The Hamilton Tigers were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team 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 ...

. They competed in the

Canadian Professional Hockey League The Canadian Professional Hockey League, also known as Can-Pro, was a minor professional hockey league founded in 1926. After three seasons, it became the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1929. The Can-Pro name was then given to a new league o ...

(CPHL) from 1926 to 1929 then in the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1929 to 1930.

History

After the

Hamilton Tigers The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton intere ...

of the National Hockey League (NHL) was disbanded, the Tigers owners decided to revive the name as a minor league professional team in the new CPHL. The team served as a farm club for several teams in the NHL, including the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

and participated in the NHL intra-waiver draft. The team's rosters included several players who played in the NHL, such as Francis Cain, Billy Cameron,

Earl Campbell Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955), nicknamed "the Tyler Rose", is an American former professional football player who played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. Kn ...

, Milt Halliday, Vic Hoffinger, Marty Lauder,

Jack Markle John Arthur Markle (May 15, 1907 – June 25, 1956) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played eight games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1935–36 season. The rest of his career, which lasted ...

Bernie Morris Bernard Patrick Morris (August 21, 1890 – May 16, 1963) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1915 to 1923. When the Metropolitans became the f ...

, Mike Neville and

Russell Oatman Warren Russell Oatman (February 19, 1905 – October 25, 1964) was a Canadian ice hockey player. Oatman played 121 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Cougars, Montreal Maroons and New York Rangers between 1926 and 1929. His brot ...

. Percy Thompson, who was also part owner and had coached the NHL team, was coach from 1926 to 1928. The team struggled financially, reportedly losing over its two first seasons. The fans were described as "being sore on the owners for selling the NHL team". The Abso-Pure Company attempted to sell the team in October 1928 to Buffalo, then Hamilton businessmen. These fell through and the team was nearly closed up when Toronto businessmen expressed their interest in the team. The new owners installed Morris as coach and Hap Watson as general manager. Morris took on the role of manager for the 1929-30 season. In October 1930, the team was sold to

Percy LeSueur Percivale St-Helier LeSueur (November 21, 1881 – January 27, 1962) was a Canadian senior and professional ice hockey goaltender. He was a member of the Smiths Falls Seniors for three years, with whom his performance in a 1906 Stanley Cup cha ...

and partners and moved to

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

to become the Syracuse Stars. The sale included the transfer of both the franchise and the players, but not the contract of manager Bernie Morris. The Stars would eventually be sold and moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

to become the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

Record

The team had a winning record in its first season and made the league playoffs. The Tigers lost the semi-final to the eventual champion

London Panthers The London Panthers were a professional ice hockey team based in London, Ontario, Canada that existed from 1926 until 1936. The team played in the Canadian Professional Hockey League from 1926, joining the International Hockey League (1929–1936), ...

in a two-game series. In its second season, the Tigers had a winning record, but finished fifth and missed the playoffs. The team was sold and put under new management. Despite this, the team would have losing records in the next two seasons and miss the playoffs. Source: Society for International Hockey Research

Notable players

These players all played in the NHL. * Francis Cain * Billy Cameron *

* Milt Halliday * Vic Hoffinger * Marty Lauder *

* Mike Neville *

NHL alumni

These players graduated to the NHL. * Gordie Brydson, played with

in the 1929-30 season *

, played with Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1935-36 season * George Patterson, played with Maple Leafs,

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

St. Louis Eagles The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Based in St. Louis, the Eagles played for only one year, the 1934–35 NHL season. The team was founded in 1883 as the Ottawa Senators, a s ...

and

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 ...

References

{{Commons category, Hamilton Tigers Ice hockey clubs established in 1926 Ice hockey teams in Hamilton, Ontario Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1930 1926 establishments in Ontario 1930 disestablishments in Ontario