1956 Boston Bruins Exhibition Game In Newfoundland on:
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The 1956 Boston Bruins exhibition game in Newfoundland, played on April 9, was the first outdoor
The April 9 game was played in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, at the Conception Bay Sports Arena, an unfinished outdoor arena with an 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 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. 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.
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, and the first to be open to public spectators. The next outdoor game to be held in Canada with NHL participation would be the
Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Heritage website article on series
{{Boston Bruins 1955–56 NHL season Boston Bruins games Ice hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador NHL outdoor games April 1956 sports events in Canada 1956 in Newfoundland and Labrador
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
game played in Canada featuring a team from the National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL).
Background
The 1955–56 Boston Bruins ended the1955–56 NHL season
The 1955–56 NHL season was the List of NHL seasons, 39th Season (sport), season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. The Montreal Canadiens were the List of Stanley Cup champions, Stanley Cup champions as they beat the ...
in fifth place with a record of 23–34–13, missing the final playoff spot, which went to the 1955–56 Toronto Maple Leafs with a record of 24–33–13. On March 22, it was reported that the Bruins would play an exhibition series of games "throughout 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 Ca ...
and possibly Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
." 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 New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, including a seven-game series against the Beavers of Saint John contested at multiple venues. The Bruins then played in Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
at Corner Brook
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...
(April 7), Bay Roberts (April 9), St. John's (April 10–12), Grand Falls (April 14), and Gander (date unclear). These exhibition games were not held under normal rules, as members of the Bruins would sometimes change teams with local players.
Game
The April 9 game was played in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, at the Conception Bay Sports Arena, an unfinished outdoor arena with an 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 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. 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.
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, 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
The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first National Hockey League (NHL) game to be played outdoors as a pa ...
in Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
.
References
Further reading
*External links
Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Heritage website article on series
{{Boston Bruins 1955–56 NHL season Boston Bruins games Ice hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador NHL outdoor games April 1956 sports events in Canada 1956 in Newfoundland and Labrador