The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters 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 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and played home games at the

Guelph Memorial Gardens The Guelph Memorial Gardens was an arena located in Guelph, Ontario. It was originally built in 1948 out of the remnants of a nineteenth-century building that had housed the Royal Winter Fair. The Gardens hosted various hockey teams over the years, ...

History

The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a brief note in junior hockey history, but left an impression on the game during 13 years of operation. The team that was sponsored by a local manufacturer in the Royal City would capture a national championship, several provincial titles, and send four men on to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The team was founded as the

Guelph Indians The Guelph Indians were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1936 to 1940. After four seasons of play, the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company became the team's sponsors, and the team changed names to the Guelph Biltm ...

for the 1936-37 season. After four seasons, the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company became the team's sponsors. After two more seasons of play, the team was put on hiatus for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The team was resurrected in 1947 as a farm team for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

of the NHL and coached by former Rangers forward

Alf Pike Alfred George Pike (September 15, 1917 – March 1, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent six National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the New York Rangers between 1939 and 1947. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he was a prod ...

until the end of 1954. Eddie Bush, a former NHL defenceman, would take over the coaching duties from 1954 onwards. The Biltmore Hat Company rewarded any player scoring three or more goals in one game the choice of hats at their factory, bringing new meaning to the term "hat trick." After running into financial trouble in 1960, new ownership renamed the team the Guelph Royals, after the city's nickname. Three years later the team moved becoming the Kitchener Rangers, taking the name of the parent club from the NHL.

Championships

The Mad Hatters won the

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 ...

in 1952 as national junior ice hockey champions of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and 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 Canadian champions the same year. Guelph won 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, and ...

three times as OHA champions. J. Ross Robertson Cup * 1942 Lost to

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...

* 1950 Defeated

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� ...

* 1952 Defeated St. Catharines Teepees * 1957 Defeated St. Catharines Teepees Memorial Cup * 1952 Defeated

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * R ...

George Richardson Memorial Trophy * 1950 Lost to

Montreal Junior Canadiens The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History The ...

* 1952 Defeated Montreal Junior Canadiens * 1957 Lost to Ottawa Junior Canadiens

1952 Memorial Cup

The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters played in the best-of-seven series for the Memorial Cup of 1952 versus the

, the Abbott Cup champions of Western Canada hailing from

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

. Guelph that year broke the OHA record for single season scoring with 341 goals in a 54-game schedule, which was 34 goals more than the previous mark. Ken Laufman set on OHA record at the time with 139 points. Guelph defeated the

in a six-game series for the Eastern Canadian final. The Mad Hatters won the first game on home ice at the Guelph Memorial Gardens by a score of 8 to 2. The rest of the series would be played at

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

in Toronto. Guelph won the next two games 4 to 2 and 8 to 2. The Biltmores completed the series sweep in game four posting a 10 to 2 triumph to win the Memorial Cup.

Players

Four alumni of the Mad Hatters have been 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 ...

Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...

Rod Gilbert Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 — August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing on ...

, Harry Howell and

Jean Ratelle Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. In twenty-one seasons he averaged almost a point a game and won the Lady Byng Trophy twice in re ...

. Players who also had impressive NHL careers are

Dean Prentice Dean Sutherland Prentice (October 5, 1932 – November 2, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 22 seasons between 1952–53 and 1973–74. He had 10 NHL seasons with 20 or mo ...

and

Ron Murphy Robert Ronald Murphy (April 10, 1933 – March 6, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins over the course of an 889-game National Hockey Le ...

Award winners

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 O ...

''Most Outstanding Player in the OHA'' * ''1955-1956'' - Ron Howell

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 ...

''Scoring Champion of the OHA'' * ''1951-1952'' - Ken Laufman, 139 points * ''1956-1957'' - Bill Sweeney, 106 points

NHL alumni

Paul Andrea Paul Lawrence Andrea (born July 31, 1941) is a Canadian former ice hockey right winger. He played in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, California Golden Seals, and Buffalo Sabres. He also played in the Wor ...

* Frank Bathgate *

Danny Belisle Daniel George Belisle (May 9, 1937 – November 28, 2022) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. Belisle played junior hockey for the Guelph Biltmores and the Trois-Rivières Lions. He then signed with the New York Ranger ...

* William Chalmers * Wally Clune *

Jim Connelly Jimmy Connelly (born October 27, 1989) is an ice sledge hockey player from the United States. He took part in the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland ...

* Bob Cunningham * Herb Dickenson *

Marc Dufour Marc Carol Joseph Dufour (September 11, 1941 – January 23, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played 14 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings between 1963 and 1968. The rest of his career, ...

Lorne Ferguson Lorne Ferguson (May 26, 1930 — March 28, 2008) was a Canadian ice hockey left winger who played 422 games in the National Hockey League. Born in Palmerston, Ontario, he played for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Black Hawks ...

Lou Fontinato Louis Joseph "Leapin' Louie" Fontinato (January 20, 1932 – July 3, 2016) was a Canadian defenceman in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1954 to 1961 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1961 to 1963. NHL career Lou Fontinato ...

Bruce Gamble Bruce George Gamble (May 24, 1938 – December 29, 1982) was a professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1962 and 1972, with some stints in the minor leagues during that time. Junior career Gamble ...

Gerry Goyer Gerald Francis Goyer (October 20, 1936 – March 10, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 40 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1967–68 season. The rest of his career, which la ...

* Aldo Guidolin * John Holota * Harry Howell * Ron Howell *

Al LeBrun Albert Ivan LeBrun (born December 1, 1940) is a Canadians, Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played six games in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers. External links

* 1940 births Canadian ice hockey defence ...

* Joe Levandoski * Tony Licari * Willie Marshall *

Clare Martin Clare Majella Martin (born 15 June 1952) is a former Australian journalist and politician. She was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995. She was appointed Opposition Leader in 1999, and won ...

* Shep Mayer * Bill McCreary, Sr. * Sandy McGregor * Roland McLenahan * Mike McMahon, Jr. *

Hillary Menard Hillary Gilbert "Minnie" Menard (born January 15, 1934) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey left winger who played in one National Hockey League game for the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1953–54 season. The rest of his career, whi ...

Bob Plager Robert Bryant Plager (March 11, 1943 – March 24, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 14 seasons from 1964–65 NHL season, 1964 until 1977–78 NHL season, 1978, primarily f ...

* Leo Reise, Jr. * Doug Robinson *

Leon Rochefort Joseph Fernand Léon Rochefort (born May 4, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centreman who spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League playing for seven clubs in a career that lasted from 1959 to 1976. A hard-working journey ...

Eddie Shack Edward Steven Phillip Shack (February 11, 1937July 25, 2020), also known by his nicknames "the Entertainer" and "the Nose", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Ukrainian descent who played for six National Hockey League (NHL) teams ...

Glen Sonmor Glen Robert Sonmor (April 22, 1929 – December 14, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, scout and coach. He played 28 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1953 to 1955, though most of his career was ...

Ron Stewart Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as a coach. He spent the first half of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ...

* Bill Sweeney *

Gilles Villemure Joseph Hector Gilles Villemure (born May 30, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s and 1970s. Villemure was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Playing ...

Yearly results

''Played as Guelph Indians, 1936-40.''

References

{{Defunct OHL Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Sport in Guelph 1940 establishments in Ontario 1960 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1940 Sports clubs disestablished in 1960