The Cambridge Hornets were a Senior "AAA" ice hockey team based out of Cambridge, Ontario. They played in the Ontario Hockey Association's Major League Hockey. The new Cambridge Hornets were brought into Southwestern Senior A Hockey League in 1999. They were members of the league in 2003 when it changed its name to Major League Hockey.

Cambridge Hornets
CityCambridge, Ontario
LeagueOHA Senior A (original)
(1960–1979)
OHA Senior A
(1979–1987)
Major League Hockey
(1999–2006)
Operated1960 (1960)–1987 (original)
1999–2006 (revived)
Franchise history
1960–1962Galt Terriers
1962–1973Galt Hornets
1973–1987Cambridge Hornets
1999–2006Cambridge Hornets

Original Hornets

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The original Hornets team was founded in 1960 as the Galt Terriers, playing in the OHA Senior A hockey league. The Terriers won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions in the 1960–61 season.[1] The Terriers won the 1961 Allan Cup championship, concluding their first season. As the reigning Allan Cup champions, the Terriers represented Canada at the 1962 Ice Hockey World Championships finishing 2nd place, winning the silver medal. Notable players from that era include, Dave Dryden, Tod Sloan, Darryl Sly and Bill Wylie.[2] The "Terriers" named itself had been used by teams in Galt dating back to the 1920s and 1930s, before World War II. Notable players included Larry Aurie, Clarence Boucher,[3] John Brackenborough, Art Gauthier, Norman Himes, Carl Liscombe, Cliff McBride, Mickey Murray and Jean Pusie.

Following the 1961–62 season, the Galt Terriers were renamed the Galt Hornets. Gord Renwick served as president of the Hornets from 1966 to 1973.[4][5][6] He was encouraged to revive the team's ownership group by close friend, and the team's previous coach Bill Wylie.[7] In 1966, Renwick named Earl Balfour as the team's new playing coach, and signed Gary Collins.[8]

Two seasons later, the 1968–69 Hornets team won 52 of 67 games played. They won a second J. Ross Robertson Cup in a four-game sweep of the Barrie Flyers.[1][9] In the national playoffs, Galt defeated the Gander Flyers in five games, then the Victoriaville Tigers in six games to reach the final. Galt captured the 1969 Allan Cup winning in four consecutive games over the Calgary Stampeders.[9][10][11]

Renwick and the team executive used a share-the-wealth philosophy, where the players saw proportion of the team's profits. Galt won another Ontario championship in the 1970–71 season, with the goaltending tandem of Harold Hurley and Ken Broderick. In the playoffs, Galt defeated the Barrie Flyers, Orillia Terriers, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay Twins, and the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts to reach the finals. Galt captured the 1971 Allan Cup winning in four consecutive games over the same Calgary team from 1969, and played to sellout crowds at the Galt Arena Gardens. The Hornets represented Canada at the 1971 Ahearne Cup in Stockholm, finishing in third place behind teams from Russia and Sweden.[12]

The team later changed its name to the Cambridge Hornets, when Galt was amalgamated into Cambridge.

NHL alumni

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List of Galt Hornets alumni who also played in the NHL.[13]

List of original era Cambridge Hornets alumni who also played in the NHL.[14]

Season-by-season record

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Season GP W L T GF GA Pts Finish Playoffs
1960-61 40 21 13 6 135 130 48 2nd OHA Sr. A Won League, Won Allan Cup
1961-62 34 24 10 0 178 102 48 1st OHA Sr. A
1962-63 40 13 25 2 151 214 28 5th OHA Sr. A
1963-64 40 25 10 5 195 144 55 2nd OHA Sr. A Lost Final
1964-65 40 24 15 1 167 135 49 2nd OHA Sr. A
1965-66 42 18 22 2 149 181 43 5th OHA Sr. A
1966-67 40 23 14 3 188 162 49 4th OHA Sr. A
1967-68 40 27 12 1 152 105 55 1st OHA Sr. A Lost Final
1968-69 39 29 10 0 243 131 58 1st OHA Sr. A Won League, Won Allan Cup
1969-70 40 26 11 3 198 114 55 OHA Sr. A Lost Final
1970-71 40 32 8 0 246 103 64 OHA Sr. A Won League, Won Allan Cup
1971-72 40 27 12 1 197 126 55 2nd OHA Sr. A Lost Final
1972-73 44 25 18 1 200 153 51 3rd OHA Sr. A
1973-74 40 28 12 0 165 132 56 3rd OHA Sr. A
1974-75 40 16 21 3 175 181 35 5th OHA Sr. A
1975-76 44 23 20 1 190 170 47 3rd OHA Sr. A
1976-77 34 22 10 2 188 145 46 2nd OHA Sr. A
1977-78 40 27 12 1 200 151 55 1st OHA Sr. A
1978-79 40 21 18 1 179 170 43 3rd OHA Sr. A
1979-80 40 29 11 0 245 144 58 2nd CSAHL Won League
1980-81 37 33 3 1 290 119 67 1st OHA Sr. A Lost Final
1981-82 34 23 11 0 201 115 46 3rd OHA Sr. A Lost Final
1982-83 40 32 8 0 316 124 64 1st OHA Sr. A Won League, Won Allan Cup
1983-84 38 26 12 0 244 139 52 1st OHA Sr. A Won League
1984-85 40 25 12 3 210 137 53 1st OHA Sr. A
1985-86 36 23 13 0 157 144 46 2nd OHA Sr. A
1986-87 34 13 21 0 158 171 26 4th OHA Sr. AAA

Modern Hornets

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The Hornets finished the 2005-06 season in third place, or so they thought. In January 2006, they signed Chris MacKenzie a former semi-pro hockey player. Despite the fact that the player's driver's licence and health card listed him as a resident of Toronto, he lived most of the time in Indianapolis, Indiana. Two other teams in the league appealed the usage of this player as a violation of the league's residency rule, which resulted in a series of late season victories being overturned to these teams' favour. The overturned victories resulted in a drop to fifth and last place for the Hornets. Irate, the ownership of the Hornets pulled their team from the league and filed a lawsuit for damages. The Cambridge Hornets have not stepped on the ice since.[15]

NHL alumni

List of modern era Cambridge Hornets alumni who also played in the NHL.[14]

Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout Loses*, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL SOL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
2001-02 32 27 4 1 0 0 55 221 91 1st OHA Sr Lost Final
2002-03 31 21 7 1 2 0 45 144 104 1st OHA Sr Lost Final
2003-04 32 19 11 2 0 0 40 160 137 2nd OHA Sr
2004-05 32 18 12 0 2 0 40 149 148 3rd OHA Sr
2005-06 30 13 14 0 1 2 29 140 144 5th OHA Sr

References

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  1. ^ a b "Senior Series". Ontario Hockey Association. 2019. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Legends of hockey alumni search – Galt Terriers
  3. ^ Clarence a.k.a. Bowcher Boucher
  4. ^ "Gordie Renwick - 2012 Order of Hockey in Canada Honouree". Hockey Canada. 2012. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  5. ^ "Gordon Renwick Team Staff Profile". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  6. ^ "Gordon Renwick". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  7. ^ "Cambridge's Gord Renwick wins Order of Hockey in Canada". TheRecord. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  8. ^ Spencer, Randy (2012-11-06). "Galt Hornets 1965/66 The Third Year in Review". The Cambridge Citizen. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  9. ^ a b "Galt Hornets 1968-1969 Allan Cup Champions". Allan Cup. Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  10. ^ "Galt Hornets 1968–69". Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame. 1998. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  11. ^ "Galt Hornets 1969 Allan Cup Champions". HockeyGods. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
  12. ^ "Galt Hornets 1970–71". Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame. 2004. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  13. ^ Legends of hockey alumni search – Galt Hornets
  14. ^ a b Legends of hockey alumni search – Cambridge Hornets
  15. ^ Major League Hockey news release – February 27, 2006 Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine