Officials
Since the very introduction of hockey to Newfoundland and Labrador, the sport has been blessed with a very large number of very qualified and very dedicated officials. An excellent indication of the officiating efficiency is the fact that provincial hockey has required relatively few referees-in-chief. Joe Smith of St. John's was the first top referee from 1948 to 1952 when Ralph Colyer of Buchans was made referee-in-chief. Quebec City native Joe Byrne, who came into the province as a player and then coached, served as referee-in-chief for 17 years from 1954 to 1956, from 1959 to 1961, and from 1966 to 1977. Byrne lived in Grand Falls-Windsor but spent a couple of seasons with Bell Island hockey. Ted Withers of St. John's filled the top position for 1957 and 1958, while John Doyle, also from St. John's, was top official from 1962 to 1965. Ray Bowe, a player who was born in The Goulds but grew up in Gander, was referee-in-chief for 23 years, from 1977 to 2000. Prior to assuming the provincial position, Bowe served as Canadian Armed Forces referee-in-chief for eight years after a productive career as a player. Jim Hare, a native of Nova Scotia and an RCMP officer, took over as referee-in-chief in 2000. Bowe established the position of "Supervisor of Officials." Len Butt, George Thorne, Wayne Mercer and Don Kelly have filled that position.