Collingwood Blues (1988–2011)

Collingwood Blues
CityCollingwood, Ontario, Canada
LeagueOntario Junior Hockey League
Operated1988-2011
Home arenaEddie Bush Memorial Arena
ColoursRed, Black, and White
     
General managerDarrell Mussell
Head coachMyles McCauley
AffiliatesOwen Sound Attack (OHL)
Stayner Siskins (GMOHL)
Franchise history
1948-1955Collingwood Greenshirts
1955-19xxCollingwood Cobras
19xx-1969Collingwood Legionnaires
1969-1977Collingwood Blues
1977-1979Collingwood Glassmen
1979-1987Collingwood Shipbuilders
1988-2010Collingwood Blues
2010-2011Collingwood Blackhawks

The Collingwood Blues were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Collingwood, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League and earlier the Central Junior B Hockey League.

History

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Founded as a Jr ‘B’ team in 1948-49, the Greenshirts dropped down to Jr ‘C’ in 1949-50, although they played in a mixed league of B and C teams during the regular season. Collingwood junior hockey excellence can be traced back as far as 1950 where the town's Junior "C" team won four straight Clarence Schmalz Cups as All-Ontario Junior "C" Champions. Subsequently, they were named the OHA’s Jr ‘C’ Team of the Century.[1][2]

The Blues played in the Georgia Bay Jr.C league until 1969, when they joined the Central Ontario Jr.B league. They won the Central Junior B Hockey League playoff championship in 1970 and 1971. In 1972, after transferring to the Mid-Ontario Junior B League, they won their league title. They won that title again in 1975-76 and advanced through the Ontario playdowns all the way to the Sutherland Cup provincial final against the St. Marys Lincolns of the Western Junior B Hockey League. St. Marys won the series 4-3, handing Collingwood their only home defeat of the season, in game 7 of the finals.

The Blues played in the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League in 1976-77 and finished third out of four teams. In 1977, the Collingwood Blues informed the SOJHL that they were no longer interested in Junior A hockey and left the league to join the local Junior C loop. The folding of the Blues allowed for the folding of the SOJHL. The next season the team was called the Glassmen and compete at the Junior C level. In 1979, the team changed their name to the Shipbuilders and jumped to the Major Intermediate A Hockey League. The Shipbuilder were 1982-83 Major Int. "A" Champions and second place in the province to a team from Timmins, Ontario. In 1983, the league was promoted to Senior "A". The team left the league in 1987 and went on hiatus. In their final Senior season they dropped down to the Georgian Bay Senior A Hockey League. They finished second in the regular season behind the Durham Huskies, but they won the league playoffs and the OHA Senior "A" title 4-games-to-2 against the Dunnville Mudcats of the Southern Ontario league.

In 1988, the Blues were voted back into the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1993, the league was promoted to Junior A status and the Blues remained a member of that league until 2011.

In 2010, the Blues changed their name to the Blackhawks. On April 3, 2011, the League announced that the franchise had ceased operations.

Season-by-season results

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Original junior team

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Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
1969-70 40 18 18 4 - 183 189 40 3rd CJBHL Won League
1970-71 40 24 15 1 - 195 138 51 2nd CJBHL Won League
1971-72 40 22 13 5 - 226 155 49 3rd MOJBHL
1972-73 40 28 9 3 - 217 139 59 1st MOJBHL Lost final
1973-74 40 26 12 2 - 217 143 54 2nd MOJBHL Lost semi-final
1974-75 39 27 8 4 - 223 180 58 1st MOJBHL Lost final
1975-76 36 25 7 4 - 260 128 54 1st MOJBHL Won League, lost SC Final
1976-77 34 10 18 6 - 156 176 26 3rd SOJAHL Lost final
1977-78 32 14 14 4 - 190 172 32 5th MOJCHL Lost semi-final
1978-79 34 21 8 5 - -- -- 47 2nd MOJCHL Lost semi-final

The Shipbuilders

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Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
1978-79 37 30 7 0 - 256 112 60 1st GBIAHL
1979-80 36 23 12 1 - 194 140 47 2nd GBIAHL
1980-81 36 25 10 1 - 223 158 51 2nd OHA Int. A
1981-82 36 24 11 1 - 236 182 49 2nd OHA Int. A
1982-83 29 24 5 0 - 228 129 48 1st OHA Int. A Won League
1983-84 38 20 17 1 - 238 221 41 7th OHA Sr. A
1984-85 40 23 16 1 - 206 194 47 4th OHA Sr. A
1985-86 36 15 21 0 - 144 205 30 6th OHA Sr. A
1986-87 24 18 6 0 - 193 120 36 2nd GBSAHL Won League, won OHA title

The second junior team

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Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
1988-89 42 5 34 3 - 166 353 13 15th CJBHL
1989-90 42 13 24 5 - 201 257 31 10th CJBHL
1990-91 42 15 22 5 - 170 209 35 11th CJBHL
1991-92 42 7 28 7 - 147 247 21 14th CJBHL
1992-93 48 10 36 2 - 162 355 23 15th CJBHL
1993-94 40 10 29 1 - 127 223 22 8th OPJHL-E
1994-95 48 21 24 3 - 210 223 46 5th OPJHL-E
1995-96 49 28 16 5 - 237 193 61 2nd OPJHL-P
1996-97 51 28 18 5 - 249 206 62 2nd OPJHL-P
1997-98 51 35 12 3 1 263 156 74 1st OPJHL-P
1998-99 51 41 8 1 1 309 126 84 1st OPJHL-C
1999-00 47 26 13 5 3 243 148 60 3rd OPJHL-N
2000-01 49 27 19 2 1 224 142 57 4th OPJHL-N
2001-02 49 23 21 4 1 191 181 51 6th OPJHL-N
2002-03 49 23 25 0 1 204 176 47 4th OPJHL-N
2003-04 49 22 20 3 4 174 216 51 4th OPJHL-N
2004-05 49 13 32 4 0 158 217 30 5th OPJHL-N Lost Div. SF
2005-06 48 22 19 6 1 171 172 51 4th OPJHL-N Lost Div. SF
2006-07 48 22 19 4 3 157 169 51 3rd OPJHL-N Lost Div. SF
2007-08 49 10 36 - 3 107 220 23 8th OPJHL-N
2008-09 49 22 23 - 4 169 183 48 6th OJHL-P
2009-10 56 14 40 - 2 152 287 30 14th OJAHL DNQ
2010-11 50 5 43 - 2 104 333 12 7th OJHL-N DNQ

Playoffs

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SOJHL Years

  • 1977 Lost final
Collingwood Blues defeated Hamilton Mountain A's 4-games-to-2
Guelph Platers defeated Collingwood Blues 4-games-to-none

OPJHL Years

Sutherland Cup appearances

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1976: St. Marys Lincolns defeated Collingwood Blues 4-games-to-3

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "1950 – 1969 | Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame".
  2. ^ "Historical society looks at Collingwood's storied hockey history".
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