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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 1955–56 Boston Bruins ended the 1955–56 NHL season 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 and possibly Newfoundland." 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, including a seven-game series against the Beavers of Saint John contested at multiple venues. The Bruins then played in Newfoundland at Corner Brook (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 in Edmonton.

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. ^ "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

• "Sixty years ago, the Boston Bruins made NHL history — in Bay Roberts". The Telegram. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. September 30, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2021.

External links

• Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Heritage website article on series

• 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