St. Catharines Teepees

The St. Catharines Teepees were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

St. Catharines Teepees
CitySt. Catharines, Ontario
LeagueOntario Hockey Association
Operated1947 (1947)-62
Home arenaGarden City Arena
Championships1954 & 1960 Memorial Cup Champions
Franchise history
1943-47St. Catharines Falcons
1947-62St. Catharines Teepees
1962-76St. Catharines Black Hawks
1976-82Niagara Falls Flyers
1982-02North Bay Centennials
2002-presentSaginaw Spirit

History

The St. Catharines Teepees were born in 1947 when local businessman George Stauffer, president and GM of Thompson Products Ltd., purchased the St. Catharines Falcons team for $2500 from Rudy Pilous and named the team after the company's initials.

During the fifteen years the Teepees played, they developed into a powerhouse in the OHA. St. Catharines finished in first place five years in a six-year span, and won the league championship twice. The team also produced five league leading scorers and three MVPs in the same period. The Teepees won the Memorial Cup in both 1954 and 1960.

In 1961-62 the Teepees, no longer owned by Thompson Products, were in financial trouble and the Chicago Black Hawks came to their rescue. In 1962-63, the Teepees became the St. Catharines Black Hawks and would remain so until the team moved to Niagara Falls for the 1976-77 season.

1954 Memorial Cup

St. Catharines, still coached by Rudy Pilous, won the right to play for the Cup by defeating the Toronto Marlboros in seven games for the OHA championship, and the Quebec Frontenacs to win the Richardson Trophy as eastern Canadian representatives. The Teepees won the Memorial Cup in 1954 played at Maple Leaf Gardens. They defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 4 games to 0 with one tie game, in a best-of-seven series.

Game 1St. Catharines8vs.Edmonton2
Game 2St. Catharines5vs.Edmonton3
Game 3St. Catharines4vs.Edmonton1
Game 4St. Catharines3vs.Edmonton3
Game 5St. Catharines6vs.Edmonton2

1960 Memorial Cup

St. Catharines was now coached by Max Kaminsky and Rudy Pilous was the team manager for the 1960 Memorial Cup rematch versus the Edmonton Oil Kings. On the road to the Cup, the Teepees defeated the Toronto St. Michael's Majors for the OHA championship, and the Brockville Canadiens to win the Richardson Trophy as eastern Canadian representatives. The series against Brockville was decided in the 8th game after each team had won three games each with a tie game.

The 1960 Memorial Cup opened up at the Garden City Arena with remaining games played at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Teepees defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings for the second time in the Memorial Cup, 4 games to 2 in a best-of-seven series.

Game 1St. Catharines3vs.Edmonton5
Game 2St. Catharines6vs.Edmonton2
Game 3St. Catharines9vs.Edmonton1
Game 4St. Catharines3vs.Edmonton9
Game 5St. Catharines9vs.Edmonton6
Game 6St. Catharines7vs.Edmonton3

Championships

The St. Catharines Teepees are one of a few clubs to win multiple Memorial Cup championships. In total the Teepees won the Memorial Cup, the George Richardson Memorial Trophy, the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the Hamilton Spectator Trophy twice each.

Players

There have been 54 Teepees alumni play in the NHL. Four of those would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. St. Catharines also had three MVPs and five scoring champions with a six-year span.

Award winners

Hall of Famers

Rudy Pilous

NHL alumni

Yearly results
Regular Season
SeasonGamesWonLostTiedPointsPct %Goals
For		Goals
Against		Standing
1947-483619170380.5281371556th OHA
1948-494825203530.5521911984th OHA
1949-504827174580.6042692113rd OHA
1950-515423247530.4912001926th OHA
1951-525430231610.5652492295th OHA
1952-535631205670.5982192344th OHA
1953-545942152860.7293082111st OHA
1954-554932152660.6732601761st OHA
1955-564828173590.6152191971st OHA
1956-575225252520.5001841933rd OHA
1957-585232146700.6732461741st OHA
1958-595440113840.7692571751st OHA
1959-604825194540.5622091912nd OHA
1960-614818246420.4381672045th OHA
1961-625019238460.4601942063rd OHA
Playoffs
Complete results prior to 1960 are currently unavailable.
  • 1960-61 Lost to St. Michael's Majors 8 points to 4 in quarter-finals.
  • 1961-62 Lost to Hamilton Red Wings 9 points to 3 in OHA semi-finals.

Arena

The St. Catharines Teepees played in the Garden City Arena in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario from 1947-1962, as did their predecessors the Falcons.

References
  1. Annual Report: Constitution, Regulations and Rules of Competition. Cambridge, Ontario: Ontario Hockey Association. 2006. p. W-13.
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