St. Catharines Fincups
| Hamilton Fincups | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Hamilton, Ontario |
| League | Ontario Hockey Association |
| Operated | 1974–78 |
| Colours | Blue, white and gold |
| Championships | 1976 Memorial Cup Champions |
| Franchise history | |
| 1946–53 | Windsor Spitfires |
| 1953–60 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs |
| 1960–74 | Hamilton Red Wings |
| 1974–76 | Hamilton Fincups |
| 1976–77 | St. Catharines Fincups |
| 1977–78 | Hamilton Fincups |
| 1978–84 | Brantford Alexanders |
| 1984–88 | Hamilton Steelhawks |
| 1988–96 | Niagara Falls Thunder |
| 1996–present | Erie Otters |
The Fincups were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one.
The Fincups were a short-lived team in the Ontario Hockey Association that was very successful on the ice, but did poorly generating revenue. The club bounced around in three outdated arenas in four years. Unable to turn much of a profit, the Fincups moved out of town, becoming the Brantford Alexanders.
Fincup was a combination of the last names of the team's owners, Joe Finochio and the Cupido brothers Ron and Mario. They renamed the old Hamilton Red Wings after the 1974 season; the franchise had history in Steeltown dating back to the early 1950s. The new owners did not have to go far to hire a new coach for the new regime as they hired a very young Bert Templeton as the team's new coach (Bert was coaching the Junior B team in Hamilton owned by Cupido and Finochio) which had just won the Jr B championship (Sutherland cup). Templeton was voted winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy as Coach of the Year in his first season. Templeton was let go partway through the Fincups' fourth season due to conflict with ownership and replaced by Dave Draper.
In the four short seasons that the Fincups played, the team won the Memorial Cup once, and the J. Ross Robertson Cup once. The Fincups also represented Canada at the World Junior Tournament and came away with a silver medal.
The Fincups won the Emms Division regular season title for two consecutive years in 1975–76 and 1976–77, and the Hamilton Spectator Trophy in 1976–77 as the first overall team in the OHA regular season.
The Fincups made the OHA finals all 3 years they played out of Hamilton, and came within one win of making it four consecutive appearances in the championship series in their only year in St. Catharines.
The Hamilton Fincups of 1976 were a small, hard-working and determined team which practiced meticulously and strived to be top in condition. Their hard work won the Emms division regular season in 1976 and eliminated the Kitchener Rangers, Toronto Marlboros and the Sudbury Wolves to make to the Memorial Cup hosted at the Montreal Forum. Their opponents for the 1976 national title would be the WHL's New Westminster Bruins and the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts.
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