First Name: Stan
Last Name: Hennigar Jr.
Sport: Multi-sport
Inductee Type: Athlete
Year Inducted: 2007
Home Town: Fall River
County: Halifax County
Details:

Now that Stan Hennigar Jr. has finally stopped to catch his breath, it’s only fitting that his name is added to the list of those worthy of induction into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. For decades, it was summers on the diamond and winters on the ice, with a dash of gridiron in the fall for the North End Halifax native, now living in Fall River. Hennigar grew up on local ballparks, rinks, and football fields, fashioning himself into a three-sport star at a provincial, national, and professional level.

A tough-as-nails defenseman, Hennigar spent two seasons with the Laval Voisins of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, recording 35 points and 199 penalty minutes in 91 games, before moving on to the pro ranks with the American Hockey League’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs and Moncton Golden Flames. He became a mainstay in senior hockey circles once his pro career concluded, retiring after the 1988-89 season with Truro. Hennigar was also on the first Newfoundland and Labrador entry to capture this country’s biggest senior hockey prize, the Allan Cup. Hennigar went to the national final with the host Corner Brook Royals in 1985, and won the title with Corner Brook in Nelson, B.C., in 1986.

Hennigar, whose brother Jody and father Stan Sr. also starred at the national and international level in softball, was part of a remarkable run for Nova Scotia clubs during the early 1980s. Six Bluenose teams were crowned Canadian champions between 1980 and 1984, and Hennigar was an integral part of three of them; capturing gold at the midget level with Halifax Fickerman’s Market (Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inductees in 2006) in 1981  earning top hitter and playoff MVP honours that year  as well as back-to-back junior titles with Fisherman’s Market in 1982 and the Midtown Juniors in 1983. His career continued at the senior level until his retirement after the 1991 season, following a Canadian championship appearance with Halifax-based Dairy Queen.

Hennigar also suited up for the St. Patrick’s Irish high school football team, winning league MVP and rookie of the year honours in the same season, and was a quarterback with the Saint Mary’s Huskies in the early 1980s. He is still active in the sport in his community, serving as a founding director and coach at the peewee level of the Fall River Minor Football Association, creating in 2005 to prioneer the sport in the Fall River, Waverley, Windsor Junction, and Beaverbank area.