Guelph CMC's

The Guelph CMC's or sometimes known as the Guelph CMC's Biltmore Mad Hatters were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association as a Junior 'B' team in the Central League from 1956 to 1970, and merged with the Western A League's Guelph Beef Kings to become a Junior 'A' team from 1970 to 75. The team was based in Guelph, Ontario, and played home games as the Guelph Memorial Gardens.

1956 to 1970
The CMC's were founded as members of the Central Division of the Big 10 Junior B Hockey League. In 1956, the league split and the Central Division became the Central Junior B Hockey League. In 1970, the CMC's merged with and took the place of the Guelph Beef Kings of the Western Junior "A" Hockey League (formerly the Western Division of the Big 10). The league was reincorporated into the Ontario Hockey Association and changed its name to the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League for the 1970-71 season. CMC stands for the name of a business in Guelph that John Prigione owned - Central Mechanical Contractors.

Southern Ontario Junior 'A' 1970 to 1975
After two years playing in the SOJHL, the CMC's won the Junior 'A' league title, in the 1971-72 season. In the Ontario Championship, they took on the Thunder Bay Vulcans of the now defunct Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League. The CMC's were leading 3-games-to-2 (5-4, 5-4, 3-7, 0-7, 6-2) when they won the series by default after the Vulcans discontinued.

Moving onto the Eastern Canadian Final, the CMC's faced Charlottetown from the Island Junior Hockey League. The result of the series was a four game sweep (5-2, 6-3, 5-2, 5-2), in favour of Guelph.

Guelph travelled to the Centennial Cup versus the Red Deer Rustlers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The CMC's swept the Rustlers (4-2, 3-2, 3-1, 3-0), taking the National title. The team was coached by Bill Taylor and starred Doug Risebrough and John Van Boxmeer. 

In 1973 the CMC's merged with their crosstown rivals, the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters. The CMC's won the SOJHL championship again in 1975, then defeatied the Smiths Falls Bears of the Central Junior A Hockey League in 6 games (8-3, 3-4, 7-2, 6-4, 3-6, 5-2) to reach the Centennial Cup finals a second time.

The CMC's were defeated 4-games-to-2 (3-4, 2-3, 4-1, 5-2, 6-3, 6-5 OT) by the Spruce Grove Mets of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The 1975 CMC's were bolsterted on defence by late season pick-up, Craig Hartsburg of Minnesota North Stars fame. 

Following the season, the Guelph CMC's were bought by the Holody family, the owners of a local electroplating company. The Holodys changed the team name to the Guelph Holody Platers.

The Imperials
The City of Guelph was unhappy with the fact that their Junior A team had been moved to Kitchener in 1963. Left with only the Guelph CMC's at the OHA Junior B level, the City jumped at the 1968 offer of the newly-renegade Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League to give the city a new Junior A team. After a pair of losing seasons and a name change to the Beef Kings, the league was reincorporated into the OHA as a Tier II Junior A league and the franchise being bought out by the CMC's. From that point on, the CMC's took the Beef King's place.

Players
John Van Boxmeer played for the Guelph CMC's in 1971-72, and was drafted 14th overall in the 1st round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He played as an NHL denfenseman for the Canadiens, Colorado Rockies, Buffalo Sabres and Quebec Nordiques.

Doug Risebrough was the SOJHL's MVP in 1972-73. He signed next year with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. Risebrough was selected by Montreal Canadiens in the 1st round, 7th overall 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. He played 13 years in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames.

Craig Hartsburg of Stratford, Ontario, was drafted 6th overall in the First Round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, after playing three seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and a single season with the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls. He played 10 season in Minnesota scoring 413 points in 570 games.

Paul Fendley
Paul Fendley of Georgetown, Ontario was a member of the 1971-72 Guelph CMC's who died as a result of an on ice accident at Guelph Memorial Gardens during Guelph's Centennial Cup 1972 victory. The 19 year old player died at Kitchener-Waterloo General Hospital on May 8, 1972, seventy-three hours after striking his head on the arena ice.

Fendley was checked by an opponent with 11 minutes to play in the game. He tried to catch his balance while still handling the puck and lost his helmet in the process, falling and striking the bare back of his head on the ice.

Fendley split the 1972 season with Brantford before being traded to Guelph, scoring a combined 20 goals and 24 assists in 43 games. He also scored 14 goals and 18 assists in 26 playoff games before his accident. The game in which he was fatally injured was the final and clinching game of the Centennial Cup. His number has not been issued to a player since, by the Guelph CMC's, Guelph Platers, or Guelph Storm. Paul Fendley's number was officially retired on Nov 15, 2008 in a celebration at The Sleeman Centre in Guelph, ON.