The Toronto Ontarios were a professional men's
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 in the
National Hockey Association from 1912 to 1915 based in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. They were first named the Tecumseh Hockey Club, renamed the Ontarios in 1913 and renamed the Toronto Shamrocks in January 1915 and ceased operations later that year.
Tecumsehs
![Toronto-tecumsehs1912-13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Toronto-tecumsehs1912-13.jpg)
The NHA was founded in 1909 without any teams from
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
because there wasn't an arena in the city that was large enough to sustain a franchise. In 1911, a new
arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
was being built in Toronto and a franchise was awarded to the
Toronto Hockey Club
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blueshirts, was a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They were a member of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The club was founded in 1911 and began operations in 1912 ...
, and a group affiliated with the Tecumseh Lacrosse Club applied for a second franchise. The Tecumsehs bought a franchise from
Ambrose O'Brien
John Ambrose O'Brien (May 27, 1885 – April 24, 1968) was a Canadian industrialist and sports team owner. He was a founder of the National Hockey Association (NHA), owner of the Renfrew Millionaires and the founding owner of the Montreal Canad ...
, paying $500 cash and promissory notes for $2,000.
The Tecumsehs were put on the NHA schedule for the 1911–12 season with no home games scheduled until late in January, when the arena was expected to be completed. Because of construction delays, it soon became clear that the arena would not be ready in time, and both Toronto teams were removed from the schedule, leaving the NHA with only four teams for the season.
Before the 1912–13 season started, O'Brien said that he never received the balance of the franchise fee from the Tecumseh backers, so he re-sold the franchise to a group headed by William James "Billy" Bellingham from Montreal, a former defenceman of the
Montreal Victorias. Goaltender Billy Nicholson, formerly with
Montreal HC, was appointed player-manager-captain. The team he put together included future hall-of-famer
George McNamara
George Andrew McNamara (August 26, 1886 – March 10, 1952) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was a member of the 1914 Toronto Blueshirts Stanley Cup champions. His brothers Harold and Howard also played professional ice hockey. ...
and his brother,
Howard McNamara
Howard Dennis McNamara (November 22, 1891 – September 24, 1940) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played professionally from 1908 to 1920, including two seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, including the 1916 Stanley Cup champ ...
. Teddy Oke, who would go on to be one of the founders of 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 ...
in 1926, was also on the team.
They played their first game on December 28, 1912 against the
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, ice hockey team based in Montreal. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association ...
at the arena, which would soon become known as Arena Gardens. The visiting Wanderers won 7–4 in front of 5,000 fans. Paid attendance of 4,339 and gate receipts of $3,040 both set short-lived Toronto hockey records. The Tecumsehs got off to a good start, but at the end of the season were in last place in the six-team NHA in with seven wins and 13 losses.
Ontarios
In 1913, Tom Wall purchased the bankrupt Tecumsehs and renamed them the Ontarios. The team continued to play in the Arena Gardens. The Tecumsehs had finished sixth in the six-team league, with a record of seven wins and 13 losses. Despite the addition of 27-goal scorer
Jack McDonald and veteran
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 ...
defenceman
Fred Lake
Frederick Lovett Lake (October 16, 1866 – November 24, 1931) was a Canadian professional baseball catcher and Major League manager for Boston American and National leagues teams in the early 20th century.
Lake hailed from Cornwallis Township, ...
, the Ontarios fared worse, winning only 4 games and losing 16, for a .200 winning percentage.
After one season, Wall sold the team to local amateur hockey impresario
Eddie Livingstone
Edward James Livingstone (September 12, 1884 – September 11, 1945) was a Canadian sports team owner and manager. He was the principal owner of the Toronto Shamrocks and the Toronto Blueshirts professional ice hockey clubs of the National Hockey ...
. Livingstone acquired goaltender
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 forward
Skene Ronan
Erskine Rockcliffe Ronan (February 9, 1889 – June 25, 1937) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 10 professional seasons from 1908 to 1919. Ronan played the majority of his professional career in the National Hockey Associat ...
. He also added rookies
Corb Denneny
Charles Corbett "Corb" Denneny (January 25, 1894 – January 16, 1963) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played professionally from 1912 to 1931, including nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Arenas, ...
and
Alf Skinner
Alfred "Dutch" Skinner (January 26, 1894 – April 11, 1961) was a Canadian ice hockey right winger. During his career, which lasted from 1913 to 1930, he played for several teams in the National Hockey Association, National Hockey League, and Pa ...
, and the McNamara brothers returned. The team had also acquired NHA scoring champion
Tommy Smith before Livingtone took over. A tug of war developed over Smith's services. The
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was a professional ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). The PCHA was cons ...
claimed Smith was their property; Livingstone, just as stubbornly, insisted he belonged to Toronto. The PCHA's bosses,
Lester Patrick and
Frank Patrick, threatened they would raid the NHA for players the next season.
Shamrocks
After the first game of the season in January 1915, the team was renamed the Toronto
Shamrock
A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name ''shamrock'' comes from Irish (), which is the diminutive of ...
s. Livingstone said the idea came from the players because eight members of the team claimed
Irish descent. The team colours were kept the same, but the ''O'' on the jerseys was replaced with a green shamrock. The Shamrocks finished the 1914–15 season with a record of seven wins and 13 losses, fifth in the league, ahead of only the
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 ...
.
Meanwhile, Toronto's other NHA club, the
Toronto Blueshirts
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blueshirts, was a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They were a member of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The club was founded in 1911 and began operations in 1912 ...
, had fallen from first place to fourth. On the west coast, the Patrick brothers announced an expansion team, the
Seattle Metropolitans
The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington, which played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1915 to 1924. During their nine seasons, the Metropolitans were the PCHA's most successfu ...
and the PCHA zeroed in on the Blueshirts' roster, signing many of their top players. Livingstone purchased the Toronto Blueshirts and owned two NHA teams but after the PCHA raids only had enough players for one team. He transferred Shamrocks players to the Blueshirts, and only the Blueshirts competed in the
1915–16 NHA season
The 1915–16 NHA season was the seventh season of the National Hockey Association. Five teams played a 24 game schedule. Montreal Canadiens won the league championship and defeated the Portland Rosebuds to win their first ever Stanley Cup.
Le ...
. When Livingstone failed to sell the Shamrocks, the NHA seized the franchise, which was left dormant for the year.
"N.H.A. will again have six clubs – Livingstone Given Until Saturday to Dispose of Shamrock Franchise"
''The Gazette'' (Montreal). Nov. 15, 1915 (pg. 15). Retrieved 2020-10-30. The National Hockey Association reactivated the abandoned Shamrocks franchise in 1916–17, awarding it to a Canadian military team, the Toronto 228th Battalion. The league became the National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
the following season and neither of the Toronto NHA franchises were included in the new league.
Season by season record
''Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against''
Head coach
* Jimmy Murphy
Hall of Fame players
* 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 ...
* George McNamara
George Andrew McNamara (August 26, 1886 – March 10, 1952) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was a member of the 1914 Toronto Blueshirts Stanley Cup champions. His brothers Harold and Howard also played professional ice hockey. ...
* Tommy Smith
* Cy Denneny
Cyril Joseph Denneny (December 23, 1891 – September 10, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Ass ...
See also
* National Hockey Association
References
{{reflist
Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada
Ice hockey teams in Ontario
On
National Hockey Association teams
1912 establishments in Ontario
1915 disestablishments in Ontario
Ice hockey clubs established in 1912
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1915