HARBOUR GRACE, N.L.
One step into Doug Moores’ office is all it takes to get a true understanding of how much the game of hockey has influenced his life.
Originally from Harbour Grace, Moores works as a lawyer under Moores & Collins Law Office, based out of Bay Roberts. To accompany the framed law-related memorabilia that dot his office walls, there are also plenty of photos that capture great hockey moments, such as some significant milestones in the Conception Bay CeeBees Stars lifetime – particularly, some of their Herder Memorial trophy wins.
Hockey has proven to be a big part of Moores’ life, as he was there first hand to see the beginnings of the CeeBees senior hockey club in 1958 – making 2018 the 60-year anniversary of the team’s beginnings, which came about not long after the first stadium – the S.W. Moores Memorial Stadium — was constructed in the town.
He had the chance to witness the early stages of the Conception Bay Cee Bees during their 10-year stint between 1958 and 1969 when they played in the Newfoundland Senior Hockey League, even getting the chance to serve as goaltender for the team during his post-secondary studies.
“I think I was probably one of the first people to put a skate on (the S.W. Moores) ice surface. I was fortunate enough to, as a boy, see the stadium as it was being built,” he said. “It was a big deal back then – we didn’t need to go skating on the bogs anymore, we had this big stadium on the way.”
Moores explained that at the time, the Conception Bay league was what hockey enthusiasts relied on to get their fix of competitive hockey. It consisted of approximately six or seven teams, with players from local communities such as Bay Roberts, Carbonear and Brigus joining in for the on-ice fun.
However, things began looking up for the Conception Bay Cee Bees with the introduction of 24-year-old George Faulkner, who had just come back from playing for the Shawinigan Cataracts – a team that sat on the roster for the Quebec Major Hockey League, which Moores described as being very akin to the NHL at the time.
Also at that time, the senior circuit in Newfoundland was mainly composed of five teams, hailing from Corner Brook, Buchans, St. John’s, Grand Falls and Gander. Once the Cee Bees began making a name for themselves as a viable senior team, Moores said it was an exciting time to live and grow up in Harbour Grace.
“We were only boys when it first started, so you can imagine how exciting it was for us. Amazing, really, for young fellas growing up in the area,” he said.
Having made it to the finals in their first year, and winning the Herder Memorial Trophy the following year, Moores said hockey in Harbour Grace was booming, especially when the team went on to win the same trophy in 1966, ‘67 and ‘68.
Moores himself set skate to ice as a Cee Bee during his time at Memorial University when he was only 16.
During that time he was also playing in the St. John’s Junior Hockey League, so he says plenty of his time was spent either on the ice, or in the library where he tried to focus on getting an education for himself.
“I was backing up Gary Simmons as a goaltender (for the Cee Bees). On a Thursday night – which was Holy Thursday before Good Friday that year – we won the Herder in Gander,” Moores said of his first Herder experience with the Cee Bees, which he juggled with his new responsibilities as a goaltender in the St. John’s Senior Hockey League. “The St. John’s Senior play-offs were in St. John’s the night before, and we won the Boyle trophy that night, and then the Herder the next night. So, I was on two senior championship teams in two nights. I don’t think it ever happened before. That was really cool, I’ve gotta say.
“Obviously I’m a bit biased, but I consider that the golden years of senior hockey in Newfoundland.”
After dissolving for some time after 1969, the CeeBees were revived in the 1990s as the CeeBee Stars.
Between 2003 and 2017, the team spent time in the Avalon East Senior Hockey League (AESHL), as well as the Newfoundland Senior Hockey league, having won a number of Herder trophies during that time. Moores’ son Ian played defence for the team and later became a coach for the CeeBee Stars.
However, originally stemming from allegations that the team had been paying their players, the team was given the boot from the AESHL later in 2017 and have struggled to find ice time ever since.
Moores says he felt as though this major setback for the team reflects poorly on the state of organized hockey in the province, noting the CeeBees have served as one of the more recognizable senior hockey teams in the province, especially given the sheer number of fans that would show up to every game.
“It’s fair to say that in the 60 years that we’ve had the Cee Bees, we’ve made a huge name for ourselves. You say the word Cee Bees, and people across the province immediately know what you’re talking about. That’s the legacy we’ve built up over the years. The CeeBees were just an absolute powerhouse,” he said, occasionally glancing over to an old photo of the team in 1967, posing next to the Herder Memorial Trophy. “After we won the Herder, they went and kicked us out of the league. At that point, that’s where Hockey NL fell completely down on the job. There was no sense of responsibility at all for the defending Herder champions.”
Moores continued, “If that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have half the same problems we have today with senior hockey in the province. We’re a very, very important part of senior hockey here in Newfoundand. We’re the CeeBees, the cache, the winners, the Faulkners. Everyone knows us, and we’ve been thrown to the wolves. No one even goes to the games anymore, and there’s no future in it anymore.”
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Herder Memorial Trophies won by CeeBees:
• 1960 – win against Grand Falls Andcos
• 1961 – win against Gander Flyers
• 1965 – win against Corner Brook Royals
• 1967 – win against Gander Flyers
• 2006 – win against Deer Lake Red Wings
• 2007 – win against Deer Lake Red Wings
• 2008 – win against Deer Lake Red Wings
• 2013 – win against Clarenville Caribous
• 2017 – win against Clarenville Caribous
