Colleen Tapper, the first female elected to the Hall of Fame, had an outstanding hockey career that was overflowing with achievements and contribution, an accomplishment that took place when female hockey was not close to being as popular, supported and accepted as it is today. As a player she was unequalled and as a builder she was dedicated, expert and hardworking in a variety of positions. The manner in which she performed on the ice was an example that attracted many other females to hockey. A great deal of the success that female hockey enjoys today started during her career.
Her involvement as an executive was such that the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association selected her to represent the province at the first national meeting on female hockey and president Claude Anstey was loud in his praise of the manner in which she conducted herself at these Toronto meetings.

As a player, for ten seasons Colleen Tapper was the finest female hockey player within Newfoundland and Labrador. From 1971 to 1982 she won nine out of ten scoring titles in the Newfoundland Womens Hockey League, the dominant hockey organization for female hockey players during that period. The season that she didnt win the scoring title, she was second.

She was the captain of the Torbay Chargers who won ten straight Newfoundland Womens Hockey League titles and provided the excellent leadership upon which the team was founded and sustained. It should be pointed out that since this league was the only female hockey league in permanent operation, winning its title was in fact the same as winning the provincial championship. Her individual awards during the ten-year period included seven Most Valuable Player Awards and a variety of other awards. She was simply the best player.

While she was the top player on the ice, she also served on the leagues executive and played a major role in the annual organization and operation of the league and the Chargers. She has been inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame. On four occasions she was an important member of an all-star team that represented Newfoundland and Labrador in national championships.