Windsor Bulldogs

Windsor Bulldogs
City	Windsor, Ontario
League	OHA Senior "A" 1953–1963 IHL 1963–1964
Operated	1953 (1953)–1964
Home arena	Windsor Arena
Head coach	Jimmy Peters, Erwin Chamberlain, Jean Lamirande, Harry Watson

The Windsor Bulldogs are a defunct semi-professional and amateur senior ice hockey team. The team played in the City of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and participated in the International Hockey League and the OHA Senior A Hockey League prior to the IHL.

History

The creation of the Windsor Bulldogs in 1953 coincided with the folding of the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior "A" Windsor Spitfires. Although no Spitfires made the direct jump to the Bulldogs, eventually five members of the team did eventually play for the Bulldogs.

In 1955, the Windsor Bulldogs made it to the OHA Senior league's final, but were put down by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen 4-games-to-1. The Bulldogs were showing their worth by only their second season.

The 1959–60 season saw the Bulldogs make the final again. Windsor ran into their local rivals, the Chatham Maroons and were defeated 4-games-to-2. The Maroons went on to win the Allan Cup as Canadian National Senior A Champions.

The next season, the Bulldogs made it back to the finals to fall to a different opponent. The other finalist was the Galt Terriers and Galt took no prisoners sweeping the series 4-games-to-none. Again, their opponents went on to win the Allan Cup.

The 1961–62 season was a different story. In the final, the Bulldogs drew the Chatham Maroons. The series went the distance, but the Bulldogs pulled out game seven and won the series 4-games-to-3 to win their first league championship. In the Allan Cup Eastern final, the Bulldogs could not make it past the Montreal Olympics.

In 1962–63, the Windsor Bulldogs repeated as league champions as they defeated the Chatham Maroons 4-games-to-none. Everything went right for the Bulldogs and they found themselves in the Allan Cup Finals against the Winnipeg Maroons. In a low scoring series, the Bulldogs defeated the Maroons 4-games-to-1 to clinch their first and only Allan Cup as National Champions.

Riding the wave of success, the Allan Cup champions committed to join the International Hockey League along with the Chatham Maroons for the 1963–64 season. After a mediocre losing season, the Bulldogs ceased operations.

Season-by-season results

See also

• International Hockey League (1945–2001)
• OHA Senior A Hockey League (1929–1979)
• Allan Cup