Durham Huskies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Senior Durham Huskies. for the Tier II Junior "A" team, see: Durham Huskies Jr. A.
| Durham Huskies | |
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| City: | Durham, Ontario |
| League: | Jr. Northern League 1930s WOAA Senior 1952-1953 OHA Intermediate 1930s-1971, 1982-84 Continental/OHA Senior A 1972-82 OHA Senior B/Senior AA 1984-1992 |
| Operated: | 1920-1992 |
| Home Arena: | Durham Community Centre |
| Colours: | Blue, Red, and White |
| Head Coach: | Royden Burnett, Irvie Elvidge, Andy Grant, Sr., Mike Murrell, Jim Nixon, Sr. |
The Durham Huskies are an ice hockey franchise based in the town of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The team is actually a series of teams that have spanned nine decades and through an uncountable series of leagues. The Huskies have existed under of couple short lived monikers before finding their name by accident in the 1950s. This team has spanned the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior levels of Ontario hockey.
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[edit] The Beginnings
There is little information about when the Huskies started but it is believed the team originated in the 1920s. Originally known as the "Durham Hockey Club", the organization had 3 teams in the 1920s , one in the Junior Northern Hockey League, the Senior League, and the OHA Intermediate League. Durham, although predominantly known for its senior teams, won its first championship as a Junior team. What would later evolve into the Huskies won the 1930-31 Northern Hockey League Championship. Beyond the 1930s not much is known about the Huskies at the Junior level, but the tradition of the Jr. Huskies did re-emerge in the 1990s at the Tier II Junior "A" level.
1935-36 marked the year that the Durham Hockey Club won its first ever Senior OHA Championship. Coached by Dr. Royden Burnett, this team went the distance and took home the last championship this organization would see until the 1950s.
[edit] The 50s and 60s
During the 1951-52 season, the Durham Hockey Club was competing in the newly created WOAA Senior Hockey League. The Club was dominate, but a reporter from the town's local paper, The Chronicle, felt the team was missing a name. He attempted to give them names like the "Hornets" and the "Phantoms", but nothing stuck. Possibly by mistake, near the end of the 1952 playoff run, The Chronicle ran an article calling the Club the "Huskies". The name stuck and the team won its first championship in over a decade. The team repeated their championship run in the 1952-53 season, but at the senior level, again fell dormant. The Intermediate Huskies took over from there, winning the OHA "B" championship in 1953-54 and 1955-56. After the success of the early 50s, even the Intermediates fell off the map for a short while. It took until the 1967-68 season for the Intermediates to win the OHA again. The Huskies repeated the next year, and then disappeared from the history books.
[edit] End of an Era
In the 1970s, the Senior Huskies became the premier "Huskies" team. The 70s also marked the founding of their hometown counterparts, the Durham 72's. The Huskies moved up to Intermediate "A" in 1971 and to Senior "B" in 1972. One year later they joined the upstart Continental Senior "B" Hockey League, which jumped up to Senior "A" in 1974. Durham won the Continental crown in 1973-74 and again in 1975-76. In the latter year, the Huskies advanced to the Allan Cup national playdowns but were swept 4-0 by the OHA champion Barrie Flyers.
The Continental league took over the OHA Senior "A" name in 1980 when the original Senior "A" league collapsed. Durham dropped down to Intermediate "A" in 1982 and to Intermediate "B" in 1983. When the intermediate class of hockey was eliminated, Durham was regrouped into Senior "B". Later this level became known as Senior "AA" while Senior "A" became Senior "AAA." Through the proficient play of perennial leading scorer Dean Neuman, former NHLer Jim Roberts, and goaltender John Bak, the team won the Senior "B" crown in 1984-85, the Senior "AA" crown in 1986-87 and 1988-89, and competed in multiple national championships.
The team chose to disband in 1992 due to various reasons, leaving Durham for the first time in seventy years without a team from the franchise originally called the "Durham Hockey Club". But in 1996, the Huskie moniker was once again utilized as the Metro Junior A Hockey League allowed for the expansion of a Durham Huskies Junior "A" Hockey Team. Since 2001, no Durham team above the "Minor" level has been known as the Durham Huskies.
[edit] Season-by-Season Record
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1977-78 | 36 | 22 | 14 | 0 | - | 171 | 151 | 44 | 2nd CSAHL | |
| 1978-79 | 39 | 21 | 16 | 2 | - | 208 | 171 | 44 | 3rd CSAHL | |
| 1979-80 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 0 | - | 216 | 177 | 46 | 4th CSAHL | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| 1980-81 | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | - | 206 | 187 | 41 | 4th OHA Sr. A | |
| 1981-82 | 36 | 23 | 12 | 1 | - | 194 | 183 | 47 | 2nd OHA Sr. A |
More seasons will be added as more information is uncovered.
[edit] List of Championships
Pre-"Huskies" Era
"Huskies" Era
- 1951-52 WOAA Senior Champions
- 1952-53 WOAA Senior Champions
- 1953-54 OHA Intermediate "B" Champions
- 1955-56 OHA Intermediate "B" Champions
- 1967-68 OHA Intermediate "B" Champions
- 1968-69 OHA Intermediate "B" Champions
- 1973-74 Continental Senior "B" Champions
- 1975-76 Continental Senior "A" Champions
- 1984-85 OHA Senior "B" Champions
- 1986-87 OHA Senior "A" Champions
- 1988-89 OHA Senior "A" Champions
Runner up: 1952-53 OHA Intermediate "B", 1970-71 OHA Intermediate "B", 1971-72 OHA Intermediate "A", 1983-84 OHA Senior "B", 1985-86 OHA Senior "B".
[edit] External links
