The West Toronto Nationals were 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 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 ...

(OHA) from 1929 to 1936. Prior to that time, the team was known as the

West Toronto Redmen The West Toronto Nationals were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1929 to 1936. Prior to that time, the team was known as the West Toronto Redmen, due to their red colour sweaters. Home games were pl ...

, due to their red colour sweaters. Home games were played at Mutual Street Arena and later Maple Leaf Gardens 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 ...

. The Nationals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as champions of the OHA in 1930, and defeated the Niagara Falls Cataracts by an 11–9 combined score in two games. The Nationals won the Eastern Canada junior playoffs by defeating teams from

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, to earn a berth in the

1930 Memorial Cup The 1930 Memorial Cup final was the 12th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions West Toronto Nationals of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada compet ...

played in Winnipeg. The Nationals lost to the Regina Pats in two games by scores of 3–1 and 3–2. The Nationals were finalists for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1931, and were defeated by the Niagara Falls Cataracts by a 12–7 combined score in two games. The Nationals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1936, by defeating the

Kitchener Greenshirts The Kitchener Greenshirts name has been used by five separate ice hockey teams playing in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. These include one 'Senior A' level hockey team, two 'Junior A' level teams, and two 'Junior B' level teams. The name has also b ...

in two games in a best-of-three series. The Nationals were led by

Peanuts O'Flaherty John Benedict "Peanuts" O'Flaherty (April 10, 1918 — July 16, 2008) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 21 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Americans and Brooklyn Americans. He was born in Toronto, Ont ...

who was the league's leading scorer and winner of the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy. The Nationals won 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 Abbott ...

as Eastern Canada junior playoffs champions by defeating the

South Porcupine The city of Timmins, Ontario, Canada contains many named neighbourhoods. Some former municipalities that were merged into Timmins continue to be treated as distinct postal and telephone exchanges from the city core. According to Barnes, "With the ...

Porkies, the Junior

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

, and the

Pembroke Lumber Kings The Pembroke Lumber Kings are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League and are the winningest team in CCHL (formerly CJHL) history as well as 2011 Royal Bank Cup National Jun ...

. The Nationals earned a berth in the

1936 Memorial Cup The 1936 Memorial Cup final was the 18th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions West Toronto Nationals of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada compe ...

played in Toronto, and defeated the

Saskatoon Wesleys The Saskatoon Blades are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Eastern Division of the Western Hockey League, formerly the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL). They are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, playing at the 15,195-seat SaskTe ...

in two games, by scores of 5–1 and 4–2.

National Hockey League alumni

Alumnus Roy Conacher was inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

. List of alumni who played in 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 ...

: *

Norman Collings Norman Edward "Norm, Dodger" Collings (May 6, 1910 – October 6, 1975) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in one National Hockey League game for the Montreal Canadiens during the 1934–35 season, on January 1, 1935 a ...

Roy Conacher Roy Gordon Conacher (October 5, 1916 – December 29, 1984) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks. He was the ...

* Jack Crawford * John Doran *

Jimmy Fowler James William Fowler (April 6, 1915 – October 17, 1985) was a professional ice hockey player who played 135 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1936 and 1939. He also played several years in minor leagues du ...

Bob Gracie Robert John Gracie (November 8, 1910 – August 3, 1963) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Americans, Montreal Maroons, Mon ...

* Red Heron * Bill Jennings *

* George Parsons *

Bill Thoms William David Thoms (March 5, 1910 – December 26, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 548 games in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins between 1932 and 1945. ...

References

Sources

* {{Defunct OHL Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Toronto