’s been a great help because of course, we don’t have any family on the Avalon. So having the two children with just myself and Eddie has been difficult, and having a toddler in daycare who’s always sick and trying to balance all that has been difficult,” she shared honestly. 

Eddie, who is obviously still suffering from a handed-over head cold, smiles at his wife over our Skype call.

Finding the time

Eddie is passionate about his family. He’s also very passionate about the weather, though he admits it can be difficult to balance it all.

“It’s challenging to find the time that I would like to have for posting about weather and getting the most out of my workday. Emily, at least a little bit, is getting a bit easier to parent. But Allie is, obviously, very, very little still. And so, the two of them, and Susan too, have to be a priority and parenting needs to come first. I know that people rely on me,  but I’m a one man show and there’s only so many hours in the day.” 

Eat, drink & be merry

Anything special planned for the holidays? “Survive,” Eddie said. We all laugh. “Eat, drink and be merry,” Susan added in a way that really said ‘they’ll not be much time for any of that.’ Some ‘I hear ya’’ and ‘been there’ laughter.  

“We’re just honestly trying to survive right now, you know? These few days without me is really hard on Susan. It’s tough on your own. She’s got her hands full and I’m very appreciative that I’m able to go down and see my family while she does it all.”

Teaming up

Their only wish? To get through the holidays by “teaming up.” 

“We will be a good team and will be a good parental team. But, you know, essentially, like anything else right now, it’s just about survival and getting through the days. You know, anyone with newborns will tell you, it’s not that easy much of the time,” Eddie said.

The Sheerr’s share they feel the love from the community.  NTV viewers always support their family, they say.

“We would like to, first of all, say thank you for all the kind words and well-wishes. It means a lot to Susan and I. You know, it’s hard to put into words how people have welcomed me and welcomed Susan and our family into their homes every night and really made us part of their extended families. So it does mean a lot and we are very appreciative of it.”

But then, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are known for their kindness, Eddie continued. “Newfoundland and Labrador is a lovely place for that. Everyone is very close knit and a tight group. And even if you’re not family, you feel like family, and that’s part of what I love about the province.” 

‘We are done!’

Susan says she shares in her husband’s sentiment regarding caring viewers.

“Just thank you for all the love and support. It’s great to see it and growing up in Newfoundland, I’m not surprised by that because  I’ve seen it before, but it is nice to feel it. So just a big thank you to everyone. The love and support really helps.”

There’s one more thing they feel compelled to share. “Oh. Tell everyone from us, ‘this is it! Two is plenty! We are done!’” Susan added with a laugh.

“No. There won’t be a third,” Eddie shared, adding; “We’re done here. We have two healthy girls who are, knock on wood, really amazing. We will stop at this point. We’re good.” 

The Missus Downstairs is about an oddball friendship that grew between comedian/actor Dave Sullivan and his nosy – yet also preciously lovable and naturally comedic – downstairs neighbour Mildred. 

Starring Mary Walsh (Codco, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Hatching, Matching, and Dispatching, just to name a few claims to fame) as the quirky and inquisitive Missus Downstairs, and Dave Sullivan (The Grand Seduction, The Republic of Doyle, Dance Party of Newfoundland) as her somewhat naïve, shy and awkward upstairs neighbour, The Missus chronicles on television screens what loyal Facebook followers of Sullivan’s have been watching unfold for over a year. 

More ‘MISSUS’ to come

Sullivan’s Facebook-post reenactments of his almost daily encounters  with  ‘The Missus’ has kept many entertained. In fact, it was Sullivan’s posts that captured Walsh’s attention. “I saw the posts. I reached out to Dave. We grabbed some other talented people, and we made a series,” Walsh said with a ‘and that’s how it’s done,’ chuckle. 

It was, she added, “one of the quickest, most fun, and easiest projects she’s ever worked on.”

In fact, there’s more The Missus Downstairs episodes coming once this season is complete, they shared when they sat down with The Herald for a chat.

The Missus Downstairs, Walsh shared (available for Bell Fibe TV customers on channel 1, or via On Demand with the Bell Fibe TV App) is “just like Dave. Awkwardly adorable.” 

Speaking of following Sullivan’s Facebook posts as he captured some of the many quaint yet odd encounters with his actually downstairs neighbour, Walsh shared she simply couldn’t wait to “do something with it.”

“I don’t know why, but I just loved it. And I reached out to Dave because I knew him from his brilliant work in the Newfoundland Dance Party that this could be something great,” she shared.

Blew her mind 

Rene Hackett, Ruth Lawrence and others were hauled in, and The Missus started to come to life quickly. Walsh, who has since met the actual Missus of Missus Downstairs fame, shared she is playing the role with “a little more edge” just to add another element to the series. But besides that, much of what we’ll see is what actually occurred.  

“She’s very open hearted and friendly. And so she expects other people to be as friendly and as open hearted. And there’s a lot of tenderness to her as well,” Walsh added, referring to the woman she portrays on the series.

Sullivan, who has since moved, is quick to add that he stays in touch with “The Missus.” “She loves what’s happened with the show, though I was nervous about telling her. She’s actually tickled pink about it, thankfully.”

Just imagine, he added. One minute you are living your life and the next you’re the basis for a television show. 

“So, you’re living your life and you’re going outside to have a smoke and you talk to the buddy upstairs when you see him and then all of a sudden buddy upstairs shows up and is like, ‘by the way. There’s a show made about you or inspired by you and also, the person that’s playing you is Mary Walsh.’ That blew her mind to pieces,” Sullivan said with an almost-can’t-believe-it-myself laugh. 

When “Missus” finally met Walsh, and had a special screening of the show, what was her reaction?

“I was ready to have a stroke but she said, ‘other than the day I was married and the day I had my youngsters, this is the best day of my entire life.’” 

It was, Sullivan added, such a relief. “That could only go one of two ways. It could have gone really great – which it did – or could have gone really bad. There’s no in-between. Now, her whole family is in on it. They all sat down and watched it together and she’s over the moon.” 

‘Best day of my life’

We asked Sullivan if he had any idea how things would turn out. Not really, he said. In fact, at first, he made it his mission to avoid his nosy neighbour as much as possible, except she was “inescapable.”

Walsh laughed, adding that that’s what makes this so great. 

“She would be up at five o’clock in the morning, having a smoke, when Dave was leaving. He was thinking he could get out the door without seeing her, but no. And then he would come home after work at eight o’clock at night and she would be there. ‘Oh my God, you work some lot,’ she’d say type thing. But she was there all the time and she always had something to say,” Walsh said.

For someone who is admittedly “socially awkward,” it was a bit challenging to adjust to. 

Me & her & the ocean

“Even though he’s quite charming and charismatic, he didn’t want to be involved. But she did. And she didn’t even consider  – and I don’t mean that she was selfish. I just mean that it didn’t even occur to her that he wouldn’t want to have a relationship with her,”  Walsh added.

Sullivan nodded. “That was what made it funny I think – the  awkwardness of it.  She was putting herself out there – and this happened during the lockdown,  so it was kind of just me and her at the edge of the ocean for a little while.”

It was, he admitted, a “weird but wonderful friendship.”

“She would sort of test my boundaries and she wore me down. She would force me to open up and be like, ‘I guess my day was this and I did this,’ because she asked. And then she would make a joke. Sometimes I would see her in the morning and then in the evening and she’d still be out there and she’d say, ‘I waited up for you.’”

Sullivan began capturing the encounters on his social media and many were drawn in, including Walsh.

The two can’t wait to work on more episodes. “We had a wonderful team. Everybody was really happy to be there. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such a good time. I had that thought, you know, ‘Even if nobody likes it, it won’t take away from how great this has been working with Dave and all these other brilliant people.’”

Walsh loved the project so much, she actually directed it, even though she had sworn she would never direct again. 

“I directed a movie one hundred and fifty years ago back before the Earth was solid, and it was called Young Triffie  and I thought I would never do it again,” she said with a laugh.

Directing was, she said,  “a traumatic event.” “I thought I’d never direct film or television again so it was a big step for me to step up and direct this, but I wanted to do it so badly, that I did.”

And how was it? we ask.

Walsh smiled. “Amazing.”

For more, follow The Missus Downstairs on Facebook or visit Bell for viewing options. 

Spend any time with the divine Shelley Neville and you can’t help but be swept up in an aura of awesome. The class. The humour. The passion. The talent. The love for what she does and the people around her. It’s all there and then some.

Annual extravaganza 

As Neville prepared for her annual extravaganza performance of O Holy Night – a concert filled with all the favourite Christmas songs and packed with unforgettable show-stopping performances by Shelley’s family (her hip-shaking Dad John along with her incredibly talented brother Johnny) and friends (Cory Tetford, David Pomeroy and Neville’s long-time stage partner Peter Halley return) she sat down with The Herald’s Managing Editor to talk cherished concert festivities as well as fabulous fashion!

As we flutter around her brilliantly decorated home and, most importantly, play with the ginormous collection of glorious gowns, Neville talked about the show’s show-stopper and namesake, O Holy Night. 

“I think it’s a song that is simply powerful. It’s like an operatic piece, but then it’s very quiet and sentimental, too. That’s what I like about it – that the song takes you through a journey. Then the words and the sentiment of the song is so special. Christmas can be hustle and bustle; decorating trees and buying gifts. But really, it’s about one night, one holy night,” she said beautifully.

From gown to gown 

As we shift from gown to gown, trying them on as we both ‘ooh and ahh,’ Neville shared the true sentiment and motivation behind the show, O Holy Night. 

“Myself and Dad and Johnny got together last night and rehearsed, and we talked about Mom a lot because I always will do a tribute to Mom in the show,” she shared. In fact, O Holy Night is dedicated to her mother, Sylvia.  

“Christmas Eve was a time that Mom and I would go to church together and I would sing O Holy Night and she would always say, ‘sing out loud,’ before I’d get up.”

The year she lost her mother, Neville found it hard to go back to church. 

“That was our time. After, we’d go back to the house with Dad and everyone and we’d all have a big party. But when Mom died, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I got together my family and friends and said, ‘I’ll do a concert and I won’t feel so sad’ and that’s why it started.” 

That was 14 years ago. “I do O Holy Night for Mom, because I wanted to continue to sing that song in her memory.”

Plus, performing O Holy Night inside a church, at First Light Centre for Performance and Creativity (formerly Cochrane street United Church) over Christmas is simply a glow that rivals even the most sparkly of gowns. 

“It’s a little girl’s dream as a singer to get to sing inside a church on Christmas Eve. And to sing O Holy Night? It’s simply the best feeling in the world.” 

Take in the beautiful Christmas tradition of O Holy Night, an unforgettable Christmas concert event, 8pm December 19, 20 and 21 at First Light Centre for Performance and Creativity (historically known as Cochrane Street United Church) located at 81 Cochrane Street, St. John’s. 

For more information visit eventbrite.ca