Hearn’s Distributors Hockey (formerly Travel Management)
Retirees Hockey Group
1995/96—2025/26
30 Years of Old Timers Hockey... and still "Going Strong!"
On March 16,1960, the eve of St Patrick’s Day, a much celebrated day in Newfoundland and Labrador, the St. Pat’s Hockey Team defeated the St. Bon’s Hockey Team winning the infamous Boyle Trophy. Historically the St. Bon’s Team had won the Boyle Trophy a total of 27 times, 16 straight from 1949 up to 1960. Two “Mick” teams beating it out with St. Pat’s coming up a winner for the first time.
Who was one of the players on the St. Pat’s Team? None other than winger Lloyd Kelly. It was Lloyd Kelly who also started up the Retirees Hockey Group consisting of former players and friends. Some of the Fieldian players were Ross Keeping, Doug Squires, Don Yetman, Eldon Drodge, Paul Facey, Bill and Graham Martin. From the Guards you had Earl Howell, goalie, Ed Vatcher, Nels Kearley, Alf Crews, from St. Pat’s former players were Mike Fitzpatrick, Ted Knopp, Lloyd Kelly, Bob Pearcey, Kev Phelan and later Bill Malone.
Lloyd was the first President of the Group. He was followed by Mike Fitzpatrick, Ted Knopp, Norm Pardy and the current President is Joe Mulrooney.
Former players with the Retirees Hockey Group are listed at the end of this article., in addition to the names mentioned above, were Mark Woodford, Jim Casey, Hal Rossiter, Ern Cole, Johnny Kitchen, Owen Sullivan, John Bambrick, Eric Bugge, Hopper Bennett, Gus Fitzpatrick, Pat Barron, Frank (fa) Murphy, Reg Dillon, Bill Coultas, Bud Grant, Norm Pardy, Jim MacDonald, George Cole, Johnny Gulliver, Mike Kinsella, Phil Fitzgerald, Kev Beresford, Jim Ryan, Kev McCormack, Wilf Lundrigan. (a complete updated list of former full time and spare/fill-in players can be found in a separate document on the site).
Goaltenders were Earl Howell, Terry Reilly, Don Morgan, Cy Mcgettigan, Bruce Whelan and others.
On Dec 9, 2003 the St. John’s Maple Leaf Organization was approached in terms of purchasing their team sweaters as it became known that they were buying new team uniforms. Our group was successful in getting their team sweaters, sets of both BLUE and WHITE at a very reasonable price. Theses team jerseys lasted over twenty years and were in excellent condition up to when we, on October 23,2015, purchased new sweaters donating our Maple Leaf jerseys to a charitable cause.