George Faulkner (ice hockey)
Robert George Faulkner (born December 27, 1933 in Bishop's Falls, Newfoundland) is a retired professional hockey player. In 1954 he became the first professional hockey player from Newfoundland and Labrador when he signed with the minor-pro Shawinigan-Falls Cataracts of the Quebec Senior Hockey League. Playing career. Shawinigan Falls Cataracts. In 1954 George became the first player from Newfoundland to sign a professional contract with an NHL team. Faulkner played four seasons with the minor-pro Shawinigan Cataracts from 1954 to 1958. The Cataracts were owned by the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey  League. Conception Bay CeeBees. In 1958, then 24 years old, George was hired by the town of Harbour Grace as the community's recreational director. He helped run the hockey program with stadium manager Lorne Wakelin at the new Conception Bay Recreational Centre which opened in January 1958. His first task was to form a senior hockey team. The Conception Bay CeeBees, with George on defense as their playing-coach, were immediately a dominant force in the Newfoundland senior league making seven finals appearances in their first nine seasons, including four all-Newfoundland hockey championships. 1966 World Hockey Championships. In  1966 at the age of 32 Faulkner won a bronze medal and led Canada's national team in scoring with 6 goals and one assist in 7 games at the World Hockey Championships in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. He finished 8th in tournament scoring with 7 points and tied for 3rd in goals with 6. Personal life. George was born in the town of Bishop's Falls located on the shores of the Exploits River in Bishop's Falls, Newfoundland, Canada. His parents were Lester, also born in Bishop's Falls, and Olive who was a native of Point Leamington. Lester's  mother (Svea) was born in Burträsk, Sweden and his father (William) was born in Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. George had four hockey-playing brothers (Lindy, Seth, Alex, and Jack) and two sisters (Marie and Elizabeth).He first learned how to play hockey on the Exploits River with his brothers. His brother Alex was the first Newfoundlander to play in the National Hockey League. George started his hockey career at age 15 playing with the Bishop's Falls Woodsmen in the Grand Falls Senior league. In 1951 he played Junior B with the Quebec Citadelles. His biography, titled "Faulkner: A Hockey  History", was published on November 30, 2011. It was written by Tom P. Rossiter, a retired educator. As of 2016, at the age of 82, he still skates and sometimes plays hockey. In February 2016, he participated in a parents-versus-kids hockey game with his grandson George Faulkner Jr. "I can say now that I've played with my two sons, Bob and Peter, and now I've played with my grandson," he said. Career achievements. Career statistics. "Note: GFISL = Grand Falls Inter-town School League, GFSHL = Grand Falls Senior Hockey League, QJBHL = Quebec Junior B  Hockey League, NAHA = Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association, QJAHL = Quebec Junior A Hockey League, QHL = Quebec Hockey League, NSHL = Newfoundland Senior Hockey League