The 1974–75 OMJHL season was the first season of the
Ontario Major Junior Hockey League
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I (Major Junior A) and Tier II (Minor Junior A). In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate indepe ...
. The league operated semi-autonomously while still being part of the
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...
. The OMJHL inaugurated the
William Hanley Trophy, awarded to the most sportsmanlike player. Eleven teams each played 70 games. The
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
won the
J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the
Hamilton Fincups
The Hamilton Fincups were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one. The Hamilton Fin ...
.
League business
The Major Junior A Series of the
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...
(OHA) was rebranded as the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) in 1974.
The league began operating semi-autonomously from the OHA, and later became fully independent.
Tubby Schmalz was appointed the first commissioner of the OMJHL on September 23, 1974.
Schmalz set about to implement a revised mandatory player contract. It included a clause in which 20 per cent of a player's earnings during his first three professional seasons would go back to the junior clubs to recuperate development costs.
He explained that the clause was a result of
Mark Howe
Mark Steven Howe (born 28 May 1955) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) following six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He is curr ...
and
Marty Howe both departing in the summer for the
Houston Aeros, and there was nothing in the OHA junior contract to cover development payments by professional teams.
The new clause was a basis for potential legal action against the
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
(WHA) which had not made payments to the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...
(CAHA) or OHA.
Schmalz confirmed in January 1975, that development payments from the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL) were coming, and that the WHA was holding a meeting in February to discuss the issue. WCHL president
Ed Chynoweth said his league's governors agreed to withdraw from the CAHA if the payment issue was not resolved, and foretold the possibility of Canada's three major junior leagues banding together under one umbrella. The NHL and WHA were delinquent in $600,000 in payments as per the existing professional-amateur agreement. The ''
Winnipeg Free Press
The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...
'' reported that the WCHL was negotiating a separate deal with the WHA for development fees, and the WCHL would break away from the CAHA after the
1975 Memorial Cup. Schmalz was angered at the report and called for the three major junior league to remain unified.
In February 1975, the NHL and the WHA agreed to stop drafting underage junior players.
Mark Napier of the
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
who was not drafted, signed a professional contract with the
Toronto Toros
The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.
History
The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 for $25,000 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 season. H ...
later that month to take effect in the following season. Schmalz stated he would seek legal advice on the matter, with the possibility of suspending Napier for the remainder of the junior season. During a game against the Marlboros,
St. Catharines Black Hawks owner
Hap Emms ordered his players to wear their jerseys backwards and play with their sticks upside down in protest of Napier's contract.
Schmalz later ruled Napier eligible to play, and suspended Emms for the remainder of the season and fined him $1,000.
Regular season
Standings
Scoring leaders
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
defeat
Kingston Canadians 4–3, 1 tie
Peterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.
...
defeat
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. In November 2016, th ...
4–1
Hamilton Fincups
The Hamilton Fincups were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one. The Hamilton Fin ...
defeat
St. Catharines Black Hawks 4–0
Sudbury Wolves defeat
Ottawa 67's 4–3
Semifinals
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
defeat
Sudbury Wolves 4–3, 1 tie
Hamilton Fincups
The Hamilton Fincups were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one. The Hamilton Fin ...
defeat
Peterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.
...
4–2
J. Ross Robertson Cup
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
defeat
Hamilton Fincups
The Hamilton Fincups were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one. The Hamilton Fin ...
4–3
Awards
See also
*
List of OHA Junior A standings
*
List of OHL seasons
This is a list of Ontario Hockey League seasons since inception of the league, as well as a list of seasons for its precursor leagues, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL), and the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A League (OHA).
OHA se ...
*
1975 Memorial Cup
*
1975 NHL Entry Draft
*
1974 in sports
1974 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* Alpine Skiing World Cup
** Men's overall season champion: Piero Gros, Italy
** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria
American football
* 13 Januar ...
*
1975 in sports
1975 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* Alpine Skiing World Cup
** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy
** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria
American football
* January ...
References
External links
HockeyDB
{{DEFAULTSORT:1974-75 OMJHL season
Ontario Hockey League seasons
OMJHL
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I (Major Junior A) and Tier II (Minor Junior A). In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate indepe ...