April 15, 2025
GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, NL – Hockey NL is excited to announce 8 new members into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame. Honored members were selected by the Hockey NL Hall of Fame Selection Committee. “The eight new inductees to our Hall of Fame have all had exceptional careers as players and builders leaving a lasting legacy and an outstanding impact on our game,” says Arnold Kelly, Chair of the Hockey NL Hall of Fame Selection Committee. “The selection committee had many excellent nominations as is evident by such a great group of hockey people entering the hall this year. The committee sincerely congratulates all of the inductees and their families.”
The inductees are:
- Brian Brocklehurst in the Player Category
- Jason Churchill in the Player Category
- Brian Hurley in the Builder Category
- Jack Lee in the Builder Category
- Mark Lee in the Player Category
- Kevin Parsons (posthumously) in the Builder Category
- Murray Roberts in the Builder Category
- Rob Robinson in the Player Category
Biographies for each of the inductees can be found below.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize, honor and pay tribute to all individuals based on playing ability, sportsmanship, and character and who have achieved extraordinary distinction in hockey whether that distinction be achieved in amateur or professional hockey. Hockey NL has a permanent home for all inductees at the Corner Brook Civic Centre in Corner Brook. The hall displays inductees, historical trophies and artifacts of the provincial association which was established in 1935. With the addition of the new members, the total number of inductees now stands at 222.
Hockey NL will honor the new class of inductees at the Hockey NL Annual General Meeting Induction Ceremony on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at the Albatross Hotel in Gander, NL.
Hall of Fame Inductee Biographies
Brian Brocklehurst of St. John’s. From modest beginnings playing on Dead Man’s Pond, Brian Brocklehurst reached the pinnacle of hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador. A smooth skating centre with a prolific scoring touch, championships followed Brock, and that is no coincidence. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Brock’s ability to perform at the highest level helped his teams to titles in minor, high school with Gonzaga, junior and senior with MUN and St. Bon’s, and a Herder with the St. John’s Capitals of the old NAHA. As a rookie with St. Bon’s in the city’s senior league, Brock not only won the league’s scoring title with 26 goals and 32 assists in just 16 games, Brock was named league MVP. After a couple of shining seasons with the MUN Beothuks, Brock suited up for the St. John’s Caps, leading them to a Herder title in 1974.
Jason Churchill of Hodge’s Cove. It is often said that goalies are the backbones of hockey teams. The last line of defence. Jason Churchill certainly fits that description during his time with the Clarenville Caribous. During his outstanding 11-year senior hockey career, Churchill was perhaps the premier goalie in senior hockey, winning the President Goaltender Award in 2010. His play led Clarenville to five Herder titles and one Allan Cup championship. In fact, his play was so good during the 2011 Allan Cup, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament played in Kenora Ontario. Clarenville dominated senior hockey from 2010-2018, winning Herder titles in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2018. Churchill was added to the Grand Falls-Windsor roster in 2017 and won his second Allan Cup as the Cataracts backup goalie in that event. Prior to his graduation to the senior ranks, Churchill made his mark in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, playing three seasons with the Halifax Moosehead and Saint John Sea Dogs good enough to have the San Jose Sharks selected him in the 2004 NHL draft.
Brian Hurley of North River. When talk turns to hockey in Conception Bay North, Brian Hurley’s name is sure to enter the picture. As president of Bay Arena Minor Hockey Association from 1997-2001, Hurley took a practically bankrupt group and left with a healthy bank balance when he moved on. Not only did Hurley play a pivot role on their executive, but he also coached successful championship teams over the years with Bay Arena. When finished with minor hockey, Hurley turned his attention to the St. John’s Junior Hockey League, coaching the CBN Stars to two championships in four seasons. He was more than a coach, he was the president and manager of the Stars, a title he still holds today, two decades onward. As if that was not enough, Hurley has been the face and voice during minor hockey TV Bingo for 29 Years, helping Bay Arena and Cee Bees Minor raise more than $500,000 for the groups, keeping them alive and well on the provincial scene.
Jack Lee of Gould’s. How do you summarize 35 years of hockey volunteerism in a few paragraphs? If you break it down, you will call it hockey development. Because over these years, hockey development is what comes to mind with Jack Lee and HNL. After his playing days, Jack slid seamlessly into the boardrooms in rinks around the province, working with minor hockey groups Saxons, and Trepassey and Mount Pearl leaving an imprint on the game across the province. His hockey involvement included 10 years as Hockey NL president; the introduction of the Breakaway Foundation to help people get involved with hockey. Jack’s contributions were recognized when he was awarded Hockey Canada Certificate for pivotal role in hockey development as well as the 2022 Hockey Canada Order of Merit for many years of faithful service, including time on the Hockey Canada Board. But as much as he has done in the boardroom, it is on the ice developing the next generation of hockey players that has kept Jack never too far from a hockey rink.
Mark Lee of Mount Pearl. In the history of hockey in this province, players from Newfoundland and Labrador who successfully navigated a 15-year professional career are few and far between. Our next inductee is one of those. Mark Lee’s career took him to seven countries and the top leagues in Germany, Denmark, and Finland. In many of his stops, his ability to put up points shone through. Lee found success in many other places outside the NHL. After a solid junior career, Mark played four seasons bouncing between the American Hockey League and ECHL, scoring at a rate of more than one point per game. When he found no opportunity, the game took him to Europe where he also found success for another decade, playing in nine leagues over the course of his career before coming home.
The late Kevin Parsons of Flatrock. The bulk of Kevin Parsons hockey work over two decades or more in the game was done quietly and behind closed doors, a reflection of his personality. Kevin was not one to seek the limelight for himself, but he did want the best for his beloved Flatrock Flyers. As a player and general manager from 1990-2003, Kevin helped sculpt the core of the Flyers team that won 12 Avalon East titles; played in nine Herder finals, and won four in 1993, 1997, 1998 and 2003. After Flatrock ceased operations in 2003, Kevin joined forces with the Conception Bay Cee Bees, helping them to a Herder title for the first time in 39 years. Locally, Kevin spent times as president, vice-present and director with the Avalon East executive. He also participated with the Northeast Minor Hockey Association and helped coach the Holy Trinity High School hockey team. Well-liked inside and outside of hockey, Kevin’s leadership was evident whatever role he played on or off the ice.
Murray Roberts of Botwood. When Murray Roberts offered to sit on the Botwood Minor Hockey Association board in 1996, he could not have dreamed of the long journey he was about to take.
Yet here we are three decades honoring a man who has been a staple at hockey meetings for longer than most people here. From that single year as President of Botwood Minor, Murray advanced through Hockey NL taking on many positions and chairing many committees. In his time on the HNL board, Murray ran the Risk and Safety Committee and the STOP program. He was a Master Course Conductor in Speak Out, chair of finance, resolutions, and head of the nominating committee. For 14 years he was a risk manager with Hockey Canada in addition to being Hockey NL’s vice president for 18 years, an extremely long affiliation that can only be credited to the work he did while sitting in these positions. His work was not without notice. Murray received the HNL Presidents award twice, in 2009 and 2015. He was made a lifetime member of Hockey NL in 2020.
Rob Robinson of Middle Arm. Hockey is a 200-foot game, and for more than a decade on the west coast, nobody embodied that like Rob Robinson. Rob Robinson played 10 seasons with the Deer Lake Red Wings winning two Herder Memorial Championships. Rob was in the corner doing the little things that make teams successful. Rob not only played on the top scoring line for the Red Wings, but his two-way game was also noticeable as one of the top penalty killers in the league for many years. But Robinsons game was nurtured as a teenager. He won his first of three Herders in 1994 as a nineteen-year-old with the La Scie Jets before playing two seasons of Junior Hockey with the Deer Lake Videos, winning the provincial Veitch Memorial Championship in 1996. Upon his graduation to senior, Robinson played two seasons with CBN Tigers before helping the Deer Lake Red Wings defeat the Flatrock Flyers in 2001 for the franchise’s first Herder. During the five-game series, Rob scored three goals and three assists, including the game and title clinching overtime goal in Game 5.
