St. Catharines Black Hawks
| St. Catharines Black Hawks | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | St. Catharines, Ontario |
| League | Ontario Hockey Association |
| Operated | 1962–76 |
| Home arena | Garden City Arena |
| Parent club(s) |
Chicago Black Hawks (1962–67) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1943–47 | St. Catharines Falcons |
| 1947–62 | St. Catharines Teepees |
| 1962–76 | St. Catharines Black Hawks |
| 1976–82 | Niagara Falls Flyers |
| 1982–02 | North Bay Centennials |
| 2002–present | Saginaw Spirit |
The St. Catharines Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1962 to 1976. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
In 1962 the Chicago Black Hawks sponsored the financially troubled St. Catharines Teepees, and renamed the team St. Catharines Black Hawks. Chicago continued to do so until NHL sponsorship ended in 1968. From 1968 until 1972, the Hawks were owned by Fred Muller and Ken Campbell.
St. Catharines made it to the OHA finals in 1969, 1971 and 1974. They were beaten in the 1969 OHA finals by the Montreal Junior Canadiens 4 wins to 0 with 2 ties. The Black Hawks won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1971 versus the Toronto Marlboros & 1974 versus the Peterborough Petes.
The 1971 Richardson Trophy series between St. Catharines and the Quebec Remparts is one of the most storied ever, featuring riots and two future Hall of Famers, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne. In the 1974 Memorial Cup tournament the Black Hawks would square up against the Regina Pats and a rematch versus the Quebec Remparts.
Hap Emms bought the Black Hawks in 1972 and for the next four years attendance declined to the point that Emms refused to suffer any more losses and moved the club to Niagara Falls in 1976, rejuvenating the name of the previous Niagara Falls Flyers team which Emms had also owned.
Many blamed the poor support for the clubs on Emms’ failure to promote the team, but there were extenuating factors such as the attraction of the nearby Buffalo Sabres, expanded TV coverage of hockey and Tier II hockey in the area.
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