Annapolis Royal Tigers

The Annapolis Royal Tigers were a senior and intermediate team.

They won the Central Valley Senior Hockey League in 1930-31, 1937-38, 1938-39, & 1939-40. In each of those seasons they entered the Maritimes Senior Playoffs.

The Central Valley League became intermediate after World War II and the Tigers won the league a number of time more.

My Dad used to take us to Hockey Games in the unheated, natural ice, Annapolis Arena to watch the Tigers play against the Digby Ravens; Cornwallis Cougars; Bridgetown Hawks; and Middleton Maple Leafs.

Annapolis players of note included Herman Rushton; Jack & Bud Miller; Bobby Potts; Wilf Sanford; Bun Pulsifer; Eric Lucas; Sam Weir and their spectacular Goalie Larry Flynn-imported from Quebec each year to keep the Team competitive!

The team was merged with the Digby Ravens for the 1934-35 season. That team would finish second in the regular season standings and then lose in the semifinals.

The Annapolis Tigers also won the Central Valley Intermediate League Championship in 1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50, & 1950-51.

Eric Lucas mentioned above was actually David Lucas. Tigers goalie, Larry Flynn was an Acadian from the French Shore (Meteghan area) of NS.

Another notable player for the Annapolis Tigers was Frank Melanson. He was also an Acadian from Church Point, N.S. who started playing senior hockey at the age of 15 with the Church Point Acadians in 1930-31. Frank went on to play a total of 23 years of senior/immediate hockey, retiring after the 1952-53 season with the Tigers, at age 38. He played two years with the Church Point Acadians, three with Bridgetown Hawks, two with Wolfville, and fifteen with the Annapolis Tigers. He played on a total of eight league championship teams, two with the Hawks (1934 & 35) and six with the Tigers (1938 & 40; 1948-51). Frank was reported to have been a "prolific scorer." He was known as "Mr. Hockey in Annapolis & one of the best boosters of sports in the town."