Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose arena located on Jones Street, adjacent to High Street, in

Grand Falls-Windsor Grand Falls-Windsor is a town located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of 13,853 at the 2021 census. The town is the largest in the central region, the s ...

Newfoundland and Labrador 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 ...

. The stadium is used to host trade shows, conferences, sporting events and special events. The ice arena was constructed in 1947/48 and was known as the Grand Falls Stadium until 1991.

Construction

The Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company built and owned the Grand Falls Stadium. The town of Grand Falls was incorporated in 1961 and that year bought the stadium from the company.

Opening

The first performance at the new stadium was a children's ice carnival followed by a figure skating exhibition by two Murphy sisters from

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. ...

on February 12, 1948. Approximately 2,300 spectators attended the stadium's first event. The official opening of the stadium was on November 22, 1948.Grand Falls Advertiser, November 27, 1948 An exhibition game was played between two teams from the Maritime Senior Hockey League, the Halifax Crescents and the Halifax St. Mary's. When the stadium first opened, and until late 1954 when St. John's Memorial Stadium was completed, it was the only regulation-size artificial ice surface in Newfoundland and could accommodate 2,500 spectators.

Stadium Managers

*Edgar M. "Top" Way *William J. (Bill) Short, 1959 *James Pond, Sr. , 1959-? *Harv Beson

Memorial to Joseph Byrne

On March 22, 1991 the stadium was renamed as a memorial to

Joe Byrne Joseph Byrne (21 November 1856 – 28 June 1880) was an Australian bushranger of Irish descent. A friend of Ned Kelly, he was a member of the "Kelly Gang" who were declared outlaws after the murder of three policemen at Stringybark Creek. De ...

, on what would have been his 70th birthday, in recognition of his lifelong contribution to sports in the community and the province. Byrne, a

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

native, was hired by the Grand Falls Athletic Association to coach their hockey team and moved to the papertown in December 1949. He died in August 1990 at Grand Falls.

References

Bibliography

External links

Official Site
Ice hockey venues in Newfoundland and Labrador Sports venues in Newfoundland and Labrador Grand Falls-Windsor Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Indoor arenas in Newfoundland and Labrador Ice hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador {{Newfoundland-struct-stub