Port Colborne Recreationists
| Port Colborne Recreationists | |
|---|---|
| City | Port Colborne, Ontario |
| League | Ontario Hockey Association |
| Operated | 1940s (junior B) 1943–44 (junior A) |
The Port Colborne Recreationists were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association, based in Port Colborne, Ontario, at the Port Colborne Athletic Club. The Recreationists played at the junior B level in the early 1940s and won the Sutherland Cup as national champions in 1943. They subsequently played at the junior A level for parts of two seasons, and were a farm team for the Buffalo Bisons in the American Hockey League.
History
[edit]
The Recreationists' home rink was the Port Colborne Athletic Club, constructed in 1932 with 2,200 seats.[1] The team was coached by Gonie McGowan, managed by Chuck Magee, and sponsored by Edward Magee and Richard Dwor.[2][3]
Port Colborne won the Ontario Hockey Association junior B championship in the 1942–43 season, and won the 1943 Sutherland Cup by defeating the Milton Bombers two games to none in the national championship.[2][4][5] Leo Gravelle scored two goals and an assist in the clinching 7–4 victory at Maple Leaf Gardens.[4] The Recreationists arranged an unofficial all-Ontario two-game total goals series versus the Timmins Canadiens, who were junior B champions of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, and paid travel expenses for the visiting team.[6] Port Colborne won the first game by a 7–2 score,[7] then won the second game by a 6–1 score.[8] The Recreationists had eight players during the 1942–43 season who came from the minor ice hockey league operated by the Lions Club in Port Colborne,[9] and won the first OHA championship for Port Colborne in 15 years.[10]
The Recreationists were urged by OHA president Dinty Moore and secretary W. A. Hewitt to consider playing at the junior A level for the 1943–44 season.[9][10] Moore noted that the junior B level did not have a national championship, and that the OHA wanted to keep the team together and would disallow transfer requests to relocate its players elsewhere.[9] Port Colborne anticipated building on its success and agreed to moved up to junior A level.[11] The Recreationists affiliated with the Buffalo Bisons in the American Hockey League owned by Eddie Shore,[12] who operated a training camp for the Bisons and Recreationists to prepare new and returning players for a higher level of competition.[13] Port Colborne lost its first game of the 1943–44 OHA junior A season to the Galt Canadians by an 8–4 score.[14]
Remaining at the junior A level for the 1944–45 OHA season, Port Colborne was placed in a group with the Galt Red Wings, Hamilton Barons, and St. Catharines Falcons. Teams were to play a double schedule within their own group, and a single schedule versus teams in the other group.[15] The Recreationists had only one victory as of December 13, 1944, when they withdrew from the OHA citing a lack of competitiveness and transportation costs.[3] Their last game was a 5–1 loss to the Toronto Young Rangers on December 11, 1944.[16]
Notable alumni
[edit]Leo Gravelle played for Port Colborne from 1942 to 1944, and later played 223 games in the National Hockey League (NHL).[17] Vern Kaiser played for Port Colborne during the 1943–44 season, and later played 50 games in the NHL.[18]
Season-by-season results
[edit]OHA junior A regular season results:[19]
Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | Pts | Pct | GF | GA | Finish | ||
| 1943–44 | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 0.385 | 111 | 126 | 4th Group 2 | Did not qualify |
| 1944–45 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 0.143 | 24 | 49 | 7th OHA | Did not qualify |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Jordan, Kevin (October 19, 2023). "OHL Prehistory: Port Colborne Athletic Club". The OHL Arena Guide. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- 1 2 "Down the Sport Trail". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. April 6, 1943. p. 7.
- 1 2 "Junior Hockey Team Withdraws". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. December 13, 1944. p. 4.
- 1 2 "OHA Junior B Title Plum Falls to Port Colborne". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. April 6, 1943. p. 15.
- ↑ "Sutherland Cup". Greater Ontario Hockey League. 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Down the Sport Trail". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. April 7, 1943. p. 9.
- ↑ "Timmins Juniors Beaten By Ports". Waterloo Region Record. Kitchener, Ontario. April 10, 1943. p. 8.
- ↑ "Port Colborne Wins Another". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. April 12, 1943. p. 15.
- 1 2 3 "Junior Hockey Champions Honored By Lions Club; Addressed by O.H.A. Head". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. April 14, 1943. p. 4.; "Junior (Continued from Page Four)". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. April 14, 1943. p. 6.
- 1 2 "Hockey Notables Join With Citizens In Paying Tribute To Junior B Champions". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. May 6, 1943. p. 4.; "Hockey (Continued from Page Four)". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. May 6, 1943.
- ↑ "Down the Sport Trail". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. November 12, 1943. p. 7.
- ↑ "Port Arthur Lads Reported Signed By Port Colborne". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. The Canadian Press. August 11, 1943. p. 4.
- ↑ "Down the Sport Trail". Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune. October 29, 1943. p. 9.
- ↑ "Galt Kists Defeat Junior B Champions". The Hamilton Spectator. November 13, 1943. p. 22.
- ↑ "Juniors Open Hockey Season At Home Against St. Michael's". The Hamilton Spectator. November 14, 1944. p. 20.
- ↑ "Falcons In First Place Tie In Sr. 'A' With Toronto". The Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. December 11, 1944. p. 9.
- ↑ "Leo Gravelle–Stats, Salary, Contract & More". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Vern Kaiser–Stats, Salary, Contract & More". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Port Colborne Statistics and History". HockeyDB. Retrieved May 11, 2026.