Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) is the governing body of all amateur hockey

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, Canada. Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador is a branch of

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

History

The first governing body of ice hockey in Newfoundland was the Newfoundland Hockey Association, which was formed either in 1898 or 1899. Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) was founded as the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association (NAHA) on December 19, 1935 in the Duckworth St, St. John's Law offices of Robert S. Furlong to govern hockey in all regions of Newfoundland. Furlong was the first President of NAHA and kept that position until 1952.

Don Johnson Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...

was elected president of the NAHA in 1966 and wanted to expand

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

as one of its permanent programs. He expected that the NAHA could join the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; ) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, ...

(CAHA) within five years if the terms of affiliation were acceptable, and to be admitted independent of and equal to the

Maritime Amateur Hockey Association The Maritime Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) was a governing body for amateur ice hockey in the Maritimes of Canada. It was a branch member of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1928 to 1974, with its jurisdiction including the pro ...

. He sought for the CAHA to accommodate more NAHA requests than in previous offers of affiliation, which included the NAHA keeping regulations which allowed a paid

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

and the occasional professional player on a roster. The NAHA also wanted its senior league to have shorter playoffs for the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. It was most recently won by the Wentworth Gryphins ...

instead of an interlocking schedule with teams from

the Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

. In May 1966, Johnson reached an agreement with CAHA president Lionel Fleury who accepted the NAHA as a branch member for the 1966–67 season. Johnson stated that despite Newfoundland becoming Canada's tenth province in 1949, the NAHA took 17 years to affiliate with the CAHA "through lack of information, misinterpretation of correspondence and other factors". The following year, a Newfoundland championship team participated in the Allan Cup playoffs for the first time. NAHA was renamed the Newfoundland & Labrador Hockey Association (NLHA) in 1999 and later renamed Hockey Newfoundland & Labrador (HNL).

IIHF membership

In 1933, the

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the orig ...

, which at the time was separate from Canada, joined the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey to ...

(IIHF). Newfoundland did not participate in any

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the I ...

and was expelled from the IIHF in 1936.

Trophies and awards

Minor hockey

The U13-U18 Provincial Championships, also known as the "''Coupe de Terre-Neuve''" in

Saint Pierre and Miquelon French Saint Pierre and Miquelon French or the Saint Pierre French () is a variety of the French language spoken in the territorial collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Although the territory is located in North America, St. Pierre and Miquelon Fr ...

, are organized throughout the province and in

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( ), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canada, Canadian prov ...

Junior hockey

The

Veitch Memorial Trophy The Veitch Memorial Trophy is the Junior ice hockey, Junior ice hockey Grand Championship of Newfoundland and Labrador. The trophy is awarded by Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador. History The trophy is named after Cyril Veitch a former executive o ...

is awarded to the junior champion team.

Senior hockey

The

Herder Memorial Trophy The Herder Memorial Trophy, colloquially known as the Herder, is the championship trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The original cast silver trophy was donated in 1935 by '' The Even ...

is awarded to the senior championship team. The Evening Telegram Trophy is awarded to the senior hockey team with the best record (best winning average) in the regular season. The Gus Soper Memorial Award is presented to the most valuable player in NL senior hockey in the regular season. The President's Award is presented to the top goaltender in NL senior hockey in the regular season. The Howie Clouter Memorial Trophy is presented to the most gentlemanly and effective player in NL senior hockey in the regular season.

S. E. Tuma Memorial Trophy

The S. E. Tuma Memorial Trophy is awarded to the top scorer in NL senior hockey in the regular season. In 1968 Corner Brook businessman Elias Tuma donated a trophy as a memorial to his late father Simon to be presented annually to the most prolific scorer in the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League (NSHL). The trophy was first presented at the end of the 1968-1969 season. The NSHL ceased operations in 1989 and the trophy was not awarded in 1990, 1991 or 1992. From 1993 though 2011, the S.E. Tuma Memorial Trophy was awarded to the top scorer of the active provincial senior "A" leagues. The Newfoundland Senior Hockey League reformed for three seasons from 2011-2014. The trophy was not awarded in 2015 but since 2016 it has once again been awarded to the top scorer of the active provincial senior "A" leagues. ''Note: AESHL = Avalon East Senior Hockey League, AWSHL = Avalon West Senior Hockey League, CBSHL = Central Beothuck Senior Hockey League''

Leagues and associations

Senior hockey *

Avalon East Senior Hockey League The Avalon East Senior Hockey League (AESHL) is a senior ice hockey league with teams based in Newfoundland. It is one of two senior hockey leagues in Newfoundland; the other being the West Coast Senior Hockey League The West Coast Senior Hockey ...

Central West Senior Hockey League The Central West Senior Hockey League (CWSHL) is a senior ice hockey league in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The league competed for the Herder Memorial Trophy and its teams declared themselves eligible for the Allan Cup. History On June 4, ...

West Coast Senior Hockey League The West Coast Senior Hockey League (WCSHL) is a senior ice hockey league with teams based in Newfoundland and Labrador. The WCSHL was founded in 1996 as a senior B intermediate league and developed into a senior A league. It operated until the su ...

Junior leagues * St. John's Junior Hockey League (Junior "B") *

Central/West Junior Hockey League The Central West Junior Hockey League was an ice hockey league in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The league consists three teams that compete against each other in an 18-game season. The playoffs include two rounds, the first round is a best o ...

(Junior "B") Defunct leagues *

Newfoundland Hockey League Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population o ...

* Newfoundland Senior Hockey League

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Hockey NL Website
{{Hockey Canada

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

Ice hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador

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Sports governing bodies in Newfoundland and Labrador