The 1936-37 Berwick Bruins had it all

In the spring of 1936, the Middleton Maple Leafs of the Central Valley senior hockey league raised the level of hockey in the Valley by reaching the Nova Scotia finals.

Teams from Berwick, Bridgetown and Annapolis all added talented players to their rosters that year, making the CVL one of the strongest leagues in the province.

The regular season was a difficult one for the teams of the Valley area, where mild weather made the ice conditions soft and caused the postponement of many games. When the regular scheduled games were over, Berwick had nosed out the Middleton team for first place. The Bruins would have to play the winners of the Middleton-Bridgetown series for the league title. This series was won by Middleton.

Looking over the Bruins’ record that season, we find Berwick won all homes games, except for one tie. They did not succeed in winning even one game away from home. They did, however, tie four games and outscored Middleton 13-10 in league play. The Bruins captured the championship of the CVL after a most successful season, and thereby became holders of the Berger trophy for the ensuing year.

In the first playoff game between the Bruins and Maple Leafs, Middleton won on home ice by a score of 4-1. Berwick now had to win the semi game on home ice by four goals.

The Berwick team went into the concluding game of the play-offs trailing by three goals and facing the Maple Leafs, the defending league champions. However, with a crowd of over 800 hometown fans, the Berwick team would not be denied.

It was one of the most spectacular comebacks ever witnessed in this part of the Valley. The outcome was in doubt until the final bell sounded, with Berwick holding onto a one-goal lead. It was then the crowd staged wild scenes of enthusiasm which knew no bounds. It was impossible to formally present the cup emblematic of the championship: the crowd swarmed over the ice and literally lifted the players off their feet and escorted them off the ice

The Berger trophy had not previously appeared in Berwick, but received a royal welcome and was placed in the window of Wilson’s drug store, where it was later joined by the Windsor trophy, presented to the Nova Scotia champions of 1936-37.