The Hamilton Fincups were a Canadian
junior ice hockey team in the
Ontario Major Junior Hockey League
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I (Major Junior A) and Tier II (Minor Junior A). In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate indepe ...
for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
for three years, and in
St. Catharines, Ontario for one. The Hamilton Fincups played home games at the
Barton Street Arena
Barton Street Arena, also known as the Hamilton Forum, was the main sports arena located in Hamilton, Ontario, on Barton Street between Sanford Street and Wentworth Street. It was built in 1910 at what was at that time the east end of the cit ...
, also known as the Hamilton Forum from 1974–1976. The St. Catharines Fincups played in the
Garden City Arena in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario in 1976–1977. After moving back to Hamilton, the Fincups played out of the
Mountain Arena from 1977–1978.
History
The Fincups were a short-lived team in the
Ontario Major Junior Hockey League
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I (Major Junior A) and Tier II (Minor Junior A). In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate indepe ...
that was very successful on the ice, but did poorly generating revenue. The club bounced around in three outdated arenas in four years. Unable to turn much of a profit, the Fincups moved out of town, becoming the Brantford Alexanders.
''Fincup'' was a combination of the
surnames of the team's owners, Joe Finochio and the Cupido brothers Ron and Mario. They renamed the old
Hamilton Red Wings
The Hamilton Red Wings were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1960 to 1974. The team was based in Hamilton, Ontario, at the Barton Street Arena, also known as the Hamilton Forum.
History
The Hamilton Tiger Cubs wer ...
after the 1974 season; the franchise had history in Steeltown dating back to the early 1950s. The new owners did not have to go far to hire a new coach for the new regime as they hired a very young
Bert Templeton
Robert "Bert" Templeton (May 11, 1940 – December 5, 2003) was a junior ice hockey coach. He worked primarily in the Ontario Hockey League from 1974 to 2003. Templeton compiled a career coaching record of 907-678-148 with major junior teams i ...
as the team's new coach (Bert was coaching the Junior B team in Hamilton owned by Cupido and Finochio) which had just won the Jr B championship (Sutherland cup). Templeton was voted winner of the
Matt Leyden Trophy
The Matt Leyden Trophy is awarded annually to the Ontario Hockey League Coach of the Year. The award is chosen by fellow OHL general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for a coach from their own hockey club. Coaches receive five points for ...
as Coach of the Year in his first season. Templeton was let go partway through the Fincups' fourth season due to conflict with ownership and replaced by Dave Draper.
In the four short seasons that the Fincups played, the team won the
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
once, and 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, and ...
once. The Fincups also represented Canada at the World Junior Tournament and came away with a silver medal.
The Fincups won the Emms Division regular season title for two consecutive years in 1975–76 and 1976–77, 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 ...
in 1976–77 as the first overall team in the OHA regular season.
The Fincups made the OHA finals all 3 years they played out of Hamilton, and came within one win of making it four consecutive appearances in the championship series in their only year in St. Catharines.
The franchise issued a set of 18 sports cards for the 1974-75 season.
Memorial Cup 1976
The Hamilton Fincups of 1976 were a small, hard-working and determined team which practiced meticulously and strived to be top in condition. Their hard work won the Emms division regular season in 1976 and eliminated 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 ...
,
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
and the
Sudbury Wolves to make to the Memorial Cup hosted at the
Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by '' Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the ...
. Their opponents for the 1976 national title would be the WHL's
New Westminster Bruins
The New Westminster Bruins were a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. There were two franchises that carried this name:
* 1971–1981 (formerly the Estevan Bruins, now the Kamloops Blazers)
* 1983–1988 (formerly the Nan ...
and the QMJHL's
Quebec Remparts
There have been two junior ice hockey franchises known as the Quebec Remparts (french: Remparts de Québec) that played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The first edition played from 1969 to 1985; the current franchise has pla ...
.
Hamilton lost the first game of the round-robin to Quebec 4-3, due to the 45 save performance of the Remparts goalie Maurice Barrette. The Bruins would defeat the Remparts the next day 4-2. The third game saw the Fincups score seven power play goals to beat the Bruins 8-4 in a game with many penalties, which concluded the round-robin.
The win and the large goal differential put Hamilton directly into the final game. New Westminster would solidly beat Quebec 10-3 in the semi-final game. The next day in front of 4,350 fans at the Montreal Forum, the Fincups played a tenacious forechecking game and defeated the New Westminster Bruins 5-2 in Memorial Cup Final game. The win brought the Memorial Cup back to the "Steel City" for the first time in 14 years.
Instability
The team's move to
St. Catharines, Ontario in 1977 was necessitated by the closure of the old
Barton Street Arena
Barton Street Arena, also known as the Hamilton Forum, was the main sports arena located in Hamilton, Ontario, on Barton Street between Sanford Street and Wentworth Street. It was built in 1910 at what was at that time the east end of the cit ...
in Hamilton. During the 1976 Memorial Cup run, the
Hamilton Spectator
''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar.
History
''The Hami ...
was filled with speculation about a possible move to
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County, but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indepen ...
, as the old arena in Hamilton was obviously on its last legs. However, the city of Hamilton refused to make a decision about a new arena, and debated whether to build a 5,000-seat building for the Fincups or a 16,000 seat arena in hopes of pursuing a
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
team. In August 1976, the ice-making machinery in the dilapidated, 67-year-old barn broke down and Fincup ownership, who also owned the building, chose to demolish the battered, ancient arena rather than repair it. The team was unable to negotiate a short-term lease to use the only other semi-suitable arena in Hamilton, the
Mountain Arena, due to opposition from local residents, and so the homeless team was forced to move to
St. Catharines, Ontario, about thirty minutes down the
QEW, who had recently witnessed the departure of their own OMJHL team, the
Black Hawks.
Team ownership was able to negotiate a lease for Mountain Arena for the
1977-78 OHL season, but at the end of the year the city of Hamilton was still no closer to building a new arena than they had been two years earlier. Moreover, the team was losing money at the tiny, out of the way Mountain Arena. Out of long-term options in Hamilton, the team was moved at the end of that season to Brantford, where they were renamed the
Brantford Alexanders
The Brantford Alexanders were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League from 1978 to 1984. The team was based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
History
The Hamilton Fincups were relocated in 1978 be ...
.
Players
The heart and soul of the Fincups was their captain
Dale McCourt
Dale Allen McCourt, (born January 26, 1957), is a former professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted first overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1977 NHL amateur draft.
Junior hockey
McCourt played major junior in the Ontario Hockey Assoc ...
. He led the team to the Memorial Cup title in 1976, and the Hamilton Spectator Trophy in 1977. He was voted CHL Player of the year for his efforts. There are 21 Fincups alumni who made the NHL.
Award winners
*''1974–75'' - Danny Shearer,
Emms Family Award
The Emms Family Award is presented annually to the Rookie of the Year (top first-year player) in the Ontario Hockey League. The winner is also nominated for the CHL Rookie of the Year. The award was donated by Hap Emms. Leighton "Hap" Emms was a c ...
Rookie of the Year
*''1975–76'' - Mark Locken,
F.W. 'Dinty' Moore Trophy Best Rookie GAA
*''1975–76'' - Dale McCourt,
William Hanley Trophy
The William Hanley Trophy is awarded annually by Ontario Hockey League to the most sportsmanlike player. It is named for Bill Hanley, a former secretary-manager of the Ontario Hockey Association who served in that capacity for twenty-five years. T ...
Most Sportsmanlike Player
*''1976–77'' - Dale McCourt,
William Hanley Trophy
The William Hanley Trophy is awarded annually by Ontario Hockey League to the most sportsmanlike player. It is named for Bill Hanley, a former secretary-manager of the Ontario Hockey Association who served in that capacity for twenty-five years. T ...
Most Sportsmanlike Player
*''1976–77'' - Dale McCourt,
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 O ...
Most Outstanding Player
*''1976–77'' - Dale McCourt,
Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year
*''1977–78'' - Rick Wamsley,
Dave Pinkney Trophy
The Dave Pinkney Trophy is awarded to the goaltenders of the Ontario Hockey League team that has the lowest goals against average. It has been awarded annually since 1949.
Winners
List of winners of the Dave Pinkney Trophy.
See also
* List of C ...
Lowest Team GAA
NHL alumni
Yearly results
Regular season
Playoffs
*1974–1975 Defeated St. Catharines Black Hawks 8 points to 0 in quarter finals.
Defeated Peterborough Petes 8 points to 4 in semi-finals.
Lost to Toronto Marlboros 8 points to 6 in OHA Finals.
*1975–1976 Defeated Kitchener Rangers in quarter-finals 8 points to 0.
Defeated Toronto Marlboros in semi-finals 9 points to 1.
Defeated Sudbury Wolves in OHA Finals 8 points to 2. OHA CHAMPIONS
Defeated New Westminster Bruins 5-2 in Memorial Cup Final.
''MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS''
*1976–1977 Defeated Windsor Spitfires in quarter-finals 4 games to 2.
Lost to London Knights in semi-finals 4 games to 3, with 1 tie.
*1977–1978 Defeated Windsor Spitfires in quarter-finals 9 points to 3.
Defeated London Knights in semi-finals 9 points to 5.
Lost to Peterborough Petes in OHA Finals 8 points to 6.
References
External links
:Links to ''The OHL Arena & Travel Guide'' arena profiles
Hamilton Forum
{{Defunct OHL
Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams
Sport in Hamilton, Ontario
Sport in St. Catharines
1974 establishments in Ontario
1978 disestablishments in Ontario
Ice hockey clubs established in 1974
Sports clubs disestablished in 1978