Two players, a builder and a well-known member of the media are the four newest inductees into the Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador Hall of Fame. Hall chairman Gerry Evans of Mount Pearl announced players Charlie Babstock and Juan Strickland, along with builder Wally Dalley and media inductee Brian Rogers will be enshrined during Hockey NL’s annual awards banquet and Hall of Fame ceremonies June 11 in Gander.
The additions of Babstock, Strickland, Dalley and Rogers bring the number of members in the Hall to 160.
Despite the number, Evans said there continues to be a need for more Hall of Fame nominations, noting anyone can nominate an athlete, athlete/builder, builder or media member for the Hall.
“More individuals should become involved in the nomination process and submit names of those who are worthy in the various categories,” he said. “We thank those who nominated this year, and we look forward to more nominations next year.”
Besides Evans, other members of the Hall of Fame selection committee are Hockey NL president Jack Lee of the Goulds, Robin Short from St. John’s, Hughie Wadden of Buchans and Don Bradshaw from Corner Brook.
CHARLIE BABSTOCK
Babstock did not have a lengthy hockey career in Newfoundland, but during his days as a junior and senior star in his native St. John’s, he was regarded as one of the finest goalscorers in the game.
Babstock broke into the provincial senior ranks with the 1973-74 St. John’s Capitals, leading St. John’s with 21 goals in the regular season as the Capitals — the ‘Kiddie Corps’ — won their second of four straight Herders under coach Bob Badcock. The rookie also scored a team-leading 11 goals in the post season.
Babstock’s scoring prowess didn’t go unnoticed. Originally scouted by legendary NHL defenceman Doug Harvey, Babstock wound up overseas, playing the 1974-75 season in the German second division with Nuremberg.
Back in the Caps’ red and white uniform full-time for the 1975-76 hockey campaign, Babstock’s regular season in St. John’s was limited to four games, though he managed five goals and seven points.
In the Herder, Babstock was pivotal in the Caps’ fourth straight Herder with six goals in the five-game final.
With St. John’s split into two teams — Labatt BlueCaps and Shamrocks — to begin the 1976-77 Newfoundland Senior Hockey League campaign, Babstock hooked up with fellow Hall of Famer Randy Pearcey and Jim Heale on the BlueCaps to form one of the most potent trios in senior hockey.
For three straight years, Babstock enjoyed seasons of 22, 24 and 33 goals.
In 1977-78, when the Blue Caps won the Herder, Babstock was sixth in league scoring with 24 goals and 38 assists.
In 108 career regular season games, Babstock scored 121 goals and added 89 assists for 210 points.
Perhaps the best indication of his value on the ice is judged by his production when it mattered — in the playoffs.
Of all the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League players to skate in the post season, Babstock ranks 19th on the career scoring list, with 50 post season goals — 11th all-time — and 77 points.
In Allan Cup Canadian senior hockey play, his production is even more significant with 16 goals and 20 points in four years.
Babstock joins his brother, Rick, in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
WALLY DALLEY
Dalley had his fingerprints all over hockey in central and western Newfoundland for more than 30 years.
And while his accomplishments are numerous, he is best known for spearheading the formation of Springdale’s first minor hockey association, and later successfully lobbying to get a stadium for the town.
He helped form the Central Beothuk league in 1977, a circuit which lasted until 1994. Dalley won a championship as a player, and coached the Twillingate Combines to three straight championships.
He served as central minor director for eight years, and provincial minor chairman for four years.
Dalley was presented with the CAHA Outstanding Service Award in 1999 after earning the Outstanding Service Award for minor hockey in 1979 and the Outstanding Service Award for intermediate hockey in 1984.
He was involved in every aspect of hockey, first within Central Newfoundland and then within the entire province.
BRIAN ROGERS
Rogers has been the voice of the American Hockey League here since the St. John’s Maple Leafs arrived on the scene in 1991-92.
Hosting the pre- and post-game shows, along with between-period intermissions during the first three years of the Leafs’ broadcast, Rogers took over from fellow Hall of Famer George MacLaren in 1994-95, and has been calling games ever since.
That includes a stint as the St. John’s Fog Devils Quebec Major Junior Hockey League broadcaster.
Rogers has spent 41 years in hockey reporting and play-by-play announcing. His first involvement came in Happy Valley-Goose Bay as a play-by-play announcer, when he wasn’t playing, and when he was appointed sports director for the VOCM network, his association with hockey continued.
In addition to his work at VOCM, Rogers was involved the Cable Atlantic televised sports broadcast, and worked with the Mount Pearl Blades senior hockey team.
But it’s as an AHL broadcaster for which he’s best known. For 16 years Rogers called Maple Leafs and IceCaps games, missing only three games in his career — once while suffering from laryngitis and twice following the passing of his father during the 1998-99 season.
Rogers follows a list of talented hockey announcers from Newfoundland, including Bob Cole and MacLaren.
JUAN STRICKLAND
A native of tiny Isles aux Morts on the southwest coast, Strickland could be considered among the finest locals to play in the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League.
The numbers don’t lie.
Strickland won two Herder Memorial Trophy championships, with the Stephenville Jets and Port aux Basques Mariners, was the 1983 rookie of the year, twice won the league’s scoring title and in ’83 was the senior league’s most gentlemanly and effective player.
Of the seven years Strickland played in the old senior league, he finished in the top 10 in league scoring six times.
Strickland concluded his tenure in the senior league with 548 career points in only 264 games.
He captained the Mariners in 1989 when they won the Hardy Cup, the national intermediate competition in which Strickland was the most outstanding player.
Prior to his time in the senior league, Strickland played five years at Acadia University, beginning as a 16-year-old. He played every game and finished in the Atlantic Intercollegiate top 10 scorers for three of his five seasons.
He was inducted into the Acadia University Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.
HOCKEY HALL OF FAME MEMBERS
Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame, by year of induction:
1994
Player – Frank “Andy” Cahill, Alex Faulkner, George Faulkner, Doug Grant.
AthleteBuilder – Jack Reardigan, Terry Trainor
Builder – Msgr. George Bartlett, Robert S. Furlong, Don Johnson, Brian Wakelin
1995
Player – Jack Faulkner, Jim “Bucky” Hannaford, Joe Lundrigan, John Murphy, Bill Scott
AthleteBuilder – Joe Byrne, Roger Howse, Hugh Wadden
Builder – Walter Clarke, Carl Hansen, Harold Hillier, Vince Rossiter, T.A. “Gus” Soper
1996
Player – Frank “Danky” Dorrington, Al Dwyer Jr., Frank Finlayson, Robert Petrie, Frank Walker
AthleteBuilder – Herbert Augustus “Gus” Herder
Builder – Claude Anstey, Cliff Gorman
1997
Player – Stan Breen, Cal Dunville, Hugh Fardy
Builder – Eric Dawe, Ron Taaffe
1998
Player – Watson John “Wats” Goobie, Wilson “Copper” Leyte, Harry “Moose” Watson
Builder – George “Daddy” Dawe, Sam Rose
1999
Player – Charlie Cahill, Mike Kelly, William Clifton George Martin, Leo Murphy
AthleteBuilder – Walt Davis
Builder – Arthur Johnson
Media – Bob Cole
2000
Player – George Connors, Jimmy Dawe, Zane Forbes, Merv Green, Don Howse, Jim Kennedy, Ed Philpott, Terry Ryan Sr., Harold Stanley
AthleteBuilder – Bob Badcock
Builder – Neil Amadio, Peter J, Duffy, Ambrose O’Reilly, William Parrott
Media – John M. Tobin
2001
Player – Terry Gilliam, Rob Gladney, Jim Temple
AthleteBuilder – Rick Babstock
Builder – Mel Andrews, Charlie McCarthy
Media – John Mayo
2002
Player – Randy Pearcey, Jim Penney, Tony White
AthleteBuilder – Ray Bowe
Builder – Ron Healey
Female – Colleen Tapper
Media – George MacLaren
2003
Player – Ian Campbell, Brian Gibbons, Ernie Hynes, Dick Power
AthleteBuilder – Joe Maynard, Gerry Taylor
Builder – Don Walsh
Female – Glennis (Thorne) Thomey
Media – Joe Mullins
2004
Player – Ted Gillies, James Guy, Hubert Hutton, Gerry Lahey, Cyril Power
AthleteBuilder – Stan Cook
Builder – Claude Browne, Howie Meeker, Wayne Mercer, Mike Squires
2005
Player – Bill Breen, Roger Dean, Bern Fitzpatrick, Alfie Hiscock, Andy Sullivan
AthleteBuilder – Wes “Bucko” Trainor
Builder – Frank Moores
Female – Debby Power
2006
Player – Nigel Facey, Roger Kennedy, Doug Squires
Builder – Francis Wiseman
Media – John Gibbon
2007
Player – Mike Anderson, Alex Blanchard, Leo Kane, Harry Katrynuk
Builder – Len Butt, Gerry Kelly
Media – Bill Callahan
2008
Player – Eg Billard, Jake Critch, Clar Goulding
AthleteBuilder – Ed O’Brien
Builder – Wayne Russell
2009
Player – Al Bargery, Ford Metcalfe, Ed Oates
Media – John Murphy
2010
Player – Jim Grant, Art Hamlyn, Ed Lawrence
Media – Bruce MacDonald
2011
Player – Kirk Johnson, Ed O’Quinn
Builder – David Brazil, George Fardy
Media – Dee Murphy
2012
Player – Bert Brake
AthleteBuilder – Jim Hornell Sr.
Builder – Jim Hayward, Danny Williams
2013
Player – Ron Cadigan, Len Coughlan, Wayne Faulkner, Todd Stark
AthleteBuilder – Art Barry
Builder – Michael Dinn
2014
Player – Clobie Collins, J.C. Garneau, John Slaney
Builder – Marv Ryder, Glenn Stanford, Leo Rose
2015
Player – Darren Colbourne, Darren Langdon, Dwayne Norris
Builder – Jim Hornell Jr., Rosemary Marshall, Ken Williams
2016
Player – Charlie Babstock, Juan Strickland
Builder – Wally Dalley
Media – Brian Rogers
