A National Hockey League player with New York Rangers, Prince Edward Island native Wes “Bucko” Trainor not only coached Grand Falls Teams to nine provincial championships but he played a major role in establishing minor hockey programs in Grand Falls and Gander and brought a high level of respect to the sport within Newfoundland and Labrador.

He coached and played for five years in Grand Falls, bringing his own level of rules and discipline to the community’s hockey system and providing valuable leadership to all aspects of the town’s hockey setup. His methods were extremely successful and resulted in Grand Falls teams winning five provincial senior “A” championships, Herder Memorial Trophies, two provincial senior “B” championships, Evening Telegram Trophies, two provincial junior championships and Veitch Memorial Trophies.

He spent four years in Gander and while the town didn’t win a Herder Trophy under his guidance, the overall caliber of it’s senior clubs improved immensely with the 1961 Flyers going to the finals against the powerful Conception Bay CeeBees. Overall he was as valuable to Gander hockey as he was to Grand Falls hockey.

Polls conducted by the Telegram and the Grand Falls Advertiser to select the best players and coaches in the history of hockey within Newfoundland and Labrador resulted in Wes Trainor being named the best coach in both despite the fact that the polls were taken long after his time within the province. He was so good that his extremely valuable contributions to hockey, specifically and generally, were not forgotten.

After playing minor, school, and junior hockey in his native Charlottetown, Wes Trainor moved to Saint Paul Saints of the American Hockey League and back to Charlottetown Island of the Maritime Hockey League. Despite serving more than five years with Eighth Medium Battery in the Second World War, he joined the New York Rangers in 1948. He played for several other professional clubs prior to his arrival in Grand Falls for the 1952 season.

While hockey brought Wes Trainor to this province, he served and served well as recreation director for both Grand Falls and Gander. He introduced solid minor hockey systems to both communities and was the driving force behind setting up exceptional minor baseball systems in both communities. In all his dealing with people within Newfoundland and Labrador he earned great respect and made outstanding contributions.

Three of his four daughters were born in Newfoundland and Labrador during the ten years that he resided within the province. A member of the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame, Wes Trainor was born in 1921 and died in 1991.