West Toronto Nationals

The West Toronto Nationals were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1929 to 1936. Prior to that time, the team was known as the West Toronto Redmen, due to their red colour sweaters. Home games were played at Mutual Street Arena and later Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.^{[citation needed]}

West Toronto Nationals
City	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
League	Ontario Hockey Association
Operated	1929 (1929) to 1936
Home arena	Mutual Street Arena
Championships
Playoff championships	1936 Memorial Cup

The Nationals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as champions of the OHA in 1930, and defeated the Niagara Falls Cataracts by an 11–9 combined score in two games.^[1] The Nationals won the Eastern Canada junior playoffs by defeating teams from Sault Ste. Marie and Ottawa, to earn a berth in the 1930 Memorial Cup played in Winnipeg. The Nationals lost to the Regina Pats in two games by scores of 3–1 and 3–2.^[2]

The Nationals were finalists for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1931, and were defeated by the Niagara Falls Cataracts by a 12–7 combined score in two games.^[1]

The Nationals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1936, by defeating the Kitchener Greenshirts in two games in a best-of-three series.^[1] The Nationals were led by Peanuts O'Flaherty, who was the league's leading scorer and winner of the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy.^[3] The Nationals won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy as Eastern Canada junior playoffs champions by defeating the South Porcupine Porkies, the Junior Quebec Aces, and the Pembroke Lumber Kings. The Nationals earned a berth in the 1936 Memorial Cup played in Toronto, and defeated the Saskatoon Wesleys in two games, by scores of 5–1 and 4–2.^[4]

National Hockey League alumni

Alumnus Roy Conacher was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.^[5]

List of alumni who played in the National Hockey League:^[6]

• Norman Collings
• Roy Conacher
• Jack Crawford
• John Doran
• Jimmy Fowler
• Bob Gracie
• Red Heron
• Bill Jennings
• Peanuts O'Flaherty
• George Parsons
• Bill Thoms

References

1. Annual Report: Constitution, Regulations and Rules of Competition. Cambridge, Ontario: Ontario Hockey Association. 2006. p. W-13.
2. Lapp & Macaulay (1997), pp. 39–41
3. "OHL Awards". Ontario Hockey League. Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
4. Lapp & Macaulay (1997), pp. 53–54
5. "Conacher, Roy — Honoured Player". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
6. "NHL Player Search: West Toronto Nationals". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2021.

Sources

• Lapp, Richard M.; Macaulay, Alec (1997). The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship. Madeira Park, British Columbia: Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1-55017-170-4.