The Hamilton Red Wings were a junior ice hockey 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. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey As ...

from 1960 to 1974. The team was based in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, 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.

History

The Hamilton Tiger Cubs were renamed in 1960 becoming the Hamilton Red Wings as they wanted to gain increased ticket sales to emphasize the affiliation with the parent Detroit Red Wings which dated back to 1953. The team played for 14 seasons before being renamed the

Hamilton Fincups The Hamilton Fincups were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one. The Hamilton Fin ...

as they had an ownership change as well as the partnership with Detroit was terminated in the late 60's. The Red Wings of 1962 were coached by Eddie Bush, and managed by

Jimmy Skinner James Donald Skinner (January 12, 1917 – July 11, 2007) was the head coach, chief scout and farm director, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, assistant general manager, and general manager for the Detroit Red Wings ...

(1954-55 Stanley Cup Champion Coach) . The team finished second overall in the OHA standings, then lost only 1 game in the post-season run to 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 ...

. In the playoffs Hamilton defeated the St. Catharines Teepees,

Niagara Falls Flyers The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982. ...

, and the Metro Jr. A. champs Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4 games to 1, winning 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 ...

. The Red Wings then swept the series against the

Quebec Citadelles The Quebec Citadelles (French: ''Citadelles de Québec'') were a Minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada at the Colisée Pepsi. The name refers to the Citadelle of Quebec, a landmark fortif ...

for 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 Abbot ...

to win the Eastern Canadian Championship. The Red Wings would play the Western Canadian champion

Edmonton Oil Kings The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers ...

for the Memorial Cup. The first game of the 1962 Memorial Cup was played on home ice at the Barton Street Arena which Hamilton won 5-2. The next three games were played at the

Guelph Memorial Gardens The Guelph Memorial Gardens was an arena located in Guelph, Ontario. It was originally built in 1948 out of the remnants of a nineteenth-century building that had housed the Royal Winter Fair. The Gardens hosted various hockey teams over the years, ...

. Hamilton won game two 4-2. Edmonton won game three 5-3. Hamilton shutout Edmonton 3-0 in game four. The fifth and deciding game was played in the

Kitchener Memorial Auditorium The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex (also known as The Aud) is a multi-use municipally-owned facility in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The complex is located on East Avenue, near the Ottawa Street interchange on the Conestoga Parkway. The ...

. The Red Wings defeated the Oil Kings 7-4 to win the series and the Memorial Cup, 4 games to 1. Five years later the Red Wings made it to the OHA finals again in 1967, but were swept 4 games to 0 by the

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 ...

. Once the sponsorship money from the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

ended at the conclusion of the 1966-67 season the franchise went in a free for all and owner Nick Durbano who had cash flow issues and little interest to maintain a competitive team. Durbano finally found a buyer in the summer of 1974.

Players

The two most famous Hamilton Red Wings alumni are "Little M" Pete Mahovlich, and 1972 Summit Series hero Paul Henderson. Many Hamilton Red Wings went on to play for the Detroit NHL team. :Award winners *''1960-1961'' - Bud Blom,

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 *''1961-1962'' - Pit Martin,

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 *''1961-1962'' - Lowell MacDonald,

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 *''1962-1963'' - Paul Henderson,

, Most Sportsmanlike Player *''1964-1965'' - Jimmy Peters,

, Most Sportsmanlike Player *''1967-1968'' - Jim Rutherford & Gerry Gray,

, Lowest team GAA

NHL alumni

Yearly results

; Regular season ;Playoffs *1960-61 Defeated Peterborough Petes 8 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to St. Michael's Majors 9 points to 5 in semi-finals. *1961-62 Defeated St. Catharines Teepees 9 points to 3 in OHA semi-finals.
Defeated Niagara Falls Flyers 8 points to 0 in OHA finals.
Defeated St. Michael's Majors 8 points to 2 in all-Ontario finals. OHA CHAMPIONS
Defeated Quebec Citadelles in Richardson Trophy playoffs.
Defeated Edmonton Oil Kings 8 points to 2 in Memorial Cup finals. ''MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS'' *1962-63 Lost to Niagara Falls Flyers 8 points to 2 in OHA semi-finals. *1963-64 Out of playoffs. *1964-65 Out of playoffs. *1965-66 Lost to Montreal Junior Canadiens 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals. *1966-67 Defeated Peterborough Petes 8 points to 4 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Niagara Falls Flyers 8 points to 6 in semi-finals.
Lost to Toronto Marlboros 8 points to 0 in finals. *1967-68 Defeated London Knights 8 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Kitchener Rangers 8 points to 4 in semi-finals. *1968-69 Lost to Montreal Junior Canadiens 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals. *1969-70 Out of playoffs. *1970-71 Lost to Ottawa 67's 9 points to 5 in quarter-finals. *1971-72 Out of playoffs. *1972-73 Out of playoffs. *1973-74 Out of playoffs.

References

{{Defunct OHL Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in Hamilton, Ontario 1960 establishments in Ontario 1974 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1960 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1974