The Grand Falls Athletic Association was picking players from the local senior league to form an all-star team at least as early as 1928 and occasionally played inter-town games with other hockey centres including St. John's, Corner Brook, Buchans and Bay Roberts before hockey was organized island-wide. In 1935, at the conclusion of the annual home and home inter-papertown series between Grand Falls and Corner Brook, it was agreed that Corner Brook would represent Western Newfoundland to play the eastern champion Guards from St. John's in a two-game series at the Prince's Rink to determine the first hockey champions of Newfoundland. Corner Brook were victorious and were awarded the first Herder Memorial Trophy. The Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association was formed in December 1935 and beginning in 1936 the Western division champion would travel to the capital city in March to playing the Herder Championship series. The town of Grand Falls was company-built and administered by the Anglo Development Company Ltd until 1961 when the town was incorporated as a municipality. The Grand Falls Athletic Association organized and governed hockey in the town including management of the Grand Falls All-Stars hockey club. The A.N.D. Co. funded the construction of a new stadium for Grand Falls in 1947. It was a state-of-the-art facility when it opened in the winter of 1948. Equipped with a new arena capable of holding thousands of patrons and generating significant revenues, Grand Falls started hiring 'import' hockey playing-coaches to compete with the Buchans Miners and the strong St. John's teams. The GFAA improved its entry in the race for the Herder Trophy by first hiring Moncton native and NHL Hall of famer Gordie Drillon as playing-coach for the 1948-49 season. Drillon arrived in Grand Falls on November 20, 1948. Two days later the Grand Falls Stadium was officially opened. Joe Byrne was hired as head coach for the 1949-50 season and arrived in Grand Falls in early December 1949. He coached the all-stars for several seasons. Before the start of the 1952-53 season the GFAA hired three playing coaches including PEI native Wes "Bucko" Trainor, who played 17 games with the New York Rangers in 1948-49. In the winter of 1953 Trainor helped Grand Falls capture its first all-Newfoundland championship and Herder Memorial Trophy. The Grand Falls All-Stars, renamed the Andcos in January 1956., won five straight Herder championships from 1955 to 1959 but the once dominant hockey club folded at the end of the 1964-65 season. After a year without an entry from the town in the Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association, the Grand Falls-Cataracts were formed in the fall of 1966.
Seasons and records
Season by season results
Herder Trophy champions
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, DNQ = Did not qualify NAHA, Sr. = Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association senior division, NAHA, Sr. A = Newfoundland Amateur Hockey Association senior Section A, NSHL = Newfoundland Senior Hockey League Note: There were no regular season games from 1947 through 1962. Teams played exhibition games which was followed by the NAHA playoffs.
All-time Roster
Leaders
Captains
Harry Maidment, 1946–47
Eric Dwyer, 1949–50
Eddie Walsh, 1950–51
Dave Green, 1951–53
Jim McDonald, 1953–54
Neil Amadio, 1954–55
Jack Mackenzie, 1955–56
Orin Carver, 1957–58
James 'Bucky' Hannaford, 1958–59
Leo Murphy, 1964–65
Head Coaches
Gordie Drillon, 1948–49
Joe Byrne, 1949–52, 1953-54, 1961–62
Wes Trainor, 1952–53, 1955–58
Alex Robinson, 1953–54
Neil Amadio, 1954–55
Ray LaCroix, 1958–59
Jean-Marc Pichette, 1959–60,1962–63
James "Bucky" Hannaford, 1960–61
Jacques LaChesvesque, 1963–64
Vic Fildes, 1964–65
Trophies and awards
Team awards
Six all-Newfoundland senior hockey championships : 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959
