THE ORIGINS, RISE, and DECLINE of NEWFOUNDLAND SENIOR HOCKEY, 1896-1996 by Gregory B. White a Thesis Submitted To
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KING THE PUCK: THE ORIGINS, RISE, AND DECLINE OF NEWFOUNDLAND SENIOR HOCKEY, 1896-1996 by Gregory B. White A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Socioiogy\Faculty of Ar&s\MemoriaIUniversity St. John's Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 OttawaON K1AW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts ~omit Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. One hundred years ago, transplanteci Canadians introduced the game of ice-hockey to NeMoundlanders. This thesis tracks the history of Newfoundland hockey within the context of the Island's sociwconomic development. It identifles three broad, overlapping periods which characterize the sport's trajectory, namely: moral entreprewurship, civic entrepreneurship, and corporate entrepreneurship. These stages are exemplified in three case studies of Newfoundland hockey pïaying comrnunities - St. John's, Buchans, and Corner Brook. The infusion of colonial sporting tradition, the rational recreation movement , the involvement of women, amateur-professional controversies, civic promotion (boostensm), and the 'Unporting' of semi-professional players are aiso examined. The practice of 'importing' semi-professional players is particularly important given its connibution to the decline of community-based Senior hockey in the province. The analy sis concludes by considering the growing tendency toward the corporatization of sport, and the implications of this trend for penpheral regions such as Newfounciiand. PREFACE 'It is but a very shoa while back that the writer of anything but an article on seals or cod wouid be viewed with suspicion, and when the man who had not at his fingers' ends ail the facts which pertained to these industries was wt considered a true Newfouadlandern (W. J.H. 1907: 14). Akhough this comment was penneci almost a century ago, sometimes it seems that little has changed. Perhaps we could add oil and minerals to the esteemed list, but often times it appears that little else is noteworthy. To many people, if an enterprise fiords no economic recompense, it is simply not worth talking about; such an attitude is reinforceci by recent economic stagnation and the accompanying resurgence of neo-conservatism. In 1982, Stewart Davidson presented a papa to the Canadian Symposium on the History of Sport aiad Physical Education, claiming "a Mydocumentai and comprehensive history of sport in Newfoundland has yet to be writtenn (Davidson, 1982: 294). Fifteen years later, this statement still holds true. Newfoundland has had a rich sporthg history. For exampie, the province is host to the oldest sporting event in North America - the Royal St. John's Regatta. Yet, there is a dearth of scholarly research on Newfoundland sport. Unfortunately , sport has ofkn been regarded as marginal or trivial, and unworthy of sociological explanation. In the past, scholars have neglected sport as a serious field of cultural history, leaving it to amateur 'bufE;' (Mott, 1983a). French social theonst Pierre iii Bourdieu (1988: 153) insists that the greatest obstacle to the scientific sbudy of sport is that the sub-discipline is "doubly dominated, both in the world of sociologists and in the world of sport." The sociology of sport is "scorned by sociologists" and 'despiseci by sportspersons;" one dixlains the subject, the other the method (Bourdieu, 1988: 153). But as Home, Jary, and Tomlinson (1987: 1) point out, "the history of sociology shows ... that apparently marginal social phenornena.. have many times been demonstrated to possess central and surprising signincaclce." Johan HuiUnga, in his classic treatise, mLudem (1959, argued that play was the creative element which was the mainspring of aii culture. While 1 would stop short of such a lofty assertion, it is hoped that this study will contribute a new and unique look into an under-vaiued area of Newfoundland social Me. While the study to follow is far from exhaustive, it does attempt to present a broad overview of Newfoundland hockey over its one hmdred years of existence. The grne's development has not ken sheltered from broader social processes and issues such as class and gender debates, amateur-professional controversies , urban-rural debates, issues of community identity and the like. Most specifically, the thesis traces the development of hockey through a variety of periods, culminating in the demise of Senior hockey in the province in recent years. The thesis also focuses on the development of sport in a 'marginal' area of capitalist society. Notwithstanding the Limitations confronthg the academic study of sport and other leisurely pursuits, the research has been rewarding and satiswing. However, it could not have been accomplished without the suppoa of others. The Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Mernorial University of Newîoundiand must be acknowledged for providing the financial assistance which fundeci much of the saidy. Equaily, there were numerous other hdividuais and organizations who helped to make the research process a iittre easier. Amongst these were Bert Riggs and the staff at the Centre for Newfoundland Saidies Archive at MUN; volunteer archivist, Linda Murphy, at the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Archive; Barbara Power, Executive Director, at the Newfoundiand Amateur Hockey Association; and all the persons who lent their the, knowledge and expertise through intefviews. Fiy,thanks are extendeci to my Graduate Supervisor, Dr. Peter Baehr, who gave generously of his time and advice throughout the past two years. 1 especialiy want to thank him for aIlowing me to pursue a project which was stimulating to me. even if it may have seemed a IittIe trivial to others. Greg B. White August, 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ................................................ iii CHAITER 1 INTRODUCTION: THEORY. CO- AND METHOD .......................... 1 1.1 Theory ............................................. 1 1.2 Context ............................................. 5 1.2.1 Moral Entrepreneurs ................................ 9 1.2.2 Civic Entrepreneurs ................................ 12 1.2.3 Corporate Entrepreneurs? ............................ 19 1.3 Methodology ........................................ 22 CHAPTER 2 EARLY SPORT AND THE ORIGINS OF HOCKEY IN NJZWFOUNDLAND 29 2.1 The Pioneering Of Sport In 19th Century Nedoundland ............ 31 2.2 Of Wallcing Canes and Cricket Baiis ......................... 36 2.3 "Kindredn Countries .................................... 38 2.4 The Newfoundland Hockey Association ....................... 41 2.5 Moving Toward Acceptane .............................. 45 CHAPTER 3 MORAL ENTREPRENEURS AND RATIONAL RECREATION ......... 58 3.1 Rationai Recreation .................................... 58 3.2 The Brigades ........................................ 63 3.3 CommerciaUy Sponsored Sport ............................. 68 3 -4 Hockey For The "Gentler Sexn ............................. 70 3.4.1 Women's Sport In The Late Victoria. Period ............... 70 3 .4.2 The "GoldenAgen Of Women's Sport .................... 75 3.4.3 1s Women's Hockey Rebounding? ...................... 79 CHAE'TER4 BROKEN YEARS: NEWFOUNDLAND AMATEUR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION. INTER-TOWN COMPETITION9AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR ....... 85 4.1 The Spread Of Hockey Outside The Avalon .................... 85 4.2 Improvements In Transportation And Communications ............. 89 4.3 Formal Organization: The Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association ................. 92 4.4 The Depression And World War II .......................... 96 cm5 BUCHANS: THE GENESIS OF THE IMPORT PRACTICE. AMATEUR-PROFESSIONAL CONTROVERSY. AND COMMUNITY PRIDE ................................ 105 5.1 Introductory Remarks .................................. 105 5.2 The Beginnings Of Hockey In Buchans And The First Imports ....... 108 5.3 Buchans Imports And the Amateur-Professional Controversy ........ 116 5.4 Hockey and Identity in Buchans ........................... 125 CHAPTER 6 RAISING THE STAKES: APEX . DEMISE. ANDAFTERMATHOFTHENSHL .............. 129 6.1 Whetîing the Appetite - The 1985 AUan Cup Drive .............. 130 6.2 The Big Prize - The 1986 Allan Cup Victory .................. 134 6.3 The Demise of The NSHL ............................... 140 6.4 The Aftermath of The NSHL ............................. 145 6.4.1 The Outport Era ................................. 145 6.4.2 Professional (Corporate) Hockey ...................... 147 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION : TKE PERVASIVE PAST AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SPORT IN 'MARGINAL' REGIONS ....................... 153 7.1 The Pervasive Past .................................... 153 7.2 Particdarities