Whitby Dunlops



The Whitby Dunlops were a senior team that played in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, a town just east of Toronto.

History
This team operated for just four seasons at the Senior A level, yet they made a great impact on Canadian and International hockey. In those four seasons they won two Allan Cups and one World Championship. They couldn't compete for the Allan Cup in the season that they won the World Championship - otherwise they probably would have won three!

They started out as the Senior B Oshawa Truckmen in 1952-53. They moved to Whitby in 1954-55 after the arena in Oshawa burned down. In their second season they won the Ontario Senior B championship.

In 1956 Wren Blair, the general manager of the Dunlops, organized the Senior B group as a Senior A league. He helped put together a real powerhouse that went on to win the Allan Cup in 1957.

In 1957-58 the Dunlops were chosen to represent Canada at the World Championship in Oslo, Norway. Before they went overseas, the Dunlops got 74 of a possible 96 points playing against OHA senior teams, They also beat the Moscow Selects 7-2 in the latter's first game of a Canadian tour. Over in Europe the Dunlops won 13 straight exhibition games before going 8-0-0 and winning the 1958 World Championship. They then won 5 of 6 further exhibitions before returning to Canada. Unfortunately, time did not permit them to play for the Allan Cup that year.

The next year they again won the Allan Cup. Unfortunately, the Olympics were being held the next year and the Dunlops were ineligible. Many of their players were former pros who, under the rules of the time, were not eligible for the Olympics.

In 1959-60 the Dunlops finished first for the fourth straight year but lost the league semi final.

The team folded before the 1960-61 season, a victim of the steep decline in the popularity of senior hockey.

World Championship Roster


The 1958 world champion Whitby Dunlops were, from left: (front row) Ted O'Connor, Ed Redmond, manager Wren Blair, Sid Smith, liaison officer Bill Hannah, Tom O'Connor, Bob Attersley; (middle row) Fred Etcher, Roy Edwards, Gord Myles, Frank Bonello, Harry Sinden, Sandy Air, John Henderson, assistant manager Wally Brabin; (back row) assistant trainer Jack Donlevy, George Samolenko, Alf Treen, Bus Gagnon, Don McBeth, George Gosselin, Connie Broden, trainer Stan Waylett. Absent from photo: Jack McKenzie, Jean-Paul Lamirande, Charlie Burns.

Video
Player introductions and game highlights of the Dunlops at the 1958 World Hockey Championship.

In Canada

 * Nov. 22, 1957 7-2 Moscow Selects
 * Jan. 19, 1960 9-1 Moscow Selects
 * Mar. 4, 1960 6-2 Czechoslovakia

Overseas
See 1957-58 Whitby Dunlops

Dunlops who played in the NHL

 * Pete Babando
 * Connie Broden
 * Charlie Burns
 * Roy Edwards
 * Bob Hassard
 * John Henderson
 * Wally Maxwell
 * Harry Sinden
 * Sid Smith

The Junior Dunlops
The Senior A Dunlops folded after 1960, and the void in Whitby was filled by the Whitby Mohawks, a junior ice hockey team for the 1960–61 season. The Mohawks played their first season as a 'Junior B' team. After one season, they were promoted to play in the new Metro Junior A League.

In their third season, the Mohawks were renamed the Dunlops. Unlike the previous Senior A version of the Dunlops which descended in part from the Oshawa Generals, the Junior A team played against the revived Oshawa Generals during the 1962–63 season.


 * Season-by-season Results
 * Competed in 1960 to 1962 seasons as the Whitby Mohawks.

Modern Dunlops
The current Dunnies were revived by a group of 31 local business and hockey personalities led by former Bowmanville Eagles owner Mike Laing who became the revived Dunnies first president. The Dunnies were granted membership in the Ontario Hockey Association's Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League for the 2004–2005 season. The first revived season for the Dunlops was a success on the ice, finishing second overall in the league with a 25-7-0 record. The team played in the league finals versus the Norwood Vipers losing the series in 6 games.
 * 2004–2005

The EOSHL was elevated from AA status to AAA status after the 2004–05 season, becoming eligible to contend for the Allan Cup. In their second year the Dunlops finished in first place in the EOSHL. They prevailed in a rematch versus the Norwood Vipers, winning the league championship in a 6 game series for the Re/Max Upper Canada Realty Cup.
 * 2005–2006

The EOSHL champion Dunlops played the Major League Hockey champion Dundas Real McCoys defeating them 3 games to 1 in a best-of-five series for the Robertson Cup.

The Dunlops hosted the defending Allan Cup champions, Thunder Bay Bombers in a best-of-three series for the Renwick Cup played on three consecutive nights at Iroquois Park. The Dunlops defeated the Bombbers 2 games to 1 to win the Renwick Cup and the right to go to the 2006 Allan Cup, in Powell River, British Columbia.

After losing their first game, Whitby reached the Allan Cup finals. The Dunlops lost 7–1 in the championship game to the host team, the Powell River Regals.

The Dunlops played their third season with a strong core of returning players to finish first overall in the EOSHL, and sweep through the playoffs defeating the Norwood Vipers in four games for the Re/Max Upper Canada Realty Cup.
 * 2006–2007

The Dunlops played the Major League Hockey champions Brantford Blast defeating them in 4 games, for the Robertson Cup. In the Ontario championship, Whitby downed the Kenora Thistles in two straight games to earn a second consecutive berth in the Allan Cup.

After a tie in their first game, Whitby reached the Allan Cup finals with three wins in a row. The Dunlops lost 4–3 in the championship game to the Lloydminster Border Kings.

The Dunlops finished first overall in the regular season in the EOSHL. In the playoffs, Whitby defeated the Norwood Vipers 4–1, and the Simcoe County Tundras 4–0 to win the league championship. The Dunlops then defeated the Dundas Real McCoys 4–0 to win the Robertson Cup. This series win guaranteed the Dunlops a third consecutive appearance in the Allan Cup. In the 2008 Allan Cup, Whitby lost twice with one tie game.
 * 2007–2008

The EOSHL folded and the Dunlops joined Major League Hockey.
 * 2008–2009

On December 12, 2008, Dunlops player Don Sanderson fell without his helmet on the ice and struck his head during a fight. He had brain surgery the next day but did not awake. He died early on the morning of January 2, 2009.

The Dunlops lost the MLH final to the Dundas Real McCoys 4-games-to-none.

Future of organization in doubt
The team has had financial issues that came to light in 2019 when the sole remaining owner, Ian Young, announced the team was in danger of folding as they have lost money over the past four years and that the players would have to step up in terms of fund raising to help keep the team afloat.

On August 9, 2020, Ian Young, the owner of the Dunlops announced they would be taking the 2020-21 season off to attempt to regroup and bring the franchise back for 2021-22.

Season-by-season Results
Note: OL= Overtime loss