1956 Boston Bruins exhibition game in Newfoundland

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1956 Boston Bruins exhibition game
123 Total
Boston Bruins ——— —
Conception Bay
North Hockey League		 ——— —
DateApril 9, 1956
VenueConception Bay Sports Arena
CityBay Roberts, Newfoundland
← 1954 1991 →

The 1956 Boston Bruins exhibition game in Newfoundland, played on April 9, was the first outdoor ice hockey game played in Canada featuring a team from the National Hockey League (NHL).

Background

The

Maritimes and possibly Newfoundland."[2]
During this era, it was customary for NHL teams that did not make the playoffs to go on a postseason exhibition tour.

Starting in late March 1956, the Bruins played exhibition games in

Grand Falls (April 14), and Gander (date unclear).[5] These exhibition games were not held under normal rules, as members of the Bruins would sometimes change teams with local players.[6][7]

Game

Terry Sawchuk in 1963

The April 9 game was played in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, at the

artificial ice surface that had opened in February 1956. In keeping with the exhibition nature of the game, each of the four local teams from the Conception Bay North Hockey League[8] played a period against the Bruins, and the game wound up with a "free-for-all" where all 23 members of the local teams played at once against the Bruins.[9][10] At some point, local player Gerard Saunders scored a goal against Bruins' goaltender Terry Sawchuk, one of only three goals that Sawchuk allowed during the Newfoundland exhibition games.[5]

The game was historic as it was only the second ice hockey match played outdoors that featured an NHL team—the first had been the 1954 Detroit Red Wings prison game in Michigan. It also had significance as the first outdoor game in Canada featuring an NHL team,[5] and the first to be open to public spectators. The next outdoor game to be held in Canada with NHL participation would be the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton.[5]

References

  1. ^ "1955-56 NHL Summary". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Boston Bruins Tour Maritimes". Edmonton Journal. CP. March 22, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved February 21, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Bruins Edge Beavers". Ottawa Journal. CP. March 26, 1956. p. 23. Retrieved February 21, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Council Will Help Beavers". Ottawa Citizen. CP. March 28, 1956. p. 15. Retrieved February 21, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d "Boston Bruins Exhibition Tour of Newfoundland in April 1956". Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Heritage. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  6. ^ Carter, Don. "The Boston Bruins come to Gander". gaflight.org. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015 – via Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ "Sawchuk Scores Goal In 11-6 Victory". Ottawa Journal. CP. April 4, 1956. p. 29. Retrieved February 21, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Baker, Melvin (2011). Historic Bay Roberts. pp. 299–300. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "Bruins at Bay Roberts Arena". Newfoundland Daily News. April 10, 1956.
  10. ^ Ocal, Arda (December 29, 2017). "5 Facts You Probably Don't Know About NHL Outdoor Games". MSG Network.

Further reading

External links

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