Dukes of Hamilton
| Dukes of Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Hamilton, Ontario |
| League | Ontario Hockey League |
| Operated | 1989–1991 |
| Home arena | Copps Coliseum |
| Colours | Red, white and blue |
| Franchise history | |
| 1904–1989 | Toronto Marlboros |
| 1989–1991 | Dukes of Hamilton |
| 1991–present | Guelph Storm |
The Dukes of Hamilton were a junior ice hockey team that represented Hamilton, Ontario in the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons from 1989 to 1991.
History
In October 1988, with the Toronto Marlboros losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, Maple Leaf Gardens Limited reached an agreement to sell the team for a reported $500,000 to a group from Hamilton.[1][2][3][4][5] The OHL team moved to Hamilton, Ontario for the 1989-90 season, becoming the Dukes of Hamilton.[6][4] The name "Dukes"" originated as a nickname for the Toronto team coming from its namesake, the Duke of Marlborough.
The Dukes were chosen to host the Memorial Cup their first season in Hamilton. However when the team finished last overall in the standings, the Dukes declined the automatic invite given to the hosts of the Memorial Cup tournament. The OHL sent the league finalist Kitchener Rangers instead.
The second season for the Dukes was only marginally better even after switching from the Leyden division to the Emms division. The Dukes qualified for the last playoff spot, but lost in four games straight. Following the 1990–91 season, the team was relocated to Guelph, Ontario where it became the Guelph Storm.
Players
Three Dukes alumni went on to play brief NHL careers. Alek Stojanov played 107 games, Chris Govedaris played 45 games, and Shawn McCosh played 9 games. Also of note are Jeff Bes (Captain), Dino Felicetti and Kayle Short for their careers in other professional leagues.
Bill Armstrong started the 1989–90 season playing defence for the Dukes, but two mid-season trades later he wound up playing for the Oshawa Generals, and scored the winning goal in double overtime of the Memorial Cup final.
Yearly results
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Pct % | Goals for | Goals against | Standing |
| 1989–90 | 66 | 11 | 49 | 6 | 28 | 0.212 | 211 | 371 | 7th Leyden |
| 1990–91 | 66 | 17 | 43 | 6 | 40 | 0.303 | 270 | 379 | 6th Emms |
Playoffs
- 1989–90 - Out of playoffs.
- 1990–91 - Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in first round.
Uniforms and logos
The Dukes colours were red, white & blue. The home jerseys had a white background with red & blue trim. The road jerseys were a red background with white and blue trim. The colour of the top of the crown on the logo was either red or white, opposite or the background of the home or away jersey.
Arena
The Dukes played their home games at Copps Coliseum, which hosted the Memorial Cup in 1990.
References
- ↑ Houston, William (1988-10-20). "Hamilton lawyer, realtor purchase OHL Marlboros". Globe and Mail.
- ↑ Kalchman, Lois (1988-10-20). "Hamilton new home as Marlies are bought". Toronto Star.
- ↑ Hunter, Paul (1989-03-18). "Death of the Marlies: The cold, hard facts Rising costs and dwindling attendance have sunk once-proud Toronto Marlies, seven- time winners of Memorial Cup". Toronto Star.
- 1 2 "Marlies fare well as end nears Club on a win streak before transformation to Dukes of Hamilton". Globe and Mail. 1989-03-13.
- ↑ Proudfoot, Jim (1989-02-08). "Toronto should miss Marlies, but it won't". Toronto Star.
- ↑ "Marlies timeline". Toronto Marlies. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
External links
- Copps Coliseum The OHL Arena & Travel Guide