Sweeney: Remembering HOFer Robbie Myrden

Robbie Myrden (1958–2026): Career Numbers Measured in People

Robbie Myrden with the Aces 2023 league championship trophy

By Ryan Sweeney

Premier Sports Academy

Robbie Myrden was never defined by a single role. To some, he was a coach. To others, a teammate, a mentor, a volunteer, or simply the familiar presence who always seemed to be there. To the baseball community, he was continually defined as a constant.

“It is with deep love and sadness that we announce the passing of Rob Myrden,” his family wrote in his official obituary. A Corner Brook native born on Aug. 12, 1958, Myrden passed away on Jan. 8, 2026, at the age of 67. “He will be remembered for his infectious optimism, his generous spirit, and his lifelong dedication to the people and communities he loved.”

As noted in his obituary, Myrden’s love of sport extended well beyond organized competition. He never missed Sunday morning touch football, first with the TDs and later with the Golden Gophers. He also took part in the annual New Year’s Day road hockey game known as “curling vs the world,” played in the Pepsi Centre parking lot, a tradition he participated in for 46 consecutive years.

“Rob treasured time spent with his beloved Lovey,” his family wrote, referring to his partner Catherine. “Her companionship meant the world to him.” He is also remembered by his son Greg, his siblings, extended family, and a wide circle of friends who became family through years of shared fields and clubhouses.

Those fields and clubhouses brought together more than 50 years of stories and testimony.

A Half-Century of Commitment

Baseball Newfoundland and Labrador described Myrden as an integral and longtime member of Corner Brook Baseball, noting his contributions to the growth and operations of the organization over the past 50 years. Coaching for more than 45 of those years and spanning every level possible, he holds the distinction of coaching more teams than anyone in the history of his local association, and possibly the history of Baseball Newfoundland and Labrador.

His resume included coaching at provincial, Atlantic, and national championships, a body of work Baseball NL described as matched by few. Yet even in official recognition, accolades were never the point.

At the local level, that impact was felt everywhere.

The Corner Brook Association remembered Myrden as a significant part of the organization in all facets, not just as a coach. He was a loyal player with his beloved Aces and Barons, and a contributing member of the volunteer executive.

“Those who played for Rob knew what it meant to be the best you can be and to have fun doing it,” the association wrote. While proud of his accomplishments, they emphasized that Myrden’s legacy was about creating a positive energy.

That energy was echoed by many voices while putting together this story.

For Darren Hancock, that impact was visible both personally and professionally. Hancock, deeply involved with Corner Brook Minor and now serving as president of Baseball Newfoundland and Labrador, is also a parent whose son was coached by Myrden. He too described Myrden as a constant at Jubilee Field and spoke about what that presence meant.

“He worked with multiple generations of families,” Hancock noted. “To the point that many of the athletes who passed through the program were simply known as ‘Robbie’s kids.’”

Hancock said Myrden taught athletes to be good people and good teammates first, emphasizing life skills that shaped players long after they left the field.

One moment stayed with him. Watching his son Thomas, whom he described as an intense player, compete at the 13U level, Hancock recalled an at-bat where frustration boiled over after a strikeout, ending with a bat slammed onto home plate. From the dugout, Myrden’s response cut through the tension: “It’s not the bat’s fault!”

Many, including Hancock, would describe that as a classic Myrden moment. It kept the game light and fun while still teaching a valuable lesson.

“His voice won’t be heard around Jubilee Field anymore,” Hancock said. “But his presence and impact will remain because of the people he has inspired and influenced. The world is a better place because of Rob Myrden. We all need to follow his example of giving and positivity.”

Kevin Higgins, a Corner Brook native and provincial team coach, described Myrden as one of the most energetic and enthusiastic people he had ever been around. “Positivity flowed naturally through him,” Higgins said. He described Myrden as a coach with a unique ability to keep players loose while remaining focused on the task at hand, a balance that defined him through the years.

“While he will be missed at ballfields throughout the province, his absence will be felt most sharply at Jubilee and Little Jubilee,” Higgins said. “Robbie’s energetic step and unmistakable voice had become part of those fields themselves.”

His presence did not just rub off on players. It was felt as clearly from other parts of the diamond.

Rob and his son Greg. (Photo courtesy of Cheryl Pike)

Respect of Many

Legendary umpire Dave “Buck” Buckingham spoke less about rulings and more about feeling when recalling Myrden. Whether as a player or a coach, Robbie had a way of changing the atmosphere the moment he stepped onto the field. “There was brightness to him, a bit of flare, and a clear sense that the game was meant to be enjoyed,” Buck said.

Buck recalled that Robbie never shied away from a friendly argument between the lines. “We both cared about getting it right, and Robbie didn’t mind saying so,” he joked. Those moments were always grounded in mutual respect. Buck umpired hard. Robbie coached hard. Because of that shared standard, the line was never crossed. Buck added with a laugh that Robbie’s kindness made it nearly impossible for situations to ever become angry, and just as impossible to ever send him off the field.

That mutual respect, along with shared passions, extended beyond the diamond. After Buck moved to Corner Brook in 1990, the two discovered a common loyalty as Chicago Blackhawks fans. In 1993, Buck marked that connection by gifting Myrden a St. Patrick’s Day edition, signed Bobby Hull Blackhawks hat.

For Buck, as for so many others, Myrden will be missed not for what he did in the sport, but for how he made the game, and the people around it, feel.

For Sean “Gully” Gulliver, a lifelong Caps and Shamrocks figure on the east coast and one of the few people whose résumé spans as long as Myrden’s, the message was simple: respect.

Gulliver spoke about playing senior against Myrden beginning in the mid-1980s and later coaching against him across multiple levels. Those matchups, particularly between the Barons and Capitals, were intense and often played in front of large crowds. At times, thousands filled the stands for what became a true on-field rivalry in senior ball. Despite the competitiveness, Gulliver said, “the respect was always there.”

From across the diamond, Robbie was viewed as a good player who played the game the right way and was an important part of his team. Gulliver recalled that “chemistry was a defining feature of those Corner Brook teams back then, and Robbie always seemed to be at the centre of it.” From the opposition’s perspective, “he was a glue guy.”

Gulliver noted that Myrden had a strong understanding of the game and a high baseball IQ, but what truly set him apart was how much he enjoyed it. Even in tough losses, Myrden always found positives and lessons. Gulliver described it as “an infectious spirit.”

Coaching against Myrden at multiple levels, Gulliver saw teams that were consistently well prepared and disciplined. They played hard and got the most out of their talent, a clear sign of quality coaching. To Gulliver, you could always see “the belief Robbie had in his players.”

When asked about a moment that stood out most, Gulliver reflected on a provincial final about eight years ago, when the Junior Capitals and Junior Barons met in St. John’s. The Capitals held a late 5–0 lead before Corner Brook mounted a comeback to win. As the game tightened and tensions rose, there was competitive banter back and forth between the coaches and both dugouts. When the game ended and the Barons’ victory was secured, Robbie’s first move from the dugout was to walk toward the third-base coaching box, where Gulliver was standing, to shake his hand. To Gulliver, it was a gesture that made it clear any tension or animosity that had built up during the game was finished and left on the field.

“He was very competitive and wanted to win as much as anyone,” Gulliver said, “but he wanted to do it the right way.” His players received that message, and he was respected for it.

Gulliver also spoke about how “you always knew when Robbie was there at Jubilee Field. The voice carried. The laugh carried. And he laughed a lot,” he said. “He’ll be missed there, and across the province, by the many friends he made through the game.”

To Gulliver, Myrden was many things: deeply knowledgeable, fiercely competitive, respectful, and willing to do whatever was needed, whether it was leading a team or “pulling on rubber boots to clear water off the field.”

The memories shared by Buck and Gulliver reflected what Robbie meant to those who shared the field with him for decades, as a competitor, an official, or a rival. But there are many others who experienced Myrden not from across the diamond, but as children growing into adults under his guidance.

The Younger Generations and Off the Field

In conversations while putting this article together, Aaron Flood, a Corner Brook native now living in St. John’s, a provincial team coach, and an SJABA executive, kept returning to the same idea: Myrden did not just coach teams, he stayed with them. He spoke about players who were coached from the time they first picked up a bat, through high school graduation and championships, and into adulthood, often across multiple generations within the same families. The photos Flood shared alongside his story capture that continuity, showing the same coach in the same place years apart as players grew up around him.

“When I reflect on Robbie’s impact, it’s impossible to separate baseball from life,” Flood said. “He coached me in minor and senior baseball, and we were even teammates at one point. He coached all of my friends, he coached my younger brothers.”

For Aaron, it was never just baseball. He spoke about how Myrden was there through nearly every stage of his life, from learning the game to growing up and figuring out who he was becoming.

“Robbie had a way of connecting with players for the long haul,” Flood said. “He helped motivate us to be better athletes, but more importantly, he helped shape us into better people. That kind of influence doesn’t end when the season does. It stays with you for life.”

Often, we can be forgiven for remembering people only within a particular context or setting. For this writer, it was perhaps how people remembered Robbie without sharing a specific baseball memory that stood out most. His aura went beyond the game.

Jason Mosher, another Corner Brook native with deep ties to the scene, has known Myrden his entire life, both on the ball field and away from it, including through Robbie’s everyday role as his family’s mailman. Across all those settings, Robbie was the same person people came to know and love on the field.

“Soon as someone says his name,” Mosher said, “I remember his infectious laugh and positivity.”

Jason described Myrden as someone who never spoke negatively. “He was a rare person,” he said. It didn’t matter whether the topic was the weather, a round of golf, or the people he interacted with that day. “He was always positive,” Mosher recalled.

Although Jason noted that Myrden surely had plenty of opportunities over the years, he said he never once heard him speak poorly about another person. “What he said was positive,” Jason added, “or he said nothing at all.”

Graduating High School Barons, that would go on to win 2023 Provincials and Atlantic Championshipswith Myrden on the extreme right.

Recognition Befitting the Man

Reading and listening to all the stories about Myrden, the same traits continually show up and illustrate why he was such an effective coach and role model that people gravitated toward. Seen through that lens, it is easy to understand how and why Myrden’s influence became so profound in his community, particularly baseball.

It is no wonder the awards followed naturally. In recognition of his service to the game, Myrden was inducted into the Baseball NL Hall of Fame in 2009, and in 2023 he received Baseball Canada’s prestigious Lifetime Coaching Award. Even then, the organizations that honored him were careful to frame those achievements as secondary to Myrden’s real accomplishments, perhaps best summed up by a quote from someone who played under his tutelage: “Countless lives are better because of him.”

The Junior Barons wrap up a title, that’s Myrden on the right)

Final Remembrance and Celebration of Life

At home in Corner Brook, the CBBA offered its thanks, capturing both the place and the spirit that defined him, referencing his “stupendous hit and hustle,” the joy he brought to the game, and the familiar “boomshakalaka” moments that became part of local lore.

“He will be remembered,” his family wrote, “for his unwavering positivity, his dedication to others, and the countless lives he touched through sport, friendship, and kindness.”

On Saturday, January 10, a Celebration of Life was held in his memory.

As expressions of sympathy, the family asked that memorial donations be made to the Corner Brook Association, a final gesture that reflected where Myrden invested most of his life.

E-transfer: paymentscbba@gmail.com

Note: In memory of Rob Myrden