Kitchener Greenshirts
Note: This article documents five different hockey teams known as the Kitchener Greenshirts in the Ontario Hockey Association.
Kitchener Greenshirts | |
City: | Kitchener, Ontario |
League | Ontario Hockey Association |
Senior A: | c.1917 to c.1938 |
Junior A: | c.1922 to c.1938 |
Junior B: | c.1939 to c.1949 |
Junior A: | 1951-1954 |
Junior B: | c.1963 to c.1978 |
The Kitchener Greenshirts name has been used by five separate hockey teams playing in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. These include one 'Senior A' level hockey team, two 'Junior A' level teams, and two 'Junior B' level teams.
Senior A (c.1917 to c.1938)
The Kitchener Hockey Club, commonly known as the Kitchener Greenshirts were formed due to the rise of NHL hockey in Canada requiring a feeder system. Kitchener won the Allan Cup in 1918 as the national champions of Canada. Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender George Hainsworth played senior hockey for the Greenshirts from 1917 to 1923.
Junior A (c.1922 to c.1938)
The first Junior Greenshirts team played in the OHA the early 1920's to the start of WWI. This Junior A program operated in affiliation to the Senior A team of the same name.
Kitchener was awarded the J. Ross Robertson Cup by default in 1935 after winning a protest on the series they lost to the Oshawa Generals. The decision on the protest came to late for Kitchener to challenge the Northern Champion Sudbury Cub Wolves for the right to compete for the Memorial Cup. The Greenshirts were runners-up in the 1936 J. Ross Robertson Cup finals.
Five future Hockey Hall of Famers played junior hockey for the Greenshirts during this era: Bobby Bauer, Woody Dumart, Milt Schmidt, Earl Seibert & Babe Siebert.
NHL Alumni
Junior B (c.1939 to c.1949)
With many high calibre Junior A and NHL players involved in military service, Kitchener was left with a Junior B team to fill the void. Future NHLers Howie Meeker & Dutch Reibel played for the Junior B Greenshirts during the 1940's. Howie Meeker would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.
Junior A (1951 to 1954)
The second Junior A team in the Ontario Hockey Association known as the Kitchener Greenshirts played from 1951 to 1954 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Franchise Identities:
- Kitchener Greenshirts 1951 to 1954
- Kitchener Canucks 1954 to 1956
- Peterborough Petes 1956 to Present
The Greenshirts were granted as an expansion team for the 1951-52 season. The first Junior A season in Kitchener since WWII was successful in gaining local fan support, and beating out rivals Waterloo Hurricanes to be the best team in the twin cities. The team played three years in total from 1951 to 1954, then were renamed the Kitchener Canucks. The Kitchener Canucks later became the Peterborough TPT Petes.
NHL Alumni
Yearly Results
Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Pct % | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing |
1951-52 | 54 | 29 | 22 | 3 | 61 | 0.565 | 231 | 213 | 6th OHA |
1952-53 | 56 | 15 | 38 | 3 | 33 | 0.295 | 181 | 239 | 8th OHA |
1953-54 | 59 | 27 | 27 | 5 | 59 | 0.500 | 236 | 211 | 5th OHA |
Junior B (c.1963 to c.1978)
The birth of the Kitchener Rangers for the 1963-64 season, meant the need for a local farm team to help produce Junior A players. The affiliated Junior B Greenshirts became that souce of new talent.