Ontario Professional Hockey League
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The Ontario Professional Hockey League was an ice hockey league in Canada that was formed in 1907. It initially consisted of teams from Toronto, Guelph, Berlin (now Kitchener), and Brantford. The OPHL was not considered to be as prestigious a league as the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association, but it provided players with an alternative place to sell their services. Teams in Galt (now part of Cambridge) and St. Catharines were admitted to the league in November 1908. It was sometimes referred to as the Trolley League.
The Toronto team became league champions in the OPHL's first season and challenged for the Stanley Cup in 1908, losing to the champion Montreal Wanderers from the ECAHA. Galt challenged for the Stanley Cup in January 1909, but was crushed by the champion Ottawa team of the Canadian Hockey Association. In 1910, Berlin got off to such a strong start in the season, that the league decided to start a new season in later January. In March 1910, Berlin challenged the Wanderers for the Cup and were defeated. The league's final attempt to win the Cup came a year later in March 1911, with Galt again losing to Ottawa, which now played in the National Hockey Association.
The league disbanded after the 1911 season. The OPHL teams were raided for players by the NHA after the NHA was itself raided for players by the Pacific Coast Hockey Association(PCHA). Players who left included Eddie Oatman, Jack McDonald and Goldie Prodgers. The Moncton Victorias of the Maritime Professional Hockey League(MPHL) signed nearly all of the champion Galt team's players. The Victorias would win the MPHL championship and challenge NHA champion Quebec.
A namesake league would play for one season in 1930–31 with teams in Galt, Guelph, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Oshawa and Stratford.
Contents |
[edit] Teams
| Season | Teams | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Berlin Dutchmen, Brantford Indians, Guelph, Toronto | Toronto(best record) |
| 1909† | Berlin, Brantford, Galt, Guelph, St. Catharines, Toronto | Galt(one-game playoff against Brantford) |
| 1910 | Berlin, Brantford, Galt, Waterloo | Berlin(best record) |
| 1911 | Berlin, Brantford, Galt, Waterloo | Galt(one-game playoff against Waterloo) |
† Guelph and St. Catharines withdrew after six games of the schedule.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Coleman, Charles L. (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc..
