Ontario Professional Hockey League
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1907 |
| First season | 1908 |
| Ceased | 1911 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Last champion(s) | Galt, Ontario |
| Most titles | Galt, Ontario(2) |
The Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL), sometimes referred to as the Trolley League, and also known as the Canadian Hockey League in its time,[1] was a professional ice hockey league in Canada. It was a fully professional league and consisted of teams from Toronto and surrounding communities. The league's annual champion would challenge for the Stanley Cup, but none were successful.
History
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Founding
The Ontario Professional Hockey League was organized in November 1907. The Toronto Professionals had been playing exhibition games against teams of the
- J. P. Downey, M.P.P., Guelph, Hon. President,
- Alex Miln, Toronto, President
- A. B. Burnley, Brantford, Vice-President
- N. E. Irving, Guelph, Secretary
- Otto Vogelsang, Berlin, Treasurer
- J. C. Palmer, Toronto, George Roehmer, Berlin, J. A. Fitzgerald, Guelph and Roy Brown, Brantford (executive)[1]
The league was organized at a meeting on November 22 in Guelph where the schedule was set. The rules would be based on the Ontario Hockey Association and the International League. Representatives of Galt had shown interest in being a part of the league but withdrew their application.[3]
Seasons
In 1910 the OPHL added the Waterloo Colts to become a four-team league. Berlin got off to such a strong start in the season, that the league decided to start a new season in later January. In March 1910, Berlin challenged the Wanderers for the Cup and were defeated. The league's final attempt to win the Cup came a year later in March 1911, with Galt again losing to Ottawa, which now played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) .
The league disbanded after the 1911 season. The OPHL teams were raided for players by the NHA after the NHA was itself raided for players by the
A namesake league would play for one season in 1930–31 with teams in Galt, Guelph, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Oshawa and Stratford.
Teams
| Season | Teams | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Toronto Pros |
Toronto (best record) |
| 1909† | Berlin, Brantford, Galt Professionals, Guelph, St. Catharines Pros, Toronto Pros | Galt (one-game playoff against Brantford) |
| 1910 | Berlin, Brantford, Galt, Waterloo Colts | Berlin (best record) |
| 1911 | Berlin, Brantford, Galt, Waterloo | Galt (one-game playoff against Waterloo)[4] |
† Guelph and St. Catharines withdrew after six games of the schedule.
See also
References
- Coleman, Charles L. (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc.