Owen Sound Platers was a Canadian

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 based in Owen Sound, Ontario. The team played 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 overa ...

from 1989 to 2000, then was sold to new owners who renamed the team the

Owen Sound Attack The Owen Sound Attack are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Based in Owen Sound since 1989, and operating under the current name since 2000, the Attack play their home games at the Harry L ...

History

In 1989 the Holody's moved the Guelph Platers to

Owen Sound, Ontario Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attractio ...

, retaining the name "Platers", as the Holody family owned a local electroplating company. The team played home games in the J. D. McArthur Arena at the Bayshore Community Centre. The city of Owen Sound would be a strong base for junior hockey with disproportionately high support from the smallest city in the OHL. The city had a two time

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 ...

champion in the

Owen Sound Greys The Owen Sound Greys were a series of junior ice hockey teams based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The original Greys, in their early years, won the 1924 and ...

in 1924 & 1927, and the

Owen Sound Mercurys The Owen Sound Mercurys are a defunct senior hockey, senior ice hockey team. The team played in the City of Owen Sound, Ontario, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada and participated in the OHA Senior A Hockey League (1929-1979), OHA Senior A Hockey League ...

were a long-standing OHA Senior Hockey team and 1954

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...

Champions.

Dave Siciliano Dave Siciliano (born July 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and player. He played university hockey for the Lakehead Nor'Westers, and led them to the International Collegiate Hockey Association championship as the most valuable play ...

coached the Platers to 39 wins in 68 games during the 1998–99 season, and a third-place finish in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Platers won the first round four games to one versus the

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in th ...

, won the second round four games to two versus the

Guelph Storm The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre. History The franchise started as the Toronto Marl ...

, then lost in the third round four games to one versus the London Knights. The 1998–99 season marked the first time which the Platers advanced to the third round of the playoffs during the franchise's history in Owen Sound. Despite many mediocre seasons, support for the team has remained strong. When the Holody's decided to sell the team in 2000, several local Owen Sound business-people banded together to purchase the team. Owen Sound fans realized that losing the team would be a crisis for the city. After a bidding war and a summer-long legal battle with another suitor, the team remained in Owen Sound. The ownership group elected for a name change and came up with the "Owen Sound Attack".

Coaches

List of coaches with multiple seasons in parentheses. *1989–1991, Len McNamara (2) *1991–1992, Rick Tarasuk *1992–1993, Jerry Harrigan (3) *1995–1996, Ric Seiling, John Lovell *1996–1997, John Lovell (3) *1997–1998, John Lovell,

*1998–1999, Dave Siciliano (3) *1999–2000, Dave Siciliano, Brian O'Leary

Players

Andrew Brunette won the 1992–93

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the player scoring the most points in the regular season. The trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of athlete and coach Eddie Power ...

as the top scorer in the OHL with 62 Goals, 100 Assists and 162 Points. He also tied for the

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey ...

's scoring lead. Brunette was selected by the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

174th overall in the 7th round of 1993

NHL Entry Draft The NHL Entry Draft (french: Repêchage d'entrée dans la LNH) is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirem ...

Jamie Storr Jamie Storr (born December 28, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Playing career Storr was the first goalie selected in the 1991 OHL Entry Draft and played major junior with the Owen Sound Platers and the Windsor S ...

was the 1993–94 OHL Goaltender of the Year. Storr was the starting goalie for back-to-back

World Junior Hockey Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...

Gold medals in 1993 and 1994. In 1994 he was drafted 7th overall by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

. Dan Snyder, a former captain of the Owen Sound Platers had his number 14 retired by the Owen Sound Attack in 2003. He is remembered in Owen Sound for his leadership on the ice, and off the ice. Snyder was twice voted his team's humanitarian of the year. The Ontario Hockey League renamed its Humanitarian of the Year award posthumously in honour of Dan Snyder, who died from injuries suffered in a vehicular accident with teammate

Dany Heatley Daniel "Dany" James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National H ...

in 2003.

NHL alumni

Nineteen alumni of the Owen Sound Platers graduated to play in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL). *

Sean Avery Sean Christopher Avery (born April 10, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), he played left wing for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Da ...

* Andrew Brunette *

Jeff Christian Jeffrey Christian (born July 30, 1970) is a Canadian-American former ice hockey forward who was drafted 23rd overall by the New Jersey Devils. He played 18 games in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, an ...

* Ryan Christie * Todd Hlushko *

Greg Jacina Greg Jacina (born May 22, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Winger. He played 14 games in the National Hockey League with the Florida Panthers during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, though most of his career, which lasted ...

Brent Johnson Brent Spencer Johnson (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is curre ...

Jason MacDonald Jason Anthony MacDonald (born June 3, 1975) is a Canadian former mixed martial artist. A professional from 1999 until 2013, he is perhaps best remembered for his two stints in the UFC, but also fought for King of the Cage, and the Maximum Fight ...

Adam Mair Adam Mair (born February 15, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils. He is currently ...

Kirk Maltby Kirk Frederick Maltby (born December 22, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings, the latter with whom he won the Stanley C ...

Chris Minard Christopher Minard (born November 18, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers before finishing his career in the Deutsche Eishockey ...

Wayne Primeau Wayne Michael Primeau (born June 4, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the younger brother of Keith Primeau. Playing career Primeau was a first round draft pick of the ...

Curtis Sanford Curtis Sanford (born October 5, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He is currently a goalie coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He previously ...

* Dan Snyder *

* Scott Walker *

Kevin Weekes Kevin Weekes (born April 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 348 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is now a studio analyst for NHL Networks' ''On the Fly'', '' NHL Tonight'', and ESPN's The Po ...

* Sean Whyte * Joel Ward

Team records

''Records listed for those achieved from 1989 to 2000.''

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Playoffs

*1989–90 Defeated Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 3 in first round.
Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals. *1990–91 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 eit ...

. *1991–92 Lost to London Knights 4 games to 1 in first round. *1992–93 Defeated Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 0 in first round.
Lost to S.S. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals. *1993–94 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to Detroit Jr. Red Wings 4 games to 0 in division semi-finals. *1994–95 Defeated Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 2 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals. *1995–96 Lost to Niagara Falls Thunder 4 games to 2 in division quarter-finals. *1996–97 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 0 in division quarter-finals. *1997–98 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals. *1998–99 Defeated S.S. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.
Lost to London Knights 4 games to 1 in conference finals. *1999–2000 Out of playoffs.

Uniforms and logos

The Owen Sound platers used the same logo as the Guelph Platers from 1989 to 1995 (inset right) only changing the name of the city. Owen Sound modernized its logo for the 1995–96 season (top of page), and used it until the team was sold in 2000. The team colours remained the same throughout; black, gold, red and white. The home uniforms for Owen Sound were white background with black, red and gold trim. The away uniforms were black background, with red, gold and white trim.

References

{{OHL Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in Owen Sound 1989 establishments in Ontario 2000 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1989 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2000