Oshawa Generals

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www.oshawagenerals.com-Official Site

History of the Generals

The Oshawa Generals are one of the most storied franchises, and most successful in Canadian Hockey League history. Its 166 graduates to the NHL are second only to the Peterborough Petes. The Generals have also won the Memorial Cup 4 times, and a record 12 Ontario Hockey League Championships, the J. Ross Robertson Cup.

Oshawa entered the Ontario Hockey Association for the first time in 1908. The city would play in the OHA Junior A, the top tier of junior competition, through the 1952-1953 season. After a hiatus from 1953-1962 due to fire, the team was resurrected to continue its winning traditions.

Prior to 1908, Oshawa belonged to the Midland Hockey League. It competed against other teams from Whitby, Bowmanville, Port Hope & Cobourg.

The first Oshawa team in the Ontario Hockey Association junior division began play in the 1908-1909 season, known as the Oshawa Shamrocks. Ed Bradley, a prominent local businessman was responsible for organizing the team and bringing Junior Hockey to Oshawa. He would be the team's manager for the next 13 years.

Success came early to the team reaching the OHA semi-finals in 1909. In the 1920's the team enjoyed many successful years, battling in the "Three O's Championship" versus Orillia and Owen Sound.

In June of 1928, Bradley's Arena burnt to the ground. The team relocated to Whitby until the new Oshawa Arena was built for 1930.

In the early 1930's the team became known as the Oshawa Majors. The Majors won the OHA title in 1935, and went on to play the Northern Ontario champion Sudbury Cub Wolves. Unfortunately in a committee room protest, the OHA title was taken away from Oshawa while games were already underway with Sudbury.

In 1936, different sources name the team as the Majors, the Red Devils, and the Junior G Men. This team coached by Bill Hancock and managed by Matt Leyden entered in the "Big Seven" League, versus St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, Young Rangers, British Consols, Native Sons and the Lions.

In 1937 the Oshawa Generals were born. The team was named after the sponsor, General Motors of Canada. The Generals put together an unequalled feat of 7 consecutive OHA Championships, and winning 3 Memorial Cups in the same span.

The Generals grew a reputation for treating its players well and signed many young men who would go on to NHL fame. Players were admitted free to theatres, dancing, wrestling, roller skating and other attractions at the arena. Sponsors gave full scholarships to school and weekly stipends.

Through the whole dynasty, the team was managed by Matt Leyden, and its secretary was Neil Hezzlewood. Both men would be inducted in the Oshawa Sports Hall of fame.

From 1937-1944, Oshawa Generals graduated 20 players to become NHL Alumni, and another player in Father David Bauer, who would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder's Category.

In September 1953 a great tragedy struck in Oshawa when Hambly's Arena burned down. The city and the team lost what had become greatly endeared to themselves; their memories, their arena, and their OHA team.

Donations poured in from many fellow OHA teams and local businessmen. Equipment and other items were dispersed to the all the players attending the training camp to cover individual losses. The Generals, homeless so close to the start of the new season, were unfortunately disbanded.

Salvaged from the disbanded team, General Manager Wren Blair made a Senior B team known as the Oshawa Truckmen, who played in Bowmanville for the 1953-1954 season. The year after, this team would become the Whitby Dunlops. The Dunlops would go on to be Allan Cup Champions in 1957 & 1959, and World Champions in 1958.

In 1960, Wren Blair began negotiations with Boston Bruins president Weston Adams to begin building the new Oshawa Generals. The agreement was made contingent on a new arena being built in Oshawa. The Oshawa Civic Auditorium would open up in 1964.

In the meantime, the Oshawa Generals were reactivated for the 1962-1963 as a team playing in the Metro Junior A League. For this year, the team played its home games at Maple Leaf Gardens. Fundraising for a new arena was well under way at the same time.

This was also the first season for Oshawa to wear the Black, Gold & White colours of the Boston Bruins, despite the many previous years of affiliation.

In 1963 the Metro Junior A league was disbanded, and Oshawa was readmitted in the OHA. Since the Toronto Marlboros used Maple Leaf Gardens as a home rink, the Generals team played out of nearby Bowmanville for one full season, and part of another.

The greatest player ever to wear an Oshawa Generals uniform, Bobby Orr went on the become a legend in the NHL and to be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bobby Orr was discovered by Wren Blair as a 14 year old while playing a game in Gananoque, Ontario. He was quickly signed to a contract and invited to training camp for the 1963-1964 season. He would commute three hours from Parry Sound for every home game he played with the Generals that year in Bowmanville.

In his first full season in the OHA, Bobby Orr scored 30 goals to break the record for most goals by a defenceman, previously held by Jacques Lapérriere. Orr was also selected as a first team all-star defence player.

During the 1964-1965 season, the Oshawa Generals moved into their new home at the Oshawa Civic Auditorium. Bobby Orr broke his own record, scoring 34 goals this season.

The 1965-1966 season would be Oshawa's return to the Memorial Cup after a 22 year hiatus. The Generals were coached that year by former alumnus, Armand "Bep" Guidolin, who played for Oshawa in the 1942 Memorial Cup, and subsequently made the Boston Bruins of the NHL as a 16 year old. Team captain, Bobby Orr scored 38 goals during the season.

The Generals would defeat their bitter rivals, the St. Catharines Blackhawks in quarter-finals, before eliminating the Montreal Junior Canadiens in semi-finals, and winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHA CHAMPIONS versus the Kitchener Rangers.

The Generals outscored the North Ontario champion North Bay Trappers by a combined score of 43-9 to win the series in 4 games, and then defeated Shawinigan Bruins in 3 games to be the Eastern Canadian representative for the Memorial Cup.

In the Memorial Cup series Orr played injured through most games, but the team played hard only to lose to Edmonton Oil Kings in 6 games.

After the season ended, many players graduated from the team and moved on. Bobby Orr would go on to the Bruins for next season. Wren Blair would become General Manager of the Minnesota North Stars. Coach Bep Guidolin returned to coaching in Thorold.

After many dismal seasons through the late 1960's and 1970's the Generals started to rebuild for the Memorial Cup. In 1979 the Generals hired coach Paul Theriault, who would lead the team to 9 consecutive winning seasons, including two Memorial Cup appearances.

In 1983 the Generals returned to the Memorial Cup after a 17 year absence, defeating the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for their 9th J. Ross Robertson Cup. The Memorial Cup that year would be played in Portland, Oregon. The Generals lost in the finals to the host team Portland Winter Hawks in the final game by a score of 8-3. That year's team captain, Joe Cirella, would go on to play 16 years as an NHL defence skater.

During an early season practice, Bruce Melanson left the ice feeling very weak. Within a few minutes he collapsed, succumbing to a rare heart disease known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Bruce was 18 years old.

The Generals would wear black arm bands for the remainder of the season in memoriam of their teammate they nicknamed "Moose." The club would also no longer issue his uniform # 9. A memorial scholarship was set up at his former high school in New Brunswick.

His hard hitting and aggressive style led Bruce Melanson to be selected by New York Islanders in the second round (41st overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

The 1986-1987 season saw the Generals set a team record with 101 points for the season. It would also see the Generals playing on home ice in the Memorial Cup, as the host city and as the OHL Champions.

In 1987 the OHL organized a Super Series for the right to host the Memorial Cup tournament between the Leyden Division champion Oshawa Generals, and the Emms Division champion North Bay Centennials. The super series was played before the OHL playoffs commenced. Oshawa defeated North Bay 4 games to 3 for the right to host the Memorial Cup. Oshawa also won the OHL championship series defeating North Bay 4 games to 3. Since Oshawa won both the Super Series and the OHL Championship, only three teams participated in the Memorial Cup

Oshawa reached the finals versus the Medicine Hat Tigers, but lost 6-2 in the championship game.

Eric Lindros came to the Generals via a trade with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He refused to play for the team which made him the first overall draft pick, an event which would bring prosperity to both hockey clubs in the near future.

After playing the Canadian National Team, Lindros started his rookie year with the Generals in 1989-1990. In only 25 games we would score 17 goals, and get 19 assists for 36 points. The same year in the playoffs, Eric scored 18 goals and 18 assists in only 17 games. It was the extra boost the Generals needed to reach the Memorial Cup, when added to the existing core of players captained by Iain Fraser.

In 1990 Copps Coliseum hosted the Memorial Cup. The Generals would compete against the Kamloops Blazers, Laval Titan, and OHL runners-up Kitchener Rangers. The championship game on May 13th, 1990 attracted 17,383 spectators. The Oshawa Generals defeated the Kitchener Rangers by a score of 4 to 3 in double overtime on a goal by Bill Armstrong to win the 4th Memorial Cup in Oshawa Generals history.

The 1990-1991 season had many high expectation for the Generals to repeat as Champions. Lindros would be chosen first overall in the NHL draft by the Québec Nordiques. In 57 regular season game we would score 71 goals and 78 assists. As ironic as sports can be, the Generals lost the OHL final that year to Eric's draft team, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds coached by Ted Nolan.

The Generals would set the benchmark for other OHL teams by winning their 12th J. Ross Roberston cup in 1997. The most recent championship the Generals won was played at the Oshawa Civic Auditorium Tuesday, May 6th, 1997.

The Generals upset the 1st place Ottawa 67's in the OHL final, 4 games to 2. The sixth game ended 8 seconds into the first overtime on a goal from Marc Savard.

The Generals participated in the 1997 Memorial Cup in Hull, Quebec, in which they finished third in the round-robin and lost in the semi-final to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Future NHL players from 1997 were: Marc Savard, John Tripp, Ian MacNeil, Kevin Colley, Dan Hinote, Jeff Ware, Bryan Allen, Jeff MacMillan & Ty Garner.

In 2005 the Oshawa Generals drafted a 14 year old named John Tavares. He was granted exceptional player status by the OHL allowing him to be drafted one year earlier than normal.

Under the new ownership of John Davies, the Generals were able to scure a new arean in downtown Oshawa. The team moved into the General Motors Centre on November 1, 2006, and played the inaugural game there November 3, 2006.