The Kitchener Dutchmen were a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in Kitchener,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. They played in the Mid-Western division of the

Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. The league is c ...

. The Dutchmen turned into the Ayr Centennials.

History

The Kitchener Dutchmen franchise was founded in 1956 when the Junior A Kitchener Canucks were moved to become the

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. ...

. With the Canucks gone, the new Kitchener Greenshirts were founded as members of the

Central Junior B Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...

to fill the void left by their Junior A counterparts. The Greenshirts changed their name to the "Ranger B's" in 1969 to better reflect their relationship with their parent club, 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 ...

who entered the market in 1963. The team started in the Central Junior B league, but as part of the 1971 geographic realignment, moved to the Western Junior B league. In 1973, the team joined the "Southwestern Junior "B" Hockey League", which became the "Waterloo-Wellington Junior "B" Hockey League" and then the Midwestern "B" in 1977. The team was a long-standing member of the league but relocated to Ayr in 2020. An original charter member team, in 1992 the franchise became the first team in Mid-Western "B" history, other than the

Waterloo Siskins The Waterloo Siskins are a junior ice hockey team based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History Founded in 1934, the Siskins are one of the longest running Junior tea ...

and the

Stratford Cullitons The Stratford Warriors are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Stratford, Ontario, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team was originally named the Warrio ...

, to win the league and the

Sutherland Cup The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The trophy was first awarded in 1934, and named in honour of former OHA and CAHA president, James T. Sutherland. The Sutherland Cup is now the championshi ...

. They won a second consecutive league title in 1993, but failed to come away with another

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. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

title. The team did not miss the playoffs from 1979 until they relocated. The Dutchmen were a long time farm team for the

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

. On April 26, 2020, it was announced that the OHA had given approval for the

Ayr Centennials The Ayr Centennials are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Ayr, Ontario. They play in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. History The Ayr Centennials were founded in 1982 as members of the Southe ...

to purchase the Dutchmen and move them to

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

in order to promote the Centennials from Junior C to Junior B, effective starting in the 2020-21 season. This thus brought an end to the 63 years of Dutchmen hockey in Kitchener.

Season-by-season record

Sutherland Cup appearances

:''1965'': Kitchener Greenshirts defeated Etobicoke Indians ''4-games-to-2'' :''1967'': Kitchener Greenshirts defeated

Dixie Beehives Dixie Beehives are a pair of defunct junior ice hockey teams from Weston, Ontario, Canada, which is now part of Toronto, Ontario. They played in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League and the Central Junior B Hockey League. Jr. A Beehive ...

''4-games-to-2'' :''1992'': Kitchener Dutchmen defeated

Milton Merchants The Brantford 99ers were a Junior A ice hockey team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League based in Brantford, Ontario. The 99ers have previously been known as the Milton Icehawks, Milton Merchants, Milton Flyers, and Milton Steamers as Milton h ...

''4-games-to-1'' :''1993'':

Barrie Colts The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League (OHL), based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The Colts play home games at the Sadlon Arena. The Colts joined the OHL in 1995, and previously competed at lower levels of junio ...

defeated Kitchener Dutchmen ''4-games-to-none''

George S. Dudley Trophy Super "C" appearances

:''1971'':

Woodstock Navy-Vets The Woodstock Navy Vets are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey, hockey team based in Woodstock, Ontario, Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. The team was known a ...

defeated Kitchener Ranger B's ''4-games-to-2'' :''1973'':

defeated Kitchener Ranger B's ''4-games-to-3 with 1 tie''

Notable alumni

* Chris Ahrens *

Jerry Byers Jerry William Byers (March 29, 1952 – December 25, 2006) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Career Byers was drafted in the first round, twelfth overall, by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft. He played forty ...

Jonathan Cheechoo Jonathan Cheechoo (; Cree: ; born July 15, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). During the 2005–06 season, he led the NHL with 56 goals and won the Maurice "Rocket" Ri ...

Dave Cressman David Gregory Cressman (born January 2, 1950) is a Canadian retired ice hockey left winger. He played 85 games in the NHL for the Minnesota North Stars over the 1974–75 and 1975–76 NHL seasons. Cressman was born in Kitchener, Ontario. He was ...

* Jack Egers * Mike Hoffman * Jim Krulicki *

Gary Kurt Gary David Kurt (born March 9, 1947, in Kitchener, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Playing career Kurt played Junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey Association's Kitchener Rangers, at the time owned by the New York Range ...

Don Maloney Donald Michael Maloney (born September 5, 1958) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player, currently serving as President of Hockey Operations of the Calgary Flames. He was formerly the general manager of the New York Islanders and P ...

* Joe McDonnell *

Rich Peverley John Richard Peverley (born July 8, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He spent four years with the St. Lawrence University hockey team before turning professional, then playing three years for several teams in both the ...

Mike Robitaille Michael James David Robitaille (born February 12, 1948) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman (ice hockey), defenceman and commentator. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wi ...

Mark Scheifele Mark Scheifele ( ; born March 15, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Jets in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2011 N ...

* Dan Seguin *

Scott Stevens Ronald Scott Stevens (born April 1, 1964) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. As a defenseman, Stevens played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey ...

* Walt Tkaczuk * Scott Walker * Bennett Wolf

References

External links

Dutchmen Webpage
{{GOJHL

Dutchmen The Dutch, or Netherlanders ( Dutch: ) are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common ancestry and culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably ...

Ice hockey clubs established in 1956 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2020 1956 establishments in Ontario 2020 disestablishments in Ontario