Joseph R. Byrne

Joseph Richard "Joe" Byrne (March 22, 1921 – August 26, 1990) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach.

Career[]

Joe Byrne learned the game of hockey from Hall of Famer Alex Connell. After leaving the service in 1946, he joined the New York Rangers organization and worked as a scout in the early 1950s. He was hired by the Grand Falls Athletic Association to coach their hockey team and arrived in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland on December 7, 1949. He was involved in Newfoundland hockey as either a coach, player or referee for the next 40 years until his retirement in the summer of 1989. Byrne operated a sports shop at Grand Falls beginning in the early 1950s.

Awards and honours[]

• In 1982 he was presented with the Gordon Juckes Award from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for national achievement
• Inducted into the on November 4, 1989[1].
• Inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame on May 28, 1995[2].

Personal life[]

Byrne was born in Charlesbourg, Quebec. He had one brother and four sisters. His wife's name was Patricia (Pat). Joe Byrne died on August 26, 1990 in Grand Falls-Windsor. On Friday March 22, 1991 in a ceremony attended by his wife Pat, on what would have been Joe's 70th birthday, the Grand Falls Stadium was renamed Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium as a tribute to his contributions to hockey in the community and the province during his 40-year career.

External links[]

• Sport Newfoundland and Labrador Hall of Fame page
• Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame page
• Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium page