George Faulkner, 9-time Herder champion and pillar of N.L. hockey, dead at 91
Faulkner played senior hockey from 1954 to 1975
George Faulkner, known for carving an everlasting hockey legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador and for his kind and caring nature, has died.
Born in Bishop's Falls, Faulkner died on Sunday at the age of 91.
Douglas Moores knew Faulkner for 66 years, and recalled their first meeting when Moores was just 10.
"He was an outstanding man. I'm very glad to have had the relationship that I had with him for 66 years," Moores told CBC News Monday.
"George is a legend. I'm glad I knew a legend."
Faulkner's brother, Alec, was the first Newfoundlander to play in the NHL. But George carried his own hockey legacy in Newfoundland, Canada and internationally from 1954 to 1975.
Beginning his senior career at the age of 15 with the Bishop's Falls Woodsmen, Faulkner then moved to the Quebec Citadelles and the Shawinigan Falls Cataracts — an affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.
Faulkner represented Canada at the 1966 World Hockey Championship, scoring 13 points in the tournament to help lead Canada to a bronze medal.
Though he never made it to the NHL, Hockey N.L. president Jared Butler said he believes George was good enough to go pro.
After some time away, the Faulkners started the Conception Bay Ceebees in 1958 — which left an untouchable legacy on senior hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The team won seven Herder trophies in 10 years, and Faulkner was part of nine championship teams in his lifetime. He also played with the Corner Brook Royals, Gander Flyers and St. John's Capitals.
Butler said Faulkner's legacy will never be forgotten.
"I think there's not going be a time [that] goes by when people don't think about his accomplishments with the Ceebees and what he did in senior hockey here. For breaking down barriers, and getting, you know, Newfoundlanders recognized and seen in the circuits back in the '50s and '60s as being ... good players," Butler said.
"You look back over George's life, what he accomplished in the communities here in central Newfoundland on a personal and a family level, [it's] second to none. It truly is a big loss for us in the hockey world, but [also] for the communities in general here in central Newfoundland and across the province."
Moores said he'll remember Faulkner for his charming and caring personality that attracted so many people to him.
"He maintained that personality right through his whole life. I mean I've never been in a situation with Georgie, on the ice, off the ice, in the dressing room or in the social gathering, where George was not ... well respected and well liked. And he was just a tremendous personality on every level of his life."
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With files from Troy Turner