St. Catharines Teepees
The St. Catharines Teepees were a major junior team that started play in 1947 at the now defunct Garden City Arena in St. Catharines, Ontario. The team had originally been the St Catharines Falcons that dated back to 1943. The team was extremely successful on the ice, winning the league in five of six seasons between 1954-1959. They also won two Memorials Cups in 1954 and 1960.Â
The team produced a ton of big league talent, most of which went to Chicago. The NHL Draft wasn't established until 1963, so the Teepees were a junior league farm club of the Blackhawks during the 1950s and received support from the NHL team. The Teepees graduated Stan Mikita, and Bobby Hull directly to the Blackhawks. Phil Esposito and Jerry Toppazzini also played for the Teepees but did not make the jump directly.Â
Despite all the success, the team would be in financial trouble in the 1960s and were bailed out by the Blackhawks, as they purchased the team and rebranded them the St. Catharines Blackhawks in 1962.Â
