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63-684: The Greys had survived in three different forms over the years. The Original Greys lasted from 1913 until 1977, winning two Memorial Cups and folding in the ashes of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League . The Intermediate Greys lasted from 1978 until 1982 to obtain the Hardy Cup , they departed with the fall of the Major Intermediate A Hockey League . The final team was the Modern Greys, which began in 1973 as

126-822: A Junior D club and worked its way up to winning the Ontario Junior A Hockey League Championship in 1987. From 1987 until 2012 the Greys played in the Mid-Western League/Conference of OHA Junior B until being relocated to Brampton and ending a 99-year era of Greys hockey in Owen Sound in 2012. The Salvagemen had been formed in 1973 as a Junior C team. Initially they were members of the Northern Junior D Hockey League but were separated from that group come playoff time. Owen Sound endured

189-470: A competitive season was ever tossed Owen Sound's way. But what makes the return a success isn't the season record—it was the lack of a mass exodus of players at the Christmas Break. Players bought into the rebuilding process and stuck it out which earned a tremendous amount of respect from around the league and left the Greys in a good position with a solid nucleus to build on for next season. After

252-701: A fifth straight playoff meeting between the rivals was not in store. The Greys instead dumped Barrie 4-1 and Midland 4-1 to claim their second straight Mid-Ontario league title, then needed six games to get past the Elmira Sugar Kings of the Southwestern Junior B Hockey League . Owen Sound was back in the Sutherland Cup semifinals against the Metro league champs but once again lost out in the seventh and deciding game, falling this time to

315-665: A five-week layoff between the end of the regular season and the start of what was called the "Super C" playoffs. The "Super C" Champion would be awarded the George S. Dudley Trophy. The Salvagemen finally met the Woodstock Navy-Vets but were swept 4-0. The next season saw the Salvagemen in a true Junior C group, the Central Junior C Hockey League . They finished sixth and last in the regular season, then began

378-404: A full-time basis. The name was also changed back to the traditional Owen Sound Greys. Since the Greys had such a rough time in the past seasons they decided to take a year off for the 2009-2010 season The Greys folded their team for the 2009-2010 season, citing financial restructuring. After a year hiatus, the Greys returned with a short bench and started the rebuilding process. Not much hope of

441-497: A future NHLer who scored a natural hat trick as Owen Sound won 5-4. Game 2 was tied 2-2 after regulation time, which was followed by a 10-minute, non-sudden death overtime. The Greys outscored Port Arthur 3-1 in the extra frame, won the game 5-3 and became the first team to win the Memorial Cup a second time. It happened on March 28, 1927—the third anniversary of the 1924 championship. Hedley Smith, who never went on to pro hockey,

504-818: A leave of absence in 2009. In 2010 it was announced that the Greys would return as affiliates to the Villanova Knights of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Fergus Devils of the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League . Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario , Canada. The league

567-539: A much better season performance-wise, it was announced that the Greys franchise had been awarded to David Arseneaut, the team's major sponsor, by the OHA despite the team being community owned. On April 25, 2012, the OHA announced its approval of Arseneault's plan to relocate the team to Brampton, Ontario . This ends the long tradition of OHA Junior hockey in Owen Sound one season shy of what would be its centennial. The Greys had gone through numerous incarnations and leagues in

630-697: The Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound. Starting with the 2000-01 season, the Greys played half of their home games at "The Plex," as the building became known. The team's name was also changed, first to the Owen Sound-Saugeen Greys in 2000 and then to the Owen Sound-Saugeen Shores Greys in 2001. As the number of Port Elgin-based players dwindled, so did attendance. The Greys decided in 2006 to abandon Port Elgin and return to Owen Sound on

693-715: The Bramalea Blues . That didn't mean Owen Sound was necessarily out of the picture, though. Bramalea and the Hamilton Red Wings of the Niagara District faced off for the Ontario championship and the Blues won the first game, but the contest was marred by a donnybrook that involved players, officials and fans and resulted in 14 police officers being called to the arena. The Blues immediately forfeited

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756-462: The Centennial Cup national Tier II Junior A championship. Every year previously, the OHA champion had prevailed. But Nickel Centre ended the streak, upsetting the Greys 4-2 in a best-of-seven series. The OJHL folded after the season; for the second time in a decade, Owen Sound was left hanging by the collapse of its Tier II Junior A league. This time, though, the Greys were able to return to

819-669: The Collingwood Blues also joined the league but three other teams dropped out, reducing the number of clubs to four. The Niagara Falls Flyers folded to make way for a new OHL franchise in that city, the Welland Sabres also folded and Chatham returned to Junior B. After the 1977 playoffs, the league folded and the Platers and A's were invited to join the OPJHL. The Greys went on hiatus for one season and then moved up to

882-779: The Detroit Jr. Red Wings , starring Mark Howe and Marty Howe , sons of legend Gordie Howe . Detroit defeated Guelph 3-games-to-2 with two ties to clinch the title. Detroit went on to defeat the Ottawa M & W Rangers in the quarterfinals of the Centennial Cup before losing to the Charlottetown Islanders in the Eastern Final. The next season saw the Guelph CMC's challenge and defeat Detroit in

945-882: The Flin Flon Bombers of the Western Canada Hockey League to determine a National Champion outside of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association . The first two games of the Best-of-Seven series took place in St. Thomas, Ontario . Flin Flon won game one 6-2, while St. Thomas returned the favour in game two with a 6-3 win. The teams then shipped out to Flin Flon , where the Bombers took game three 5-0. In game four,

1008-657: The Kitchener Rangers who entered the market in 1963. The team started in the Central Junior B league, but as part of the 1971 geographic realignment, moved to the Western Junior B league. In 1973, the team joined the "Southwestern Junior "B" Hockey League", which became the "Waterloo-Wellington Junior "B" Hockey League" and then the Midwestern "B" in 1977. The team was a long-standing member of

1071-745: The Major Intermediate A Hockey League . Collingwood returned to Junior B. The Guelph Platers joined the OHL in 1982 and are now known as the Owen Sound Attack . Kitchener Dutchmen The Kitchener Dutchmen were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener , Ontario , Canada . They played in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League . The Dutchmen turned into

1134-786: The Midwestern Junior B Hockey League . The other four teams (Orillia, Barrie, the Oak Ridges Dynes and the Thornhill Thunderbirds ) went to the new Central league. The Owen Sound Kings changed names again in 1980, becoming the Owen Sound Rutherford Mercurys, known simply as the Mercurys. This lasted until 1983. The Mercurys organization merged with that of the Greys in 1983, leaving one top-level hockey team in Owen Sound for

1197-955: The Northern Ontario Hockey Association and Montreal Westmount . The club was then pitted against the Kenora Thistles in the Eastern Canadian final , a two-game, total-goals series won 15-12 by the Greys. The Greys had journeyed to Winnipeg for the first game against the Thistles (Game 2 was in Kenora) and they returned to the Manitoba capital to face the Calgary Canadians in the two-game, total-goals national final. Keeling and Weiland each scored twice and Fred Elliott scored once in

1260-609: The Ontario Hockey League moved into Owen Sound in 1989, the Greys have enjoyed an almost continuous affiliation with the big club (originally the Owen Sound Platers , now known as the Owen Sound Attack ). A disagreement in 1999 led the Platers to cancel the arrangement and affiliate instead with the OPJHL's ill-fated Durham Huskies . Although that ended after one season and the Platers again latched on to

1323-776: The Orillia Travelways , the Barrie Colts , the Newmarket Redmen and the Bolton Bruins . Orillia finished first in schedule play but once again Owen Sound and Collingwood met in the championship round and once again the Blues came out on top, winning 4-3. The 1972-73 season saw the Greys finish in second place but they swept the league playoffs, knocking off the Midland Flyers in four straight games and finally getting past Collingwood, also in

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1386-616: The 10-team league. Surprisingly, they were considered the favourite in the final as their opponents, the Listowel Cyclones , had only finished seventh, 12 points behind Owen Sound. Again, that didn't matter as Listowel rolled to a 4-2 series win and a berth in the Sutherland Cup final. In a sad coincidence, the sixth and final game had been played on March 28, 2005—the anniversary of the Greys' two Memorial Cup wins. Since then, there's been little for Greys fans to cheer about. The team finished ninth out of 10 teams in 2005-06 and missed

1449-699: The Ayr Centennials. The Kitchener Dutchmen franchise was founded in 1956 when the Junior A Kitchener Canucks were moved to become the Peterborough Petes . With the Canucks gone, the new Kitchener Greenshirts were founded as members of the Central Junior B Hockey League to fill the void left by their Junior A counterparts. The Greenshirts changed their name to the "Ranger B's" in 1969 to better reflect their relationship with their parent club,

1512-594: The Bombers led 4-0 at 10:10 of the second period, and the last of two brawls in the game would break out. In retaliation, the Barons walked off the ice. When St. Thomas made it clear they would not finish the series, the Canadian Hockey Association awarded the championship to the Bombers. Coach Keith Kewly and Manager Jack Cassidy were suspended one season by their league and the team was fined $ 700. The town of St. Thomas had to raise $ 4500 to bring

1575-546: The Central Junior B Hockey League and rolled to the championship by defeating the Hamilton Bees and the Siskins, avenging the 1940 loss. Owen Sound then eliminated the St. Marys Lincolns in a semifinal series but ran out of gas in the Sutherland Cup final against the St. Michael's Buzzers , losing in four straight games. To this day, the Greys have never made it back to the Sutherland Cup final. The Greys were part of

1638-425: The Central Junior B league throughout the 1960s. They failed to make the playoffs between 1966 and 1968 but turned things around and finished first in 1969-70. They lost a semifinal playoff series to the Collingwood Blues , who went on to win the final over the Guelph CMC's , and thus began a great hockey rivalry that lasted into the 1980s and spanned four different leagues. Owen Sound and Collingwood met up again in

1701-589: The Central league final in 1971 and the Blues, having already disposed of the Preston Raiders in a semifinal series, again prevailed. The Greys finished first for the second straight year and beat the Kitchener Ranger B's 4-3 in the other semifinal before falling to Collingwood in five games. In 1971-72, the Greys and Blues were placed in the new Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League , along with

1764-634: The Greys crowned "Dominion Junior Hockey Champions," winners of what was then called the OHA Memorial Cup . Owen Sound first captured the J. Ross Robertson Cup as Ontario Hockey Association titlists by defeating the Kitchener Greenshirts 12-7 in a two-game, total-goals series. That followed earlier playoff series wins over Collingwood, Midland and Toronto Varsity in which the Greys were not seriously challenged. Owen Sound's next hurdles were single-game playoffs against North Bay of

1827-615: The Greys to bring the Memorial Cup back to Ontario; in 1927 they reclaimed it as well as the OHA, all-Ontario and Eastern Canadian crowns. Their opponents included the Newmarket Redmen , who fell 7-3 in a two-game, total-goals series to decide the OHA title. That set up a best-of-three national final in Toronto against the Port Arthur West End club. The Game 1 hero was Martin Lauder , a native of nearby Durham, Ontario , and

1890-602: The Greys were able to use a final appearance as a bit of a stepping stone. In 2000-01 they earned a first-place finish for the first time since 1987 and blew past the Guelph Dominators in the quarter-finals, earning a rematch with Cambridge. The Winterhawks had finished four places and 17 points behind the Greys. That didn't stop them from dumping Owen Sound 4-2, a bitter disappointment for the favoured Greys. They had to wait five years for their next final appearance, which they earned in 2004-05 despite finishing fifth in

1953-546: The Greys, there was enough animosity between the Greys and Huskies to fuel two heated exhibition games one week apart prior to the 2000-01 season. Owen Sound won 5-1 in the first game and 5-0 in the second game, which was marred by a line brawl toward the end. The Greys had another affiliation with the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Western Junior C Hockey League . This affiliation ended when the Greys took

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2016-500: The Junior B level. The team has remained in the Midwestern league ever since, by far its longest continuous stretch in any one circuit, but have only had middling success. One of the most disappointing seasons was 1992-93 when the Greys put together a powerful lineup that finished second in the standings, the first time they had ever placed so high in the Midwest. They were led by league scoring champion Bob McAskill , who had 36 goals, 69 assists and 105 points, but failed to advance beyond

2079-549: The Junior B playoffs for the first time since 1978-79. It appears Owen Sound will be on the sidelines again this spring as the club is headed for a finish of ninth and last. Its record as of January 11, 2007, was 3-27-2-1. The Owen Sound Sun Times newspaper reported on January 11, 2007, that leading scorer Greg Virgo has been traded to Cambridge and teammate Mark England has been sent to Stratford. General manager Kevin Emke said both players had reportedly asked to be dealt to playoff-bound clubs, requests that had caused friction in

2142-404: The Mid-Ontario Junior B league but couldn't pick up where the Greys had left off. They finished sixth in 1975-76 and were swept by Orillia in the first playoff round. They placed fifth and out of the playoffs the next year. A name change to the Kings didn't help, as they again wound up fifth and on the sidelines in 1977-78. The Mid-Ontario loop was wound down at this time and the Kings were placed in

2205-443: The OHA's Intermediate A league in the late 1930s and early 1940s. This coincided with the team's next notable championship run, which went all the way to the OHA Junior B Sutherland Cup final in 1940. Owen Sound's opponent was the Waterloo Siskins , who won the best-of-five series 3-1 and claimed the first of their 11 OHA titles. It was 21 years before the Greys again made it as far in the playoffs. In 1960-61, they finished first in

2268-408: The Platers fell apart and lost in seven games. The league had six teams in 1975-76 but that was only due to the additions of the Hamilton Mountain A's and the Owen Sound Greys . The Jr. Red Wings had gone back to playing in the United States , the Sarnia Bees went to the newly formed Western Junior B Hockey League and the Windsor Spitfires moved up to the Ontario Hockey League . In 1976-77

2331-405: The Salvagemen. They took a one-year leave of absence, then returned to the ice in 1978-79 as a founding member of the new Georgian Bay Intermediate A Hockey League . They again failed to recapture their previous glory, never finishing higher than third place and advancing to the playoff final only once. The Greys went on another hiatus in 1982, one year before the league itself disappeared. Since

2394-402: The Super C playoffs, which appear to have been established for teams with larger population bases. Owen Sound was in an eight-game round-robin with London and the Brantford Gunners ; the Salvagemen and the Gunners advanced. Owen Sound met Woodstock in the final once again but fared no better, falling in four straight. When the Junior B Greys jumped to Junior A, the Salvagemen took their place in

2457-459: The Warriors in seven games. The '75 title was won by the CMC's again. They made it all the way to the National title, but fell to the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion. In 1975-76, the CMC's were bought and renamed the Guelph Platers . They won the league once again, and moved on to the national title playdowns. Their first opponent was the Rockland Nationals of the Central Junior A Hockey League . After going up 3-games-to-none on them,

2520-482: The Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League (WOJAHL) with the move. CAHA president Lloyd Pollock stated that players leaving for the WOJAHL would face difficulty in being reinstated with the OHA, but no suspensions were issued. The league operated outside of the OHA's jurisdiction for the next two seasons. After the 1969 playoffs, the WOJAHL champion St. Thomas Barons , starring future NHLer Ken Murray , faced off against future Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke and

2583-399: The city's Kelso Beach was named) had established a very strong school hockey program. Two of those Victoria graduates were forward Melville "Butch" Keeling , who later went on to star with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League , and goaltender Hedley Smith . In the fall of 1923 they earned places in the Greys lineup; soon they and their team would also earn a permanent place in

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2646-425: The club with a whopping 68 goals in 26 games while Keeling added an incredible 37 goals and 46 points in 15 playoff games, which may very well be a Canadian junior hockey record. A repeat was not to be, as Owen Sound fell to Toronto Aura Lee in the 1925 OHA final. The Greys also lost the next year to Queen's University , although both Toronto and Queen's fell in their respective national final series. It remained to

2709-437: The dressing room. Team captain Sean Dinsmore was also on the way out, reportedly bound for the Collingwood Blues . Sporting a good contingent of players from the Port Elgin area, the Greys decided to stage a handful of home games at the new Saugeen Shores Community Complex in that town during the 1999-2000 season. The games were very well attended, with average crowds of about 800 people, far more than were coming to games at

2772-406: The final 4-games-to-1. The CMC's pushed further and ended up winning the Manitoba Centennial Cup as Canadian Tier II Junior "A" Champions. In 1973, the Chatham Maroons took the league crown and then defeated the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League 's champion the Wexford Warriors for the OHA Crown. The next season's title was won by the Windsor Spitfires who then fell to

2835-463: The final. But the road ended in the OHA quarter-finals, where the Waterloo Siskins swept Owen Sound to the side. Bramalea, back in the mix a year after its forfeit, went on to win the Sutherland Cup. More than 30 years later, the Greys are still searching for their next Junior B league championship. The club spent the next two years in the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League , but they were disappointing seasons. Owen Sound finished fifth and out of

2898-419: The first game, won 5-3 by Owen Sound. Weiland and Elliott both scored again two days later, on March 28, 1924, but the real hero was 16-year-old netminder Hedley Smith. Calgary peppered him with 23 third-period shots but he stopped every one of them and held Calgary to a 2–2 tie. The Greys won the series 7-5 and, with it, the Dominion title. At the time, the wire service provided the only method of transmitting

2961-444: The first time in 15 years (see the Owen Sound Crescents ). The new entity retained the name "Greys" and played two more seasons in the Midwestern league. The Greys made another move out of Junior B, stepping up to the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1985. They affiliated with the Guelph Platers of the Ontario Hockey League and performed very well in their new surroundings, finishing in third place in their first season and topping

3024-428: The history of Canadian hockey. Keeling and Smith were joined by four other Owen Sound boys, including another soon-to-be NHLer named Edward "Teddy" Graham . Two others who later made the NHL, team captain Larry "Dutch" Cain and future Hockey Hall of Famer Ralph "Cooney" Weiland , were among the three imports on the nine-player squad. The 1923-24 season began in December and would end less than four months later with

3087-404: The league but relocated to Ayr in 2020. An original charter member team, in 1992 the franchise became the first team in Mid-Western "B" history, other than the Waterloo Siskins and the Stratford Cullitons , to win the league and the Sutherland Cup . They won a second consecutive league title in 1993, but failed to come away with another Ontario Hockey Association title. The team did not miss

3150-405: The minimum four games. This Greys team featured future NHLer Jim Roberts . Owen Sound then beat the Burlington Mohawks of the Central league 4-2 and advanced to the OHA semifinals against the Toronto Nationals . The Metro Junior B Hockey League champions won a hard-fought series 4-3. Owen Sound's best season in this stretch was 1973-74. The team finished first, just ahead of Collingwood, but

3213-471: The nearly 100 years since they were founded, although their initial history was cut short due to World War I . The team reformed after the end of the war and immediately came to prominence, winning the local playoff title in 1920 and thumping the Toronto champion 14-0. A year later, the Greys advanced to the Northern Hockey League playoff final. Many early members of the team had attended Victoria Public School in Owen Sound, where principal Henry Kelso (for whom

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3276-524: The playoff final. Coincidentally, it also marked the return of an Owen Sound player to the top of the league scoring parade, as Ryan Dudgeon put up 59 goals and 104 points to tie Mike Carter of the Cambridge Winterhawks . The Greys reeled off series wins over Kitchener and Stratford—marking the first time the Cullitons had been swept from the playoffs since 1983—but fell short against Cambridge, losing 4-2. The Winterhawks did not lose again that year, rolling to their first Sutherland Cup championship. This time

3339-421: The playoffs from 1979 until they relocated. The Dutchmen were a long time farm team for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League . On April 26, 2020, it was announced that the OHA had given approval for the Ayr Centennials to purchase the Dutchmen and move them to Ayr in order to promote the Centennials from Junior C to Junior B, effective starting in the 2020-21 season. This thus brought an end to

3402-456: The playoffs in 1975-76, then placed fourth and last in 1976-77. All four teams advanced to the post-season that year but the Greys didn't last long, brushed aside in four straight games by the Guelph Platers . When the SOJAHL folded in 1977, the Greys were left high and dry. They couldn't return to the Mid-Ontario Junior B league, as they had been replaced by another Owen Sound team which was called Owen Sound Grey-Bruce Salvage, popularly known as

3465-463: The results back to Owen Sound. Bulletins were posted outside the office of the city's newspaper, which estimated that more than 5,000 fans were there during the last game. It's believed that about 8,000 people turned out to welcome the champions home four days later, a remarkable number considering Owen Sound's population was only about 12,000 at the time. The Greys went 22-2-2 during that magical season, scoring 204 goals and allowing only 69. Weiland led

3528-418: The semifinal playoff round. It wasn't until 1995-96 that the Greys finally advanced to a final series. They finished a lowly sixth but eliminated the Kitchener Dutchmen in overtime of the seventh and deciding game of their semifinal series. They met the powerful Stratford Cullitons in the final and lost 4-1. Owen Sound could not build on that success and it wasn't until 1999-2000 that the Greys returned to

3591-498: The series and incoming OHA president Cliffe Phillips decided to allow the Greys to return to action and take Bramalea's place in the final against Hamilton. Phillips soon found that his notion was not a popular one and he dropped it at once; the Greys missed out on a trip to the OHA final after a 13-year absence and the Sutherland Cup was awarded to the Red Wings as Ontario champs. The Greys wrapped up their third straight Mid-Ontario crown in 1974-75, beating first-place Collingwood 4-1 in

3654-424: The standings in their second. They also won the Frank L. Buckland Trophy as playoff champions in 1986-87, their first title since 1974-75, and advanced to the all-Ontario championship against the Nickel Centre Power Trains of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . The OHA and NOJHL had been meeting annually since 1978-79 to determine the winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the provincial representative for

3717-461: The team back home from Manitoba . Initially the CHA suspended the Barons for the entire 1969-70 season, but the suspension was overturned by the WOJAHL. In 1970, the Top Tier of Junior Hockey in Ontario broke away from the OHA. The OHA opened negotiations with the WOJAHL, and the league was welcomed back into the OHA as the top level in its system and changed its name to the Southern Ontario Junior "A" Hockey League. The 1971 League title went to

3780-411: The team owners felt that they should, as a whole, be promoted to Junior "A" status. In 1968 the league applied to the Ontario Hockey Association , but were declined by Jack Devine who stated that the application was too late for the upcoming season. In September 1968, the league left the OHA and joined the rival Canadian Hockey Association led by Ron Butlin as president. The league changed names to

3843-407: The team's return to Owen Sound is currently being auctioned online . The watch, which reportedly still keeps perfect time, is inscribed "Presented to L.J. Cain By The City of Owen Sound April 2nd 1924." The outer case has crossed hockey sticks and a puck, with "Dominion Champions" inscribed above and "Junior Hockey" below. The Greys served as the farm team for the Owen Sound Trappers, who competed in

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3906-432: Was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1977. In 1956 the traditional Big '10' League was divided, its Western Division became the Western Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League, and the Central Division became the Central Junior "B" Hockey League . In the 1960s, the Western Junior "B" Hockey League was arguably the top league of Junior "B" hockey in Ontario. The Western's brass and

3969-486: Was the only holdover from that first title and thus became the first double Memorial Cup winner. The OHA divided junior hockey into separate Junior A and Junior B ranks in 1933. The Greys were placed in Junior B, where they spent the next 42 years. Artifacts from the 1924 championship have surfaced in recent years. Cufflinks presented to Cooney Weiland are part of a junior hockey exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A gold watch given to Greys captain Dutch Cain on

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