The St. Catharines Teepees were a

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

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

from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

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 ...

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 Rudolph Pilous (August 11, 1914 – December 5, 1994) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pilous won the Stanley Cup coaching the Chicago Black Hawks in 1960–61, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame ...

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 The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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 The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was an ice hockey franchise in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1903, it operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and la ...

in seven games for the OHA championship, and the

Quebec Frontenacs Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

to win the Richardson Trophy as eastern Canadian representatives. The Teepees won the

in 1954 played at

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...

. They defeated the

Edmonton Oil Kings The Edmonton Oil Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, that play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team, founded in 2006, shares an ownership group with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The te ...

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

. On the road to the Cup, the Teepees defeated the Toronto St. Michael's Majors for the OHA championship, and the Brockville Canadiens 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

opened up at the Garden City Arena with remaining games played at

. The Teepees defeated the

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

championships. In total the Teepees won the Memorial Cup, the

George Richardson Memorial Trophy The George Richardson Memorial Trophy was presented annually from 1932 until 1971, by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. It represented the Eastern Canada junior hockey championship, and a berth in the Memorial Cup final versus the Abbott ...

, the

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, an ...

and 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 ...

twice each. :Memorial Cup * 1954 Champions vs. Edmonton Oil Kings * 1960 Champions vs. Edmonton Oil Kings :George Richardson Memorial Trophy * 1954 Champions vs. Quebec Frontenacs * 1960 Champions vs. Brockville Canadiens :J. Ross Robertson Cup * 1952 Lost to Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters * 1954 OHA Champions vs. Toronto Marlboros * 1955 Lost to Toronto Marlboros * 1957 Lost to Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters * 1960 OHA Champions vs. St. Michael's Majors :Hamilton Spectator Trophy * 1957-1958 70 points (32 wins, 6 ties) * 1958-1959 83 points (40 wins, 3 ties)

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

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 On ...

(Most Outstanding Player) *''1953-54'' - Brian Cullen *''1954-55'' - Hank Ciesla *''1958-59'' - Stan Mikita

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 ...

(Scoring Champion) *''1953-54'' - Brian Cullen *''1954-55'' - Hank Ciesla *''1957-58'' - John McKenzie *''1958-59'' - Stan Mikita *''1959-60'' - Chico Maki

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 to 1962, as did their predecessors the Falcons.Garden City Arena - OHL Arena & Travel Guide
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Catharines Teepees Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in St. Catharines Defunct ice hockey teams in Ontario 1947 establishments in Ontario 1962 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1947 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1962