Canadian Professional Hockey League

The Canadian Professional Hockey League, also known as Canpro, was a minor professional hockey league founded in 1926. After three seasons, it became the International Hockey League in 1929. The name was then given to a new league of IHL farm teams which operated in the 1929-30 season.

The first Canpro league (1926-1929)[]

The initial meeting to organize a new league was held on June 27, 1926 in Hamilton, Ontario. The governing body for amateur hockey in Ontario, the Ontario Hockey Association, had been cracking down on teams that induced players to move from other areas in violation of the league's residency requirements. In mid-June, the OHA refused to certify over 20 players who had changed residences. Windsor alone had eight players who were denied OHA certification.

In response, and also driven by the recent expansion of professional hockey in North America, seven OHA senior teams met to discuss forming a minor professional league that would be affiliated with the National Hockey League. Brantford and Toronto were at the initial meeting, but had to bow out, and the remaining five teams became the inaugural members of the CPHL: Hamilton, London, Niagara Falls, Stratford and Windsor. Charles King of Windsor was made league president on August 4 and served in that role for all three seasons the CPHL operated.

After the 1927-28 season, all the players on the Hamilton Tigers were purchased by the new Buffalo Bisons, and an entirely new team played in Hamilton. Teddy Oke's Kitchener Millionaires moved to Toronto to take the place of the Toronto Ravinas which disbanded in 1928. Oke sold the franchise rights to Kitchener to a new owner, who created the Kitchener Flying Dutchmen. The team included players from the Millionaires that did not move to Toronto.

The league championship in 1929 was a cross-border matchup between the Windsor Bulldogs and the Detroit Olympics, with Windsor winning the championship. Five of the eight teams had lost money during the season, including all the Canadian teams except the Bulldogs. Before the 1929 playoffs were over, it was rumoured that the league would be replaced by an international league the following season and that a lower-level minor league would be created in Ontario.

The league held its annual meeting in September 1929, re-elected King as president, and renamed itself the International Hockey League. The only change in the lineup was that the Kitchener franchise was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio, with the Kitchener players reassigned to Toronto and Toronto's players sent to Cleveland.

Franchises[]

Team	Location	Arena	Tenure	Notes
Hamilton Tigers	Hamilton, Ontario	Barton Street Arena	1926-1928	relocated to Buffalo; renamed Buffalo Bisons (IHL)
London Hockey Club	London, Ontario	London Arena (Ontario)	1926-1927	renamed London Panthers
Niagara Falls Cataracts	Niagara Falls, Ontario	Victoria Avenue Arena	1926-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936)
Stratford Nationals	Stratford, Ontario	Stratford Arena	1926-1928	folded
Windsor Hornets	Windsor, Ontario	Border Cities Arena	1926-1928	renamed Windsor Bulldogs
Detroit Olympics	Detroit, Michigan	Olympia	1927-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936)
Kitchener Millionaires	Kitchener, Ontario	Queen Street Auditorum	1927-1928	relocated to Toronto; renamed Toronto Millionaires
London Panthers	London, Ontario	London Arena (Ontario)	1927-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936); renamed London Tecumsehs
Toronto Ravinas	Toronto, Ontario	Ravina Gardens	1927-1928*	renamed Toronto Falcons during season when move to a different arena in Toronto
Toronto Falcons	Toronto, Ontario	Arena Gardens	1927*-1928	relocated to Kitchener; renamed Kitchener Flying Dutchmen
Buffalo Bisons (IHL)	Fort Erie, Ontario	Peace Bridge Arena	1928-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936)
Hamilton Tigers	Hamilton, Ontario	Barton Street Arena	1928-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936)
Kitchener Flying Dutchmen	Kitchener, Ontario	Queen Street Auditorum	1928-1929	city stays with lower level Canadian Professional Hockey League (1929-30); franchise rights form Cleveland Indians
Toronto Millionaires	Toronto, Ontario	Arena Gardens	1928-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936)
Windsor Bulldogs	Windsor, Ontario	Border Cities Arena	1928-1929	join International Hockey League (1929-1936)

Seasons[]

Championships[]

1927: London Panthers defeated Stratford Nationals (4-1, total goals)
1928: Stratford Nationals defeated Kitchener Millionaires (2-0, best-of-three)
1929: Windsor Bulldogs defeated Detroit Olympics (3-2, best-of-five)

The second Canpro league (1929-1930)[]

See Canadian Professional Hockey League (1929-30)

References[]

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