Toronto Nationals (1970–1980)
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Nationals are a pair of defunct Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey
teams from Vaughan
, Ontario
, Canada
. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
and the Metro Junior B Hockey League
.
Championship and met the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League
Champion Guelph CMC's
. Guelph came out on top 4-games-to-2. The Nationals folded in 1977.
who were 1973 Metro Champions and runners up for the Sutherland Cup
All-Ontario title. The 1975-76 season saw a 14-year-old Wayne Gretzky
challenge the wishes of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
and sign with the Toronto Nationals. Barely 16-years-old, Gretzky had played two seasons with the Nationals and scored 63 goals for 132 points in just 60 games. The Nationals won the 1977 Metro championship, led by the young Gretzky with 75 points in just 23 playoff games. The next season he signed with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
, a quick stop before going professional and starting what is considered by many hockey enthusiasts as the greatest career in hockey history.
Sutherland Cup
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams from Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The league dates back to 1954 as the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1993, the Central Junior B Hockey League was promoted to the...
and the Metro Junior B Hockey League
Metro Junior A Hockey League
----The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey league based out of Southern Ontario. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to Junior A. It remained a Jr...
.
Jr. A Nationals
In 1975, the Nationals won their one and only Junior "A" league title. They went on to the Ontario Hockey AssociationOntario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
Championship and met the Southern Ontario Junior A 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 was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 1977....
Champion Guelph CMC's
Guelph CMC's
The Guelph CMC's or sometimes known as the Guelph CMC's Biltmore Mad Hatters were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association as a Junior 'B' team in the Central League from 1956 to 1970, and merged with the Western A League's Guelph Beef Kings to become a Junior 'A' team from 1970...
. Guelph came out on top 4-games-to-2. The Nationals folded in 1977.
Season-by-Season Results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs | |
| Vaughan Nats | ||||||||||
| 1972-73 | 44 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 270 | 189 | 64 | 1st OPJHL | ||
| 1973-74 | 44 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 215 | 123 | 59 | 2nd OPJHL | ||
| Toronto Nats | ||||||||||
| 1974-75 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 235 | 202 | 52 | 3rd OPJHL | Won League | |
| 1975-76 | 44 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 198 | 180 | 42 | 7th OPJHL | ||
| 1976-77 | 44 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 220 | 250 | 41 | 8th OPJHL | ||
Playoffs
- 1973 Lost Final
- Toronto Nationals defeated Aurora TigersAurora TigersThe Aurora Tigers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Aurora, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League, Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, and the Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:The Aurora...
4-games-to-none - Toronto Nationals defeated Richmond Hill RamsNorth York RangersThe North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from North York, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey, but they were also a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League.-Richmond Hill:...
4-games-to-2 - Wexford Raiders defeated Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-1
- 1974 Lost Quarter-final
- North Bay Trappers defeated Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-3
- 1975 Won League, Lost OHA Buckland Cup
- Toronto Nationals defeated Richmond Hill RamsNorth York RangersThe North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from North York, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey, but they were also a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League.-Richmond Hill:...
4-games-to-2 - Toronto Nationals defeated Seneca FlyersNewmarket HurricanesThe Newmarket Hurricanes are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey and are currently the 2009-10 CCHL champions.-History:...
4-games-to-none - Toronto Nationals defeated Wexford Raiders 4-games-to-1 OPJHL CHAMPIONS
- Guelph CMC'sGuelph CMC'sThe Guelph CMC's or sometimes known as the Guelph CMC's Biltmore Mad Hatters were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association as a Junior 'B' team in the Central League from 1956 to 1970, and merged with the Western A League's Guelph Beef Kings to become a Junior 'A' team from 1970...
(SOJHL) defeated Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-2- 1976 Lost Semi-final
- Toronto Nationals defeated Royal York RoyalsRoyal York RoyalsThe Royal York Royals are a defunct Junior "A" ice hockey team from Downsview, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.The Downsview Bees started operations in 1971, as part of the Metro Junior B league...
3-games-to-2 - Toronto Nationals defeated Weston DodgersWeston DodgersThe Weston Dodgers are a defunct Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Weston, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.-History:...
2-games-to-none - North York RangersNorth York RangersThe North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from North York, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey, but they were also a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League.-Richmond Hill:...
defeated Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-1- 1977 Lost Quarter-final
- Markham WaxersMarkham WaxersThe Markham Waxers are an Ontario Junior Hockey League Junior "A" ice hockey team. The Waxer organizations are from Markham, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
defeated Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-none
Jr. B Nationals
In the early 1970s, the Toronto Nationals also had an entry in the Metro Junior B Hockey LeagueMetro Junior A Hockey League
----The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey league based out of Southern Ontario. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to Junior A. It remained a Jr...
who were 1973 Metro Champions and runners up for the Sutherland Cup
Sutherland Cup
The Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
All-Ontario title. The 1975-76 season saw a 14-year-old Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
challenge the wishes of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
and sign with the Toronto Nationals. Barely 16-years-old, Gretzky had played two seasons with the Nationals and scored 63 goals for 132 points in just 60 games. The Nationals won the 1977 Metro championship, led by the young Gretzky with 75 points in just 23 playoff games. The next season he signed with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the Essar Centre. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey...
, a quick stop before going professional and starting what is considered by many hockey enthusiasts as the greatest career in hockey history.
Season-by-Season Results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs | |
| Toronto Nats | ||||||||||
| 1970-71 | 43 | 25 | 14 | 4 | 201 | 174 | 54 | 4th Metro B | ||
| 1971-72 | 44 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 205 | 172 | 48 | 2nd Metro B | ||
| 1972-73 | 34 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 151 | 197 | 46 | 2nd Metro B | Won League | |
| 1973-74 | 44 | 9 | 30 | 5 | 154 | 256 | 23 | 10th Metro B | ||
| 1974-75 | 38 | 4 | 33 | 1 | 119 | 258 | 9 | 14th Metro B | ||
| 1975-76 | 36 | 13 | 15 | 8 | 180 | 190 | 34 | 8th Metro B | ||
| Seneca Nats | ||||||||||
| 1976-77 | 36 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 183 | 181 | 39 | 3rd Metro B | Won League | |
| 1977-78 | 36 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 175 | 179 | 40 | 5th Metro B | ||
| 1978-79 | 44 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 273 | 262 | 54 | 6th Metro B | ||
| 1979-80 | 41 | 18 | 19 | 4 | 261 | 294 | 40 | 8th Metro B | ||
Sutherland CupSutherland CupThe Sutherland Cup is the ice hockey Ontario Junior "B" Provincial Championship trophy. The Sutherland Cup is now the championship trophy of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Until 2007, the Cup served as an interleague provincial championship...
Appearances
- 1973: Sarnia BeesSarnia BlastThe Sarnia Legionnaires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
defeated Toronto Nationals 4-games-to-2
Notable Jr. B Alumni
- Bill Gardner
- Wayne GretzkyWayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
- Basil McRaeBasil McRaeBasil McRae played his major junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey Association .In the 1980 NHL entry draft, the Quebec Nordiques drafted McRae in the 3rd round, 87th overall...
- Stu SmithStu SmithStu Smith is a former professional American football player who played running back for two seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers....