Brampton Battalion
| Brampton Battalion | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Brampton |
| League | Ontario Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | December 3, 1996 |
| Operated | 1998–2013 |
| Home arena | Powerade Centre |
| Colours | Olive, yellow, black and white |
| Franchise history | |
| 1998–2013 | Brampton Battalion |
| 2013–present | North Bay Battalion |
The Brampton Battalion was a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team was based in Brampton, Ontario and started playing in 1998. As a result of consistently having among the lowest attendance in the OHL (last place in the OHL for its final 4 seasons), the team was relocated to North Bay, Ontario for the 2013–14 OHL season.
The Brampton Battalion was granted an expansion franchise on December 3, 1996. Major Junior A hockey returned to Brampton for the first time since 1963, when the Brampton 7Ups played in the Metro Junior A League before returning to the Junior B level. Brampton was part of the return of major junior hockey to the Greater Toronto Area in the late 1990s that included the Mississauga IceDogs and the revived Toronto St. Michael's Majors.
In 2005, team owner Scott Abbott was inducted into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame for his work in building the franchise.
The Battalion name was chosen from community suggestions, and was also adopted by the competitive minor hockey program. the Battalion were covered by local television Rogers Community Cable 10 and the local newspaper, The Brampton Guardian. The Battalion's secondary school educational programs were co-ordinated through Turner Fenton Secondary School.
The Battalion began play for the 1998–99 OHL season in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. The Battalion played their first game on September 24, 1998 losing to the host Peterborough Petes by a 5-1 score. Jason Maleyko scored the first goal in club history. The Battalion played their first game at the Powerade Centre on October 9, 1998 losing to the Kitchener Rangers by a score of 5-1. The first win in club history would come on October 18 when the troops beat the visiting Sudbury Wolves 5-4. The first season on the ice didn't go so well however as the Battalion finished the season with only 8 wins, 57 losses, and 3 ties for last in the Western Conference and 19th in the league ahead of only the Mississauga Ice Dogs.
...
Wikipedia