The Guelph Royals name has been used for several hockey teams based in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The most prominent was a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1960 to 1963, that played home games at the

Guelph Memorial Gardens The Guelph Memorial Gardens was an arena located in Guelph, Ontario. It was originally built in 1948 out of the remnants of a nineteenth-century building that had housed the Royal Winter Fair. The Gardens hosted various hockey teams over the years, ...

. The junior Royals were affiliated with the NHL's

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

. Other Guelph Royals teams played from 1908, and briefly in 1909 (6 games) in the

Ontario Professional Hockey League The Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL), sometimes referred to as the Trolley League, and also known as the Canadian Hockey League in its time, was a professional ice hockey league in Canada. It was a fully professional league and consisted ...

, and also circa 1920s as Ontario Hockey Association senior teams. The Royals namesake is the City of Guelph's nickname as the "Royal City."

History

The junior Guelph Royals arose when the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were sold in 1960, and the new ownership renamed the team.

Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...

was head coach of the Royals for the

1960–61 OHA season This is a list of OHA standings and season-by-season summaries of the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior A division from 1933 to 1972, and its Tier I division from 1972 to 1974. ;Legend * GP = games played * W = wins * L = losses * T = ties * P ...

and the

1961–62 OHA season This is a list of OHA standings and season-by-season summaries of the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior A division from 1933 to 1972, and its Tier I division from 1972 to 1974. ;Legend * GP = games played * W = wins * L = losses * T = ties * P ...

. Guelph won the

Hamilton Spectator Trophy The Hamilton Spectator Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the team that finishes the regular season with the best record. The trophy was donated by ''The Hamilton Spectator,'' and first presented in the 1957–58 season. It ...

during the 1960–61 OHA season, finishing 1st overall. The Royals'

Rod Gilbert Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 — August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing o ...

led the OHA in goals scored with 54, points scored with 103, and

Jean Ratelle Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. In twenty-one seasons he averaged almost a point a game and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in ...

led the league in assists with 61. Gilbert won

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the player scoring the most points in the regular season. The trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of athlete and coach Eddie Power ...

with the most goals in the league, and was also awarded the

Red Tilson Trophy The Red Tilson Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the most outstanding player (MVP) as voted by OHL writers and broadcasters. It was donated by ''The Globe and Mail,'' and first awarded in the 1944–45 OHA season by the O ...

as the most outstanding player. In the playoffs, the Royals lost in the league finals to the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, 4 games to 2 with a tie. Many players graduated from junior hockey after the 1960–61 OHA season, and the Royals did not recover their previous form. After two declining seasons the franchise was in financial trouble again. At the end of the 1962–63 OHA season, the team moved to nearby

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, becoming the

Kitchener Rangers The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The Rangers have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL ...

, taking the name of the NHL parent club. Some of the Guelph Royals players who graduated from the junior ranks played on the newly formed Senior OHA Guelph Regals team.

NHL alumni

Twenty-one former Guelph Royals have played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

, and two have elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame; Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle.

Season-by-season results

;Regular season results ;Playoff results *1960-61 Defeated Niagara Falls Flyers 10 points to 4 in quarter-finals.
Received second-round bye.
Lost to Toronto St. Michael's Majors 9 points to 5 in finals. *1961-62 Out of playoffs. *1962-63 Out of playoffs.

References

{{Defunct OHL Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in Guelph 1960 establishments in Ontario 1963 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1960