Delhi Travellers

The Delhi Travellers were a junior hockey team based in Delhi, Ontario, Canada. The Travellers play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.

History

Prior to 1966, the Delhi franchise was a member of the Shamrock Junior D Hockey League. In 1966, they jumped to the Southern Counties Junior D Hockey League. In 1972, the team changed their name from the Rockets to the Flames.

The 1980–81 season saw the Flames raise to the heights of provincial recognition. They finished second overall in the Southern league standings with 21 wins, seven losses, and six ties, a fair distance behind the first place St. George Dukes. Once in the playoffs, the Flames took the Southern league by storm and won their first ever league championship. The victory launched the Flames into the provincial final in competition for the OHA Cup. Their opponents were the Belmont Bombers, the champions of the Western Junior D Hockey League. The Bombers made quick work of the Flames, sweeping the series 4-games-to-none.

In the 1986 playoffs, the Flames once again took the Southern league crown. The victory brought them into line for another crack at the OHA Cup. Once in the provincial final, they found them against the Western league champions Seaforth Centenaires. The Centenaires were battle-hardened from their play in the North Division of the 12-team Western league and kept the Flames at bay for a 4-games-to-1 series victory.

In 1988, Delhi's Southern league folded and merged with the Western league to create a province-wide 18-team super-league. In 1991, the Western league was dropped in favour of the OHA Junior Development League.

From their point of entry into the Western league in 1988, the Delhi Flames found themselves in vast trouble. In 1991, the team changed their names to the Delhi Leafs to honour the towns former Intermediate league representative. The Leafs suffered horrible losing season from 1991 all the way until they opted to change their team name to the Delhi Travellers in 1998. After one season under the Travellers moniker, and one of their worst seasons in franchise history, the team took a leave of absence from the OHAJDL.

In 2000–01, the Travellers were back and finished in thirteenth place overall in the OHAJDL. This marked their best finish since entering the league in 1988. A year later they had a winning record. In fact, as of 2007, every season from 2000-on the Travellers at least matched their previous seasons performance if not bettered it.

After the 2005–06 season, the Travellers found themselves in second place overall in the OHAJDL with 29 wins. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Travellers challenged and defeated the Burford Bulldogs 4-games-to-2. In the conference semi-final, the Travellers then met the Hagersville Hawks and beat them 4-games-to-3. Then Delhi challenged the Tavistock Braves and swept them 4-games-to-none to win their first ever birth into the league final since joining the league eighteen years before. They met the underdog Lucan Irish, a seventh seed berth from the other conference who defied all odds to make it this far. The Irish were not to be denied of the Cinderella story, as they defeated the Travellers 4-games-to-2 to win the OHA Cup.

After 2006, the OHAJDL was disbanded and replaced by the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League. In its first season, the Travellers finished in second place despite winning 32 games—three more than the previous season. In the first round of the playoffs, the Travellers challenged the Port Dover Sailors. The Travellers had no problem with the Sailors and swept them 4-games-to-none. The next round had Delhi faced off against the St. George Dukes. The longtime rivals went to six games with Delhi win the series 4-games-to-2. The next round had the Travellers trying for their second straight conference title against the Tavistock Braves. The series went the distance and the Travellers came out on top in Game 7 winning the series 4-games-to-3. In their second straight final, the Travellers met a tough foe in the Mitchell Hawks. The Hawks and Travellers fought, but the Hawks won Game 6 and took the series 4-games-to-2 to take away Delhi's second straight chance at the OHA Cup.

In the Summer of 2013, after much uncertainty, the Travellers ended up in the new Midwestern Junior C Hockey League. In 2014–15, the team finished an Imperfect Season, losing all 40 games played.

For the 2016–17 season the eight Junior "C" hockey leagues in Southern Ontario amalgamated into one league, the Provincial Junior Hockey League. The Midwestern League were placed in the Central Conference and re-branded the Pat Doherty division.

The playoffs for the 2019–20 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the team not being able to play a single game.

Season-by-season record

Playoffs

*1981 Won league, Lost OHA final
:Belmont Bombers defeated Delhi Flames ''4-games-to-none'' in OHA final
*1986 Won league, Lost OHA final
: Seaforth Centenaires defeated Delhi Flames ''4-games-to-1'' in OHA final
*2006 Lost final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Burford Bulldogs ''4-games-to-2'' in conf. quarter-final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Hagersville Hawks ''4-games-to-3'' in conf. semi-final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Tavistock Braves ''4-games-to-none'' in conf. final
:Lucan Irish defeated Delhi Travellers ''4-games-to-2'' in final
*2007 Lost final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Port Dover Sailors ''4-games-to-none'' in conf. quarter-final
:Delhi Travellers defeated St. George Dukes ''4-games-to-2'' in conf. semi-final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Tavistock Braves ''4-games-to-3'' in conf. final
:Mitchell Hawks defeated Delhi Travellers ''4-games-to-2'' in final
*2009 Lost final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Burford Bulldogs ''4-games-to-none'' in conf. semi final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Hagersville Hawks ''4-games-to-none'' in conf. final
:Delhi Travellers competed against North Middlesex Stars and Thamesford Trojans in semi-final round robin
:Delhi Travellers advanced to finals against North Middlesex Stars
:North Middlesex Stars defeated Delhi Travellers ''4-games-to-3'' in final
*2010 Lost semi-final
:Delhi Travellers defeated St. George Dukes ''4-games-to-1'' in conf. semi final
:Delhi Travellers defeated Hagersville Hawks ''4-games-to-1'' in conf. final
:Exeter Hawks and Thamesford Trojans defeated Delhi Travellers in semi-final round robin

Notable alumni

* Ryan Vandenbussche

External links

Travellers' Official Webpage

{{Norfolk County, Ontario

Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League teams
Ice hockey clubs established in 1960
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2020
Norfolk County, Ontario
1960 establishments in Ontario
2020 disestablishments in Ontario
Defunct ice hockey teams in Ontario