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47-610: The Sarnia Bees joined the ranks of the current Western Junior "B" league in 1969. The Bees were an upstart team in direct competition with the historic Sarnia Legionnaires of the Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League . By mid-season, the Bees had stolen away most of the Legionnaires fan base and the team was forced to fold. Over the next quarter century the Bees had some good teams but the club seldom lived up to

94-494: A Canadian junior ice hockey team that won five Western Jr. 'B' Hockey League championships and four Sutherland Cups as Ontario Hockey Association Junior B champions in the 16 seasons they operated out of Sarnia , Ontario from 1954 until 1970. The club folded after two unsuccessful years as a Tier II Jr. 'A' team. The original Legionnaires were one of the most successful junior teams in Canadian hockey history, playing out of

141-455: A Jr. 'B' team. Ten times in 18 years if you count the team's record when it was known as the Sailors. Phil Esposito scored 47 goals and 61 assists for the Legionnaires during the 32-game 1960-61 regular schedule. In a playoff game that spring, he got 12 points as the Legionnaires beat Goderich 15–2. Eric Vail , future Calder Memorial Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year, played with

188-468: A Jr.'B' team and there were only six NHL teams. They also sent two players to the WHA. With their multiple championships and their domination at the provincial level, no other Sarnia junior team has ever matched their success. Phil Esposito and Pat Stapleton were both Legionnaires alumni and both represented Canada at the 1972 Summit Series . Esposito's appearance as a Legionnaire is quite remarkable as he

235-604: A home exhibition game against the Chicago Black Hawks, losing to the NHL club by a 14–6 score. Members of the 1957-58 Legionnaire team that won the club's second title included: Coach Ollie Haddon, General manager Tommy Norris G. Paiment, P. Kilbreath, Art Turcotte, Don McPhail, Neil Armstrong, Dick Robinson, G. Harris, Paul Crawley, N. Harris, Pat Stapelton, Mike Muir, D. Chivers, M. Guthrie, Ross Dark, J. McKellar, Eddie Leslie, Pete Bentley and Jack Kerwin. Members of

282-518: A name for himself as coach of the Jr. 'C' Mooretown Flags. The legend of the Sarnia Legionnaires began on Oct. 20, 1954 with the opening of the inaugural training camp. General manager Phil Hamilton invited 40 players to the first tryout . Coach Jim Butler cut 20 athletes that first day. The club went right into the regular schedule without playing an exhibition game, losing its first match to

329-521: A sixth place club, this Legionnaire team won two playoff rounds, making it to the league final, where they were eliminated by the St. Thomas Barons in five games. Members of the 1962-63 team that ended up in fifth place included: Coach C. Glaab, Manager Tommy Norris Players: B. Williams, G. Lawrence, G. Bonny, B. Finn, Ron Carroll, B. L'Heureux, Fred Pageau, R. Roy, T. Woodcock, H. Brand, R. Kuschel, T. Gray, Ray Germain, M. Filipchuck, Les Hosins Members of

376-669: 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

423-779: 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

470-882: 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,

517-680: The Senior team . In 1956, the Big 10 was divided and the Legionnaires moved on with the Western League. In 1968, the league went renegade and declared itself Junior "A". As of February 1, 1970, the Legionnaires officially folded and disbanded. They were in direct financial competition with the Junior "B" Sarnia Bees , but lost popularity within the city forcing them to go out of business. Fan attendance had dropped from 1200 to 200 people per game, with

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564-603: The Western Ontario Junior A and B Hockey Leagues . Counting the Sutherland Cup they won when they were known as the Sarnia Sailors, the franchise won five titles in 20 years, beginning with the 1950-51 campaign. They were founded as members of the Big 10 Junior B Hockey League . The Legionnaires' moniker was resurrected for the 2008-09 Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League season. The Sarnia team that helped displace

611-422: The 1956-57 team that won the first championship in Legionnaires history included: Coach Stu Cousins, General Manager Tommy Norris Players: Pat Stapelton, Gary Vena, Paul 'Butch' Crawley, Bill Armstrong, Larry Cunningham, Glen Forbes, Bob Foster, Peter Bentley, D. Foster, Dick Robinson, George Spencer, Don McPhail, Eric Haddon, Ross Dark, Ted Wright, Mike Muir, Hartley Vernon, Jack Kerwin and Eddie Leslie. This

658-412: The 1958-59 Legionnaires team that won the team's third crown included: Coach Ollie Haddon, General manager Tommy Norris Players: C. Knetchel, Larry Cunningham, J. Mara, D. Foster, C. Adams, Art Turcotte, Dick Robinson, N. Harris, G. Paiement, J. Bloomfield, G. Lakusciak, Norm Armstrong, P. Kilbreath, W. Verbeem, P. Hamilton, Paul Crawley, Ross Dark, D Chivers.Charlie Ryan. After three straight titles

705-430: The 1960-61 team. Members included: Coach Ollie Haddon, General manager Tommy Norris Players: C. Depoli, B. L'Heureux, M. L'Heureux, N. Mallette, G. Lawrence, Jimmy Sanko, Phil Esposito, R. Lachowick, G. Lakusciak, D. Chivers, Goalie Joe DeRush, J. Clarke, J. Bloomfield, R. Heino, Dave Besse and W. Verbeem.Charlie Ryan Jerry Mara. Highlights: Esposito finished second in league scoring behind future NHLer Terry Crisp of

752-399: The 1963-64 team that finished fourth included: Coach Marty Zorica, Manager M. Wallis Players: D. Shanks, G. Geary, G. Lawrence, D. Burgess, D. Rhodes, Pete Mara, J. McVicar, Tom Ostrander, R. Kuschel, Les Hoskins, T. Gray, Ron Carroll, T. Woodcock, S. Wormith, K. Eadie, D. Caley In 1964-65 the Legionnaires once again became a force to be reckoned with, finishing in second place. Members of

799-594: 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

846-755: The Buzzers finished off the Bees in game 7 to deny the franchise of its second Sutherland Cup. In 1995, it saw the arrival of an Ontario Hockey League known as the Sarnia Sting to the city. To stay out of the shadow of the OHL team, the Bees changed their name to the Steeplejacks. After another couple name changes, the Sarnia franchise became the Sarnia Blast in 2001. The team is a long-standing member of

893-831: The Legionnaire name after a 38-year absence, the club finished first in the Western Conference of the Greater Ontario Hockey League. In the playoffs, they won the conference championship by eliminating the St. Thomas Stars 4-1 in games, taking out the Strathroy Rockets 4-3 in games and ousting the London Nationals 4-2 in games to win the Weir Cup. Tyler Cicchini led the way, scoring 18 goals in 22 post season games. That

940-563: The Legionnaires as a 16-year-old during the team's last season (1969–70). Another member of that team was Kirk Bowman , who went on to play in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks . Still another was Frank Blum, a goaltender who would go on to play in the WHA with Bobby Hull and the Winnipeg Jets. Before they disbanded, the Legionnaires sent nine players to the NHL, despite the fact that, for most of their history, they were

987-801: 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

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1034-457: The Sarnia Legionnaires were dethroned in 1959–60, although they still finished second in regular season play. Team members included: Coach Ollie Haddon, manager Tommy Norris Players: Gene Lakusciak, Larry Cunningham, C. Adams, Mike Muir, Joe Clark, Mike L'Heureux, Danny Chivers, C. Knetchel, Dick Robinson, Dave Besse, William Verbeem, Goalie Joe DeRush, Norm Harris, Danny Foster, Gerry Mara, Art Turcotte, Charlie Ryan. Phil Esposito played on

1081-671: The Seaforth Baldwins on Nov. 9, 1954 by an 8–6 score. Billy Muir scored the first goal in Legionnaire history. The club won its first game four nights later, beating the London Lou Balls 7–5 in London. The first home win came on Nov. 16 when Sarnia edged the Blenheim Bobcats 4-3 before 410 fans. Glen Forbes had two goals for the victors. Defenceman Don Ward went on to play in the NHL but the most flashy player

1128-489: The St. Marys Lincolns. For three years after Esposito left, the Legionnaires finished below .500. Members of the 1961-62 team that finishing sixth included: Coach Ollie Haddon, general manager Tommy Norris Players: B. L'Heureux, M. Filipchuk, Ron Carroll, H. Brand, R. Roy, R. Allen, T. Gray, T. Woodcock, R. Kuschel, Les Hoskins, D. Sheffield, G. Lakusiak, Ray Germain, M. L'Heureux, Goalie Joe DeRush, B. Finn, B. Doohan, G. Lawrence, B. Mackey Highlight == Although they were

1175-708: The WOJHL championship and went on to defeat the Metro Junior B Hockey League 's Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-2 to win Sarnia's first Sutherland Cup since the Sarnia Legionnaires did it in 1968. In 1983, the Bees were again WOJBHL champions and pushed all the way to the Sutherland Cup finals. In the final, they met the Metro Junior B Hockey League 's St. Michael's Buzzers . After a long battle,

1222-896: 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,

1269-640: The Western Junior "B" league (WOHL). In 2002, the Blast won the WOHL championship and qualified for the Sutherland Cup final. In the final they met the Mid-Western Junior B Hockey League 's Elmira Sugar Kings . The series went the distance, but the Blast prevailed in game 7 of the series and brought the Sutherland Cup back to Sarnia for the seventh time and the first time in 29 years. In 2008,

1316-659: 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

1363-484: The brink of oblivion, winning the last three encounters. Round two went more smoothly, with Sarnia sweeping the St. Marys Lincolns in four straight. In the league final, the Legionnaires again got into trouble, falling behind the Burlington Industrialists 3–2 in games before winning the final two contests. Mike Muir got two goals in the seventh and deciding game as Sarnia won 4–2. Another playoff hero

1410-668: 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

1457-466: The first shutout in team history as Sarnia defeated Blenheim 4–0 on December 28, 1954. During a Nov. 30 game at the Sarnia Arena, a riot broke out between fans and players. Sarnia Observer sports editor Freddie Wheeler restored order by playing the national anthem, a move that shamed the combatants into coming to attention. Once the song ended, cooler heads had prevailed and order was restored. In

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1504-626: The late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario , Canada. The league 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

1551-499: The legend of the Sarnia Legionnaires. After dominating the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League during the 1970-71 season, the Bees elected to jump to the Legionnaires' old league, the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League , but the adventure was not overly successful and the Bees returned to the WOJHL the next season. Their experience in Junior A seemingly fueled the Bees during the 1972-73 season as they won

1598-465: The original Legionnaires in 1970 are now officially known as the Sarnia Legionnaires . And just like the old Legionnaires, the new Sarnia Legionnaire squad has been a powerhouse, winning the Weir Cup as Western Ontario Jr. 'B' champions in the 2009 playoffs. The Legionnaires started out as a Big 10 Junior B Hockey League team in 1954. Prior to this they existed as the Sarnia Jr. Sailors, named after

1645-423: The ownership of the Sarnia Blast was transferred to a consortium of local individuals. In memory of the fabled Sarnia Legionnaires of old, the new owners and the local Royal Canadian Legion allowed for the current team to resurrect the name. The new owners said they will put pictures of the original Legionnaires in their dressing room, hoping that will inspire today's young players. In their first year back under

1692-494: The playoffs, the Legionnaires defeated London three games to two in a best-of-five semi-final before losing the best-of-seven final to Seaforth four straight games. Players on that first Legionnaire team included: Ken Green, Don Ward, Bob Armstrong, G. Fitzpatrick, Hartley Vernon, Dick Hamilton, D. Link, E. Hoskins, 'Pistol' Pete Cote, B. Dillon, Eric Haddon, Bruce McGrath, E. Leslie, Don McPhail, Alf Phillips, Tussy Dunham, Bob Duncan and goalies Bob Ryan and Bob Foster. Members of

1739-501: The splitting of the Big 10. The Legionnaires also won four Sutherland Cups as All-Ontario Junior "B" Champions. The franchise had a total of five Sutherland Cup wins, counting the 1951 win when it was known as the Sailors. Even when they didn't win a title the Sarnia Legionnaires were almost always a top contender. They lost four Western Jr. 'B' finals. In all, they were in the Western Final nine times during their 14 seasons as

1786-695: 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

1833-439: The team included: Coach Marty Zorica, manager M. Wallis Players: Tom Ostrander, D. Burgess, D. Rhodes, Goalie Mitch Martin, P. Clark, C. Cryderman, Les Hoskins, M. Chartrand, Wayne McConnell, Ron Carroll, S. Wormith, Fred Pageau, Pete Mara. Members of the 1965-66 championship Sarnia Legionnaires team included: SOJAHL The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from

1880-616: The team over $ 10,000 CAD in debt. The team was owned by Branch 62 of the Royal Canadian Legion . The folding happened after the cancelling of a home game in late January against the Guelph Beef Kings . The announcement of the disbandment of the team was followed by an emergency meeting by the league to discuss the folding and how to handle the unbalanced schedule left through unplayed Legionnaires games. The Legionnaires won at least 5 Western league titles after

1927-422: Was Butch Crawley, a defensive forward who suddenly exploded for eight goals in one three-game stretch. Highlights: During the regular schedule the team was led in scoring by defenceman Pat Stapelton, the future NHL all-star, who scored 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points. Teammate Ted Wright also racked up 35 points, with 17 goals and 18 assists. Also of note that year was the fact that the Legionnaires played

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1974-497: Was a small, speedy forward who was able to move into high gear at the last moment, fooling many opposing blueliners. When the season ended, Forbes had missed the league scoring title (which was won by Blenheim's Elio Marcon) by a single point. Other stalwarts from that first Legionnaire team included Bob Duncan, who scored 19 goals and 13 assists (including a four-goal game of his own); Tussy Dunham, who notched nine goals and 22 assists, and goalie Bob Foster, who made 18 saves to record

2021-488: Was an unlikely championship. The Legionnaires fell behind the Woodstock Warriors, who were led by Walter Gretzky, the father of future hockey superstar Wayne Gretkzky, by two games to none in the best-of-seven opening round. Woodstock won both contests convincingly, taking the second by an 8-0 count. Four games into the series, things were little better, with Sarnia down 3–1. But the Legionnaires tottered back from

2068-631: Was arguably the top league of Junior "B" hockey in Ontario. The Western's brass and 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

2115-503: Was one more than the record of 17 playoff goals Don Gordon of the original Legionnaires set in the spring of 1968. The team set a league record in the 2009 playoffs when it scored three goals in 14 seconds in a game against Strathroy. Sarnia Jr. 'B' hockey teams named the Legionnaires have now won six Western Ontario championships in 17 years of action, along with four Sutherland Cups. [1] SOJHL Years Sarnia Legionnaires (1954%E2%80%931970) The Sarnia Legionnaires were

2162-466: Was seemingly destine to play Junior A that season with St. Catharines but was cut before the season started. After one great season at Junior B, Esposito finally made the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A League. Noted Legionnaire coach Ted Garvin went on to coach briefly with the Detroit Red Wings . Well known Jr. 'B' coaches Fred Pageau, Dick Robinson and Ron Carroll played for the Sarnia Legionnaires. Former team goalie Joe DeRush went on to make

2209-420: Was undoubtedly Glen Forbes, who finished second in league scoring with 23 goals, 25 assists and 58 points in just 23 games. He created headlines by scoring four goals two games in a row . In the first contest, played Dec. 7, 1954, Forbes blinked the red light four consecutive times in the third period as the Legionnaires edged London 6–4. Four nights later he got another four as Sarnia crushed the Lou Balls 11–7. He

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