St. Catharines Teepees

St. Catharines Teepees
City	St. Catharines, Ontario
League	Ontario Hockey Association
Operated	1947 (1947)-62
Home arena	Garden City Arena
Championships	1954 & 1960 Memorial Cup Champions
Franchise history
1943-47	St. Catharines Falcons
1947-62	St. Catharines Teepees
1962-76	St. Catharines Black Hawks
1976-82	Niagara Falls Flyers
1982-02	North Bay Centennials
2002-present	Saginaw Spirit

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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.

• Garden City Arena - OHL Arena & Travel Guide

References[]