Herder Memorial Trophy
The Herder Memorial Trophy, colloquially known as the Herder, is the championship trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The original cast silver trophy was donated in 1935 by The Evening Telegram newspaper, on behalf of the Herder family, as a memorial to five brothers who played hockey in St. John's.
First presented in 1935, the Herder Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times. The Herder was not awarded in 1942, 1943, 1991, 2020 and 2021. The first winner of the Herder trophy was a team from Corner Brook that won the inaugural all-Newfoundland ice hockey championship on March 22, 1935. The record of most Herder wins belongs to the teams from St. John's that won the trophy a total of 20 times. The 2025 Herder was awarded on April 5, 2025 to the Deer Lake Red Wings.
History
The idea of a new competition to decide the ice hockey champions of Newfoundland gained momentum in early 1935 as organized hockey spread across the island and hockey teams started to travel and compete in regional championships. During a meeting of the St. John's Hockey League on March 5, 1935, it was announced that a trophy, for a championship competition, was to be donated by The Evening Telegram newspaper to be perpetually awarded to Newfoundland's best hockey team. The Herder would become emblematic of ice hockey supremacy in Newfoundland and Labrador.The Evening Telegram was published by a member of the Herder family since the founding of the paper in 1879 up until the retirement of Stephen Herder in 1993. The Telegram has played an integral role in the promotion and sponsorship of the Herder Championships.The inaugural all-Newfoundland championships took place in St. John's at the Prince of Wales Rink on March 21 and 22, 1935 between Corner Brook, the western hockey champions, and the Guards from the St. John's Senior League that won the Avalon hockey championship. This was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Newfoundland hockey.
The St. John's Guards earned the right to represent the Avalon Peninsula by first defeating St. Bon's in a 2-game series to become St. John's city champions, and then by toppling the Bay Roberts Rovers in a 2-game, total goal series. The All-Newfoundland championship match-up was then set; the Guards of St. John's would play host to the Corner Brook All-Star Team. Fans in St. John's eagerly awaited the arrival of the Corner Brook team. Tickets to the 2 games were sold out quickly. Corner Brook edged the Guards 1–0 in Game 1, and was victorious in Game 2 by a 4–2 margin to become the island's top team, and first Herder Memorial Trophy Champions.
The Herder trophy was the brainchild of Ralph Herder, then president of The Evening Telegram, as a memorial to his five late brothers. Ralph's brothers Arthur, William, Douglas, Augustus and Hubert were all avid hockey players in the St. John's Hockey league.
Originally donated in memory of five Herder brothers, the trophy now honors the memory of seven brothers, including Ralph and his youngest brother James. In 2009, the name of Ralph's son Stephen was added to the trophy. All seven Herder brothers were fine hockey players and often played together, with four of them sometimes playing together on a championship team. James Herder coached the 1935 Guards team that lost the inaugural Herder championship to Corner Brook in March 1935.
The Herder family
The Herders were a very prominent family in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. William James Herder, born in Old Perlican, was the founder of Newfoundland's first daily newspaper, The Evening Telegram. Ralph, one of William's seven sons, became publisher of the Telegram in 1934 after the death of Augustus, who was the fifth brother to pass away.Ralph donated the Trophy on behalf of the Herder Family as a memorial to his five late brothers. Later the names of Ralph, his youngest brother James, and Ralph's son Stephen were added to the trophy.
The trophy is now a memorial to the following Herder family members:
- Arthur John Herder practiced law in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and served in the 32nd Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force beginning in December 1914. Arthur joined the Newfoundland Regiment in February 1916. As a second Lieutenant, he was wounded at Beaumont Hamel on July 1, 1916. The following year Arthur was fatally wounded in France and died on December 1, 1917 at the age of 32.
- Hubert Clinton Herder was born July 28, 1891. Hubert was a lieutenant with the First Newfoundland Regiment when he was killed at Beaumont Hamel, France on July 1, 1916, at the age of 25.
- William H. Herder was the second oldest son of the Herder family. Will was president of the Evening Telegram from 1922 up to his death on August 22, 1934 at the age of 50.
- Douglas C. Herder was the third oldest Herder brother and former hockey player in the St. John's league where he played for the Saints. Doug moved to Montreal in 1907, returning to St. John's in June 1909 in poor health, suffering from typhoid fever. He died on July 8, 1909 at the age of 23.
- Herbert Augustus Herder was Vice-President and Circulation Manager of the Evening Telegram. He died on December 28, 1934, of pneumonia at the age of 47.
- Ralph Barnes Herder was born in St. John's on August 10, 1894. He volunteered to join the First Newfoundland Regiment in September 1914. Ralph was seriously wounded at Beaumont Hamel on July 1, 1916, and was wounded at Monchy, France in 1917. In 1918 he was promoted to lieutenant. He married Mary Rendell in June 1924 and they had two sons, Rendell and Stephen. Ralph became President of the Evening Telegram following the deaths of his brothers William and Gus in 1934. He was the driving force behind the creation of the Herder Memorial Trophy in memory of his five brothers who predeceased him. Ralph died on January 8, 1955 at the age of 61.
- James Milley Herder was born July 22, 1904, the youngest of seven brothers. Jim was vice president and general manager of The Evening Telegram when his brother Ralph died in 1955. He took over as publisher and piloted The Evening Telegram Ltd through a period of tremendous growth and prosperity during the late 1950s and through the 1960s. Jim died on August 25, 1970, in St. John's at the age of 66.
- Stephen Rendell Herder, Ralph's son, was a longtime publisher of The Evening Telegram. An environmentalist long before his time, Steve was known for saving the Rennies River. A bridge over Rennies River is dedicated to his efforts. He was a proud promoter of the Herder Memorial Trophy. Stephen died in 1993 at the age of 65.
The trophy
An announcement was made on March 5, 1935 at a meeting of the St. John's Hockey League that the Evening Telegram, on behalf of the Herder family, will donate a trophy to be awarded to the winners of an all-Newfoundland hockey championship. The trophy would not be available for the 1935 championship but arrived in St. John's from the manufacturer six months later, and was sent to Corner Brook in October of that year. The trophy was formally presented to the winning team at the Corner Brook Sports Club's annual meeting in November 1935.The Herder consisted of a cast-silver hockey player mounted on an ebony base. St. Bon's star Edward "Key" Kennedy was the model for the hockey player that stands atop the original trophy. Trophy-donor Ralph Herder brought a photo of Kennedy in a hockey pose to New York where the model was made and a figure was cast in silver.
Beginning in 1947 metal shields, engraved with the names of winning teams, were fixed to the base. In 1952 a second tier was added andin 1960 third and fourth tiers. Two more tiers were added before the original trophy was retired in 2007. The original Herder was retired in 2007 and is now on display in the which is located at the Corner Brook Civic Centre. Since 2007 a replica has been awarded to the championship teams.
Conditions placed by the trophy donor
The Herder family attached eight conditions to their donation of the Herder Memorial Trophy to govern competition for the all-Newfoundland amateur hockey championship:- Trophy to be known as "The Herder Memorial Trophy" presented by The Evening Telegram in memory of Arthur, Douglas, William, Augustus and Hubert Herder.
- Trophy to be emblematic of the All-Newfoundland Amateur Hockey championship, and must be competed for each year in St. John's.
- All matches held for the Trophy to be held under the rules of the body governing hockey in Newfoundland.
- The Trophy cannot be won outright but is to be competed for each year.
- The winner shall hold the Trophy until the start of the hockey season the following year and then it must be returned to the donors.
- Arrangements for the playing of the All-Newfoundland championship are to be made by the main body governing hockey, the management of the rink, and the donors.
- No names of teams or players winning the trophy to be engraved on the trophy or base.
- If an All-Newfoundland championship is impossible in any year, the Trophy shall be held by the team winning the championship of the Avalon Peninsula or other Inter-Sectional championship.
Exceptions to the original conditions
Condition #2
From 1935 though 1941 the All-Newfoundland finals were played at the former Prince's Rink in St. John's. Subsequent to the destruction of the Arena by fire on November 28, 1941, the Herder championships were cancelled in 1942 and 1943 due to depleted rosters of senior hockey teams with men serving overseas during the Second World War. After the Arena burned down in November 1941, St. John's did not have a suitable venue until the opening of Memorial Stadium in December 1954. In 1944, the Herder finals were held outside St. John's for the first time when Bell Island and Corner Brook played the all-Newfoundland final series at the Corner Brook rink. The NAHA was granted permission by Ralph Herder to hold the Herder finals outside the capital city for the first time. Since 1944 condition #2 has not been enforced and the Herder Finals location has been decided by NAHA and typically held in the arenas of the competing teams.In recent years, the Herder finals series was held at Mile One Centre in St. John's and frequently sold out the 6,000 seat building. Games were also held in the Pepsi Centre in the city of Corner Brook, on the west coast of the island, when teams from that area were playing for the cup.
Since 2013 the Herder finalists have the right to decide the location of their home games.
Condition #4
In 1957 the first exception to condition #4 occurred when the Grand Falls Andcos were awarded the Herder by default. No other senior "A" hockey teams registered for the Herder playoffs that year.Condition #7
Engraved plates with the names of the winning teams have been affixed to the base of the Herder Trophy since the late 1940s. Beginning in 1952, additional layers have been added to the trophy base as required to accommodate successive Herder Champion nameplates.Series format
Over the history of the championship series, NAHA has dictated a number of series formats that included the winners of divisional, local league or island-wide league playoffs. The original series featured the eastern champions versus western champions. This format continued until 1962 when an island-wide Newfoundland Senior Hockey league was formed. The champions of the provincial league were awarded the Herder trophy until 1989 when the league was disbanded. Eastern league champions played for the Herder in 1990 and in 1991 there was no Herder Championship.Between 1991 and 2011, the format of the Herder finals reverted to a competition between the champions of local leagues. The eastern league champions played a western or central league champion in a finals series to decide the top provincial team who were awarded the Herder Trophy.
On February 25, 2015, Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador approved a request by the Central West Senior Hockey League in which they asked to play for the historic Herder Trophy because it was the only operating Senior A hockey league registered in the province.
Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador announced on March 10, 2022, that they will be awarding the Herder Memorial Trophy to the winner of the Avalon East Senior Hockey League finals.
For 2023, Hockey NL announced that the champion of the Avalon East Senior Hockey League will face-off against the champion of the West Coast Senior Hockey League in a seven-game series for the Herder Memorial Championship.
Beginning in 2024, Hockey NL announced that the Avalon East Senior Hockey League champions would meet the Central West Senior Hockey League champions in a seven-game Herder Championship series
Series format history
This is a list of Herder championship series formats since 1935.Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Years | Format | Participants |
| 1935 | Two-team Herder final, two-game total-goals series | Eastern champions vs. Western champions |
| 1936 to 1939 | Three-team single-round robin Herder final series, top two teams in a championship game | Eastern champions, Conception Bay League Champion, Western champions |
| 1940 | Two-team Herder final, two-game total-goals series | Western Champions vs. All-Avalon Champions |
| 1941 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-three series | Eastern vs. Conception Bay champions |
| 1942, 1943 | The Herder championships were due player shortages during the Second World War | n/a |
| 1944 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-three series | Eastern vs. Western champions |
| 1945 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-three series | Eastern vs. Conception Bay champions |
| 1946 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-three series | Eastern vs. Western champions |
| 1947 | Two-team Herder final, two-game total-goals series | Eastern vs. Western champions |
| 1948 to 1954 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-three series | |
| 1955 to 1956 | Three-team Herder playoff series, best-of-five final series | St. Bon's Bluegolds vs. Buchans in best-of-three semi-final, winner vs. Grand Falls in a best-of-five final series |
| 1957 | No competition for the Herder | NAHA awarded the trophy to the only team entered |
| 1958 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Only Corner Brook and Grand Falls entered teams for Herder competition in 1958 |
| 1959 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Eastern champions vs. Western champions |
| 1960 to 1962 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | East Division champions vs. West Division champions |
| 1963 to 1970 | Best-of-seven finals series | One provincial senior league with a regular season, top four teams in semi-finals, followed by the Herder finals |
| 1971 to 1973 | Best-of-seven finals series | One provincial senior league with a regular season, a home-and-home round robin semi-final series, top two teams played in a best-of-seven Herder final series |
| 1974 | Best-of-seven finals series | One provincial senior league with a regular season, top four teams in semi-finals, followed by the Herder finals |
| 1975 | Best-of-seven finals series | Three-team provincial senior league with a 16-game regular season, 2nd & 3rd place teams in semi-final, winner played #1 in Herder final |
| 1976 | Best-of-seven finals series | Four-team provincial senior league with a 20-game regular season, 3rd & 4th place teams in best-of-five Quarter-final, winner played 2nd place in semi-final, winner played 1st place in Herder final |
| 1977 to 1978 | Best-of-seven finals series | Eight-team provincial senior league with East and West Divisions, Winner of Eastern playoffs faced winner of Western playoffs in Herder final |
| 1979 to 1989 | Best-of-seven finals series | One provincial senior league with a regular season, top four teams in semi-finals, followed by the Herder finals |
| 1990 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven finals series | Eastern champions. The winner played a final series vs. the Western Champion |
| 1991 | No Herder competition | n/a |
| 1992 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-five series | Avalon East League champions vs. Central League champions |
| 1993 | Two-team Herder final best-of-five series | Eastern champions vs. Central League champions |
| 1994 | Two-team Herder final best-of-five series | Eastern champions vs. Central League champions |
| 1995 to 1996 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Avalon East League champions vs. Avalon West League champions |
| 1997 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-five series | Eastern champion vs. Central League champions |
| 1998 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Round robin semi-final between champions of Avalon East, Avalon West and the Central League. Top two teams got berth to final. |
| 1999 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-five series | Round robin semi-final between champions of Avalon East, Avalon West and the Central League. Top two teams got berth to final. |
| 2000 to 2011 | ||
| 2012 to 2014 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | NLSHL championship final |
| 2015 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Hockey NL approved a request by the Central West Senior A Hockey League to play for the Herder. The 2015 Herder Memorial championship was determined in the Central West Senior Hockey A League. final |
| 2016 to 2017 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-five series | CWSHL champions vs. AESHL champions |
| 2018 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | CWSHL champions vs. ECSHL champions |
| 2019 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | NSHL Central Division champions vs. Eastern Division champions |
| 2020 | No Herder competition | n/a |
| 2021 | No Herder competition | n/a |
| 2022 | The Herder was awarded to the Avalon East Senior Hockey League Champions | n/a |
| 2023 | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Avalon East Senior Hockey League champions vs. West Coast Senior Hockey League champions |
| 2024-present | Two-team Herder final, best-of-seven series | Avalon East Senior Hockey League champions vs. Central West Senior Hockey League champions |
Herder championship finals results
Note: After 1947 all series results are listed as games won. Most championship series before 1948 were decided on total Goals.| Year | Winning team | Coach | Losing team | Coach | Series Result | Herder-winning goal |
| 2025 | Deer Lake Red Wings | Darren Langdon | Clarenville Caribous | Ryan Delaney | 4-0 | Drew Langdon |
| 2024 | St. John's Senior Caps | Scott Bray | Deer Lake Red Wings | Darren Langdon | 4-0 | Kyle McGrath PPG |
| 2023 | Southern Shore Breakers | Josh Lunden | Deer Lake Red Wings | Darren Langdon | 4–1 | Jesse Sutton PPG |
| 2022 | Southern Shore Breakers | Josh Lunden | Clarenville Caribous | Rick Sheppard | 4–0 | Andrew Brennan PPG |
| 2021 | No Herder Championship | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2020 | No Herder Championship | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2019 | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Patrick Yetman | Southern Shore Breakers | Josh Lunden | 4–1 | Alex Dalley |
| 2018 | Clarenville Caribous | Rebecca Russell | St. John's Senior Caps | 4–0 | Keith Delaney | |
| 2017 | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ian Moores | Clarenville Caribous | Rebecca Russell | 4–1 | Kenny King |
| 2016 | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Tom Coolen | St. John's Capitals | Wally Bray | 3–0 | Rodi Short |
| 2015 | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Shane Lukinchuk | Corner Brook Royals | Darren Langdon | 4–0 | Cam Fergus |
| 2014 | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Shane Lukinchuk | Clarenville Caribous | Ivan Hapgood | 4–2 | Rob Hennigar PPG |
| 2013 | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ian Moores | Clarenville Caribous | 4–0 | ||
| 2012 | Clarenville Caribous | Ivan Hapgood | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Brian Casey | 4–1 | |
| 2011 | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | Brian Casey | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ian Moores | 4–0 | |
| 2010 | Clarenville Caribous | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ian Moores | 4–1 | ||
| 2009 | Clarenville Caribous | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ian Moores | 4–1 | ||
| 2008 | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ed Oates | Deer Lake Red Wings | Andy Brake | 4–2 | Keith Delaney |
| 2007 | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ed Oates | Deer Lake Red Wings | Andy Brake | 4–2 | Keith Delaney |
| 2006 | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | Ed Oates | Deer Lake Red Wings | Andy Brake | 4–2 | |
| 2005 | Deer Lake Red Wings | Andy Brake | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | 4–3 | ||
| 2004 | Southern Shore Breakers | Greg Smyth | Corner Brook Royals | 3–1 | ||
| 2003 | Flatrock Flyers | Corner Brook Royals | 3–0 | |||
| 2002 | Corner Brook Royals | Flatrock Flyers | 3–2 | |||
| 2001 | Deer Lake Red Wings | Andy Brake | Flatrock Flyers | 3–2 | Rob Robinson | |
| 2000 | Southern Shore Breakers | Torbay West Side Charlies | 4–0 | |||
| 1999 | Southern Shore Breakers | Don Roche | Badger Bombers | 2–1 | ||
| 1998 | Flatrock Flyers | Kevin Fagan | Southern Shore Breakers | 4–3 | Kirby Dumaresque | |
| 1997 | Flatrock Flyers | Kevin Fagan | Badger Bombers | 3–0 | ||
| 1996 | Southern Shore Breakers | Adrian Sullivan | Flatrock Flyers | 4–3 | ||
| 1995 | Southern Shore Breakers | Adrian Sullivan | Flatrock Flyers | 4–0 | ||
| 1994 | La Scie Jets | Gus Greco | Southern Shore Breakers | 3–2 | Craig Young | |
| 1993 | Flatrock Flyers | Joe Maynard | Gander Flyers | Chris Conrad | 3–2 | Derrick Pelley |
| 1992 | Badger Bombers | Steve Croucher | Flatrock Flyers | 3–1 | Russ Kennedy | |
| 1991 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | No Herder Championship | n/a |
| 1990 | St. John's Capitals | Russ Adam | Corner Brook Royals | Terry Gillam | 4–0 | |
| 1989 | Port aux Basques Mariners | Ron Coleman | St. John's Capitals | 4–2 | Bill MacDougall | |
| 1988 | Corner Brook Royals | Gus Greco | St. John's Capitals | 4–1 | Dan Cormier | |
| 1987 | St. John's Capitals | Bill Riley | Stephenville Jets | 4–2 | ||
| 1986 | Corner Brook Royals | Mike Anderson | Stephenville Jets | 4–2 | Eddie Kearsey | |
| 1985 | Corner Brook Royals | Mike Anderson | Stephenville Jets | 4–2 | Kirk Johnson | |
| 1984 | Stephenville Jets | Larry Smith | Corner Brook Royals | Steve Robson | 4–1 | Zane Forbes |
| 1983 | Stephenville Jets | Larry Smith | Grand Falls Cataracts | Cecil Thomas | 4–3 | Darren Pickrem |
| 1982 | Grand Falls Cataracts | Joe Byrne | Gander Flyers | Rick MacCallum | 4–2 | Gary Feener |
| 1981 | Grand Falls Cataracts | Joe Byrne | Corner Brook Royals | Forbes Kennedy | 4–2 | Tom Coolen |
| 1980 | Gander Flyers | Jack Faulkner | St. John's Blue Caps | 4–1 | Kirk Johnson | |
| 1979 | St. John's Mike's Shamrocks | Jim Byrne | Gander Flyers | Jack Faulkner | 4–3 | Ron Cadigan |
| 1978 | St. John's Blue Caps | Bill Clarke | Gander Flyers | Ron Sheppard | 4–3 | Charlie Babstock |
| 1977 | Corner Brook Royals | Frank "Danky" Dorrington | St. John's Capitals | 4–2 | Bill Perry | |
| 1976 | St. John's Capitals | George Faulkner | Grand Falls Cataracts | Leo Murphy | 4–1 | |
| 1975 | St. John's Capitals | Bob Badcock | Corner Brook Royals | Doug Sheppard | 4–0 | Randy Pearcey |
| 1974 | St. John's Capitals | Bob Badcock | Grand Falls Cataracts | Leo Murphy | 4–1 | Randy Pearcey |
| 1973 | St. John's Capitals | Bob Badcock | Grand Falls Cataracts | Marc Pichette | 4–0 | Derek Hancock |
| 1972 | Grand Falls Cataracts | Marc Pichette | St. John's Capitals | Howie Meeker | 4–0 | Frank Finlayson |
| 1971 | Grand Falls Cataracts | Marc Pichette | St. John's Capitals | Howie Meeker | 4–3 | Frank Finlayson |
| 1970 | St. John's Capitals | Howie Meeker | Gander Flyers | Jacques Allard | 4–3 | Ford Metcalfe |
| 1969 | Gander Flyers | Jacques Allard | Buchans Miners | Hugh Wadden | 4–0 | Mike Kelly |
| 1968 | Corner Brook Royals | Frank "Danky " Dorrington | Buchans Miners | Hugh Wadden | 4–1 | Frank "Danky " Dorrington |
| 1967 | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | Gander Flyers | Jacques Allard | 4–1 | Gerry Lahey |
| 1966 | Corner Brook Royals | Frank "Danky " Dorrington | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | 4–1 | Frank "Danky" Dorrington |
| 1965 | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | Corner Book Royals | Frank "Danky " Dorrington | 4–1 | Jack Faulkner |
| 1964 | Corner Brook Royals | Frank "Danky" Dorrington | Buchans Miners | Neil Amadio | 4–2 | Mickey Walsh |
| 1963 | Buchans Miners | Neil Amadio | Corner Book Royals | Frank "Danky " Dorrington | 4–2 | Frank Finlayson |
| 1962 | Corner Brook Royals | Frank "Danky " Dorrington | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | 4–1 | Willis French |
| 1961 | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | Gander Flyers | Wes Trainor | 4–0 | George Faulkner |
| 1960 | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | Grand Falls Andcos | Jean Pichette | 4–2 | Alex Faulkner |
| 1959 | Grand Falls Andcos | Ray Lacroix | Conception Bay CeeBees | George Faulkner | 4–1 | Jim "Bucky" Hannaford |
| 1958 | Grand Falls Andcos | Wes Trainor | Corner Brook Royals | Joe Iannarelli | 4–1 | Roger Dean |
| 1957 | Grand Falls Andcos | Wes Trainor | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1956 | Grand Falls Andcos | Wes Trainor | Buchans Miners | Jimmy Hornell | 3–0 | Marky Andrews |
| 1955 | Grand Falls All-Stars | Wes Trainor | Buchans Miners | Frank Bowman | 3–1 | Jim "Bucky" Hannford |
| 1954 | Buchans Miners | Frank Bowman | Grand Falls All-Stars | Joe Byrne | 2–1 | Gerry Casey |
| 1953 | Grand Falls All-Stars | Wes Trainor | Buchans Miners | Frank Grabowski | 2–0 | Joe Byrne |
| 1952 | Buchans Miners | Frank Bowman | St. Bon's | 2–0 | Willie Robertson | |
| 1951 | Buchans Miners | Frank Bowman | St. Bon's | Jack Vinicombe | 2–0 | |
| 1950 | Buchans Miners | Frank Bowman | St. Bon's | Jack Vinicombe | 2–0 | Ken Joy |
| 1949 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Corner Brook | Frank Bowman, Scotty McPhail | 2–0 | Noel Vinnicombe |
| 1948 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Buchans | 2–0 | Cyril Power | |
| 1947 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Grand Falls | C.I. Power | 12–8 | |
| 1946 | St. Bon's | Bill Harris | Grand Falls | 35–3 | Noel Vinnicombe | |
| 1945 | St. Bon's | Bill Harris | Bell Island | 2–0 | Bill Power | |
| 1944 | Bell Island | Reid Proudfoot | Corner Brook | 2–0 | ||
| 1943 | No Herder Championship | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1942 | No Herder Championship | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1941 | Bell Island | Reid Proudfoot | Royals | Harold Gross | 2–1 | Gordon Normore |
| 1940 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Buchans | 17–7 | ||
| 1939 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Bell Island | 2–0 | Jack Vinnicombe | |
| 1938 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Grand Falls | 9–1 | ||
| 1937 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Buchans | "Min" Moore | 4–1 | Jack Vinnicombe |
| 1936 | St. Bon's | Frank "Dee" Donnelly | Corner Brook | 14–3 | Charlie Godden | |
| 1935 | Corner Brook | Ron Taffe | St. John's Guards | 5–2 | Tony Ledrew |
Herder presentation ceremony and final game results
At the conclusion of the final game, in an on-ice ceremony, the Herder Memorial Trophy is presented to the captain of the winning team. Traditionally the presenter has been a representative of the trophy donor, from the Herder family or The Evening Telegram, and/or a representative from Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador.Herder finals appearances
Note: In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by alphabetical order. In the "Years of appearance" column, bold years indicate winning the Herder Trophy Finals.| Team | Wins | Losses | Win % | Years of appearance | |
| 33 | St. John's | 20 | 13 | 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2016, 2018, 2024 | |
| 25 | Grand Falls-Windsor | 15 | 10 | 1938, 1946, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 | |
| 23 | Corner Brook | 10 | 13 | 1935, 1936, 1944, 1949, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2015 | |
| 16 | Conception Bay CeeBees, CBN/HG CeeBee Stars | 9 | 7 | 1959, 1960, 1961,1962, 1965, 1966,1967, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017 | |
| 14 | Buchans (All-Stars, Miners) | 5 | 9 | 1937, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1969 | |
| 10 | Southern Shore Breakers | 7 | 3 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2019, 2022, 2023 | |
| 9 | Flat Rock Flyers | 4 | 5 | 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 | |
| 9 | Gander Flyers | 2 | 7 | 1961, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1993 | |
| 9 | Clarenville Caribous | 4 | 5 | 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2025 | |
| 8 | Deer Lake Red Wings | 3 | 5 | 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
| 5 | Stephenville Jets | 2 | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 | |
| 4 | Bell Island | 2 | 2 | 1939, 1941, 1944, 1945 | |
| 3 | Badger Bombers | 1 | 2 | 1992, 1997, 1999 | |
| 1 | La Scie Jets | 1 | 0 | 1994 | |
| 1 | Port Aux Basques Mariners | 1 | 0 | 1989 | |
| 1 | Torbay West Side Charlies | 0 | 1 | 2000 |
;Notes
A. In 1957 the Herder Finals series was not played. Two teams entered the Section 'A' playoffs in 1957 but after Bell Island withdrew before the finals started, NAHA decided to award the Herder Trophy to the Grand Falls Andcos by default.
Cliff Gorman Memorial Award winners
In 2005 Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador established the Cliff Gorman Memorial Award to be presented annually to the most valuable player for his team during the Herder finals series. A native of Prince Edward Island, Cliff was instrumental in promoting hockey in Corner Brook and in Newfoundland and Labrador since moving there in 1955. Cliff Gorman was inducted into the Newfoundland & Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 in the building category.| Year | Winner | Team | Position |
| 2025 | Bryan Gillis | Deer Lake Red Wings | G |
| 2024 | Joel Bishop | St. John's Senior Caps | F |
| 2023 | Stephen Oates | Southern Shore Breakers | D |
| 2022 | Keenan Kennedy | Southern Shore Breakers | F |
| 2021 | |||
| 2020 | |||
| 2019 | Michael Brent | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | D |
| 2018 | Justin Pender | Clarenville Caribous | D |
| 2017 | A.J. Whiffen | Harbour Grace Ocean Enterprise Cee Bee Stars | G |
| 2016 | Luke Gallant | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | D |
| 2015 | Cam Fergus | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | F |
| 2014 | A.J. Whiffen | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | G |
| 2013 | Ryan Delaney | Eastlink Cee Bee Stars | F |
| 2012 | Dustin Russell | Clarenville Caribous | F |
| 2011 | Mike Sibley | Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts | F |
| 2010 | Jason Churchill | Clarenville Caribous | G |
| 2009 | Jason Churchill | Clarenville Caribous | G |
| 2008 | Keith Delaney | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | F |
| 2007 | Sean Wadden | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | F |
| 2006 | Derrick Kent | Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars | F |
| 2005 | Graham Cook | Deer Lake Red Wings | G |
Broadcasting
The first island-wide live broadcast of a Herder championship game was on the VONF radio station on Saturday night March 23, 1935. NL Hockey Hall of Famer John (Jack) Tobin provided the play-by-play of the final game of the first all-Newfoundland hockey championships between Corner Brook and the Guards live from the Prince's Rink in St. John's.In 1947, from Gander Gardens, all Newfoundland radio stations participated in an island-wide broadcast of the Herder finals between St. Bon's and Grand Falls sponsored by Coca-Cola. Don Jamieson provided the play-by-play commentary. The broadcast was carried by the stations VONF, VONH, VOCM, VOWN and VORG.
Don Jamieson hosted the island-wide broadcast of the 1949 All-Newfoundland Finals from the Corner Brook Rink. This was made possible courtesy of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs.
The 1950 all-Newfoundland finals was broadcast live from Grand Falls stadium over station CBN. The play-by-play commentary for the two finals games between Buchans and St. Bon's was provided by Don Jamieson. The broadcast was sponsored by Jockey Club Brewing Ltd.
In March 1953 the Herder finals was broadcast on an island-wide hook-up, on CBC stations and CJON, with Don Jamieson and Frank "Toe" Byrne providing the commentary live from Grand Falls Stadium.
22-year-old Bob Cole broadcast the 1956 Herder finals on VOCM live from Grand Falls Stadium. Jack Forsey of Corner Brook provided the play-by-play for CBC.
In 2007 and 2008, Rogers Cable broadcast the Herder finals province-wide using the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Channel.
Games three through five of the 2009 finals were streamed online at thesportspage.ca.
In 2016 all Herder finals games were webcast by Hockey NL's partner Bell Aliant TV One.
Grand Falls-Windsor Broadcaster George Scott provided the play-by-play on a live webcast of the Herder Finals from 2011 to 2019.
Since 2022, all Herder finals games were live streamed for a fee on, an Atlantic Canadian-based company recognized as a leader in live webcasting and video productions. The play-by-play commentary for the 2025 Herder finals was provided by and the live video courtesy of .
List of Herder Finals Broadcasters
| Year | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Host | Notes |
| 1935, 1936 | VONF | John Tobin | Live from the Prince's Rink in St. John's | ||
| 1947 | , VONF, VONH, VOCM, VOWN | Don Jamieson | Island-wide radio broadcast, sponsored by Coca-Cola, live from Gander Gardens on every broadcasting channel in Newfoundland, made possible by the coordination of postal telegraph facilities and the Newfoundland Broadcasting Corporation | ||
| 1948 | VONF | Don Jamieson | Live from Grand Falls Stadium | ||
| 1949 | VONF | Don Jamieson | Island-wide broadcast live from Corner Brook Rink made possible courtesy of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. | ||
| 1950, 1951, 1953 | CBN | Don Jamieson | Live from Grand Falls Stadium | ||
| 1952 | VOCM | Don Jamieson | Live from Grand Falls Stadium | ||
| 1954 | CBN/CBT/CBG/CBY, CJON | Don Jamieson | Live from Grand Falls Stadium | ||
| 1956 | VOCM, CBN | Bob Cole, Jack Forsey | |||
| 1992 | Cable 9 | Ted Patey | Jack Stuckless | ||
| 2007 | Rogers Television, Persona Communications | Dale Fry | Terry Hart | Paddy Daly, Darren Colbourne, Steve Callahan | Live from Mile One in St. John's and the Pepsi Centre in Corner Brook |
| 2008 | Rogers Television, Eastlink | Paddy Daly | Steve Power, Steve Callahan | Live from Mile One in St. John's and the Pepsi Centre in Corner Brook | |
| 2009 | |||||
| 2011 | George Scott | Barry Manual | |||
| 2014 | Bell Aliant | George Scott | Robert Goulding | Live webcast sponsored by the Telegram | |
| 2019 | George Scott | Robert Goulding | |||
| 2022 | |||||
| 2023 to 2025 | George Scott | - |