The Windsor Spitfires were a Canadian

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

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. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

(OHA) from 1946 to 1953. The team was based in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

. The current

Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975� ...

, founded in 1971, are the namesake of these Spitfires. The Spitfires played home games at the

Windsor Arena Windsor Arena (nicknamed The Barn) is an list of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in Windsor, Ontario. Its capacity is approximately 4,400 with standing room. The arena's ice is by or . The arena was the home of the Windsor Spitfires of th ...

, built in 1924.

History

The Windsor Spitfires were founded in 1946 as part of a four-year plan enacted by Lloyd Pollock, the secretary-treasurer of the Windsor City Hockey League. He established a junior league for the 1942–43 season in Windsor, competing at the Junior B-level in the

(OHA). The ultimate goal of Junior A-level team was realized in 1946, for the

1946–47 OHA season This is a list of OHA standings and season-by-season summaries of the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior A division from 1933 to 1972, and its Tier I division from 1972 to 1974. ;Legend * GP = games played * W = wins * L = losses * T = ties * ...

. Pollock and business partner Jack Dent obtained franchise rights from the OHA for C$500, and purchased uniform for another $100. The team lost its first game 15–0 to the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, but attracted a crowd of 4,062 spectators at the

. Pollock served as the team's general manager, and worked with the

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 ...

to develop players. Pollock convinced the Detroit Red Wings to relocate prospect players from the

Galt Red Wings The Galt Red Wings were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Galt, Ontario, now a part of the city of Cambridge, Ontario, Cambridge. They played in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1944 to 1947 and were operated as an affiliate of ...

to Windsor in 1947. The Spitfires were coached by

Jimmy Skinner James Donald Skinner (January 12, 1917 – July 11, 2007) was the head coach, chief scout, and farm director, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, assistant general manager, and general manager for the Detroit Red Wings ...

, and reached the

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, an ...

final during the

1947–48 OHA season This is a list of OHA standings and season-by-season summaries of the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior A division from 1933 to 1972, and its Tier I division from 1972 to 1974. ;Legend * GP = games played * W = wins * L = losses * T = ties * ...

. The team produced several future star players for the Red Wings, including

Glenn Hall Glenn Henry Hall (born October 3, 1931) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a game and was a co ...

Marcel Pronovost Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930April 26, 2015) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in List of NHL players with 1000 games played, 1,206 games over 20 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons ...

Earl Reibel Earl "Dutch" Reibel (July 21, 1930 – January 3, 2007) was a Canadian ice hockey professional player. Reibel played primarily as a centre with the Detroit Red Wings, as well as the Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins. Reibel played seven seaso ...

, Johnny Wilson, and Glen Skov. In 1953, the Spitfires were sold to Hamilton to create the Hamilton Tiger Cubs.Simcoe Reformer. February 11, 1975, Page 4. The Spitfires were replaced by an

OHA Senior A Hockey League The OHA Senior A Hockey League was a top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in Ontario from 1975 until 1987. The league was sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and competed for the Allan Cu ...

team called the

Windsor Bulldogs The Windsor Bulldogs are a defunct semi-professional and amateur senior ice hockey team. The team played in the City of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and participated in the International Hockey League and the OHA Senior A Hockey League prior to t ...

. The Bulldogs won the OHA Senior A championship in 1962 and 1963 as well as the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. It was most recently won by the Wentworth Gryphins ...

in 1963. They turned professional for one season after winning the Allan Cup, then folded. In 1971, the

were reformed in the

Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League ...

. In 1975, they were accepted into the OHA.

Championships

appearances * 1947–48 finalists versus the

Barrie Flyers The Barrie Flyers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1945 to 1960, from Barrie, Ontario. The Flyers played home games at the Barrie Arena from 1945 to 1960. History The Barrie Flyers junior team was founded in ...

* 1949–50 finalists versus the

Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and ...

Players

;Award winners * 1948–49 – Bert Giesebrecht

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 ...

OHA Scoring Champion * 1949–50 – Earl Reibel

OHA Scoring Champion * 1950–51 – Glenn Hall

Red Tilson Trophy The Red Tilson Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the most outstanding player (MVP) as voted by OHL writers and broadcasters. It was donated by ''The Globe and Mail,'' and first awarded in the 1944–45 OHA season by the On ...

OHA Most Outstanding Player ;NHL alumni

Season-by-season results

References

External links