The Hamilton Steelhawks were a

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team in the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

from 1984 to 1988. 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 ...

, and played at

Copps Coliseum FirstOntario Centre (originally Copps Coliseum) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985, it has a capacity of up to 19,000. History Hamilton was lef ...

History

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 ...

were relocated in 1984 becoming the Hamilton Steelhawks. The franchise which started in Hamilton in 1953, twice left Hamilton for lack of an adequate arena but returned for the opening of Copps Coliseum. However the team was not well-supported, and played for only four seasons in Hamilton before moving to

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

to play as the Thunder. The Steelhawks name was chosen to reflect the

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

industry in Hamilton. The modernized name and logo was designed to catch on with a young fan base as well. The team enjoyed three successful playoff runs, although they never made a trip to the league finals. Notable alumni are NHL stars

Shayne Corson Shayne Paul Corson (born August 13, 1966) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars. During hi ...

Keith Primeau Keith David Primeau (born November 24, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers. ...

and NHL tough guy

Bob Probert Robert Alan Probert (June 5, 1965 – July 5, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. Probert played for the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. While a successful player by some measures, including be ...

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

's younger brother

Keith Gretzky Keith Edward Gretzky (born February 16, 1967) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player who served as interim general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, from January 23 to May 7, 2019. He is a brother of ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. ...

also played for the Steelhawks, and was the co-winner 1986–87

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 ...

as the OHA's Most Sportsmanlike Player. The team was owned by Jack Robillard, Bob Willson and Al Martin, who also owned the

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their cu ...

Coaches

*''1984–85'' -

Dave Draper David Draper (April 16, 1942 – November 30, 2021) was an American bodybuilder, actor and author. Early life Draper was born in Secaucus, New Jersey on April 16, 1942. His weight training began at the age of ten and was a well-formed habit by ...

, B. LaForge *''1985–86'' -

Bill LaForge Bill LaForge (September 2, 1951 – June 19, 2005) was a Canadian ice hockey head coach. LaForge briefly coached the Vancouver Canucks in National Hockey League, but enjoyed more success in junior ice hockey with Western Hockey League and the On ...

*''1986–87'' - Bill LaForge *''1987–88'' - Bill LaForge

NHL alumni

Yearly results

Regular season

Playoffs

*1984–85 Defeated North Bay Centennials 9 points to 7 in first round.
Defeated London Knights 6 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to S.S. Marie Greyhounds 9 points to 1 in semi-finals. *1985–86 Out of

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. *1986–87 Defeated Guelph Platers 4 games to 1 in first round.
Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals. *1987–88 Defeated North Bay Centennials 4 games to 0 in first round.
Defeated London Knights 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in semi-finals.

Arena

The Hamilton Steelhawks played home games at

Mountain Arena The Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena & Skating Centre is a recreation complex in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It includes a figure skating rink and a 2,500-seat ice hockey arena. Originally it was built in 1966, known as the Mountain Arena until it ...

for 1984–85 and then moved to

in December 1985 as the arena was not ready in time for the start of the season . The annual OHL / QMJHL All-Star game was played here in 1988. .

External links

Mountain Arena
- The OHL Arena & Travel Guide

- The OHL Arena & Travel Guide {{Defunct OHL Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in Hamilton, Ontario 1984 establishments in Ontario 1988 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1984 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1988