History[]
1963 Memorial Cup Runner-up team.
The first Flyers team relocated to Niagara Falls from Barrie in 1960. The team was affiliated with the Boston Bruins of the NHL. The Flyers appeared in three Memorial Cups in the 1960s, winning in 1965 and 1968.
1963 Memorial Cup[]
Niagara Falls won the right to play for the Cup by defeating the Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons for the OHA championship, and the Espanola Eagles to win the George Richardson Memorial Trophy as eastern Canadian representatives.
The Flyers were runners up in the 1962-63 Memorial Cup Final played at Edmonton's Arena Gardens. They lost in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings in a best-of-seven series. Flyers players Gary Dornhoefer and Gary Harmer both suffered broken legs while on the ice.
1965 Memorial Cup[]
1965 Memorial Cup Championship team.
Niagara Falls won the right to play for the Cup by defeating the defending champions Toronto Marlboros for the OHA championship. The 1964-65 Memorial Cup Final was again played at Edmonton's Arena Gardens. They defeated the Oil Kings 4 games to 1 in a best-of-seven rematch series from two years previous. The series was filled with brawls and suspensions, as well as a heavy police presence throughout.
1968 Memorial Cup[]
1968 Memorial Cup Championship team.
Niagara Falls won the right to play for the Cup by defeating the Kitchener Rangers for the OHA championship, and the Verdun Maple Leafs for the eastern championship.
The 1967-68 Memorial Cup Final featured two Boston Bruins farm teams playing one another. The Flyers would play the Estevan Bruins on home ice, except for game two at the Montreal Forum. Game 4 was the longest in Memorial Cup history, lasting into five periods. Niagara Falls defeated Estevan in a best-of-seven series in five games.
Second Flyers[]
The Emms Family sold the Flyers in 1972 after it played for 12 seasons. The new owners then relocated the team to Sudbury to become the Sudbury Wolves.
Later the same year, after selling the Flyers, the Emms family bought the St. Catharines Black Hawks team who were the OHA champions the previous year. Four years after buying the Black Hawks, the Emms family relocated them to Niagara Falls in 1976, taking the same name as the previous team. The Emms family later sold this version of the Flyers in 1978.[1][2]
The second Flyers team played for 4 seasons in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1976 to 1980, and 2 years in the Ontario Hockey League from 1980 to 1982. The Flyers appeared in the OHA finals in 1979, losing to Peterborough. Niagara Falls lost its Flyers team a second time in 1982 when they moved to North Bay to become the Centennials, who have subsequently moved to Saginaw in 2002 to become the Saginaw Spirit.
Season-by-Season Results[]
Ontario Hockey Association (1960-72)[]
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing | Playoffs |
| 1960-61 | 48 | 22 | 21 | 5 | 49 | 165 | 166 | 4th | Lost Quarter Final |
| 1961-62 | 50 | 16 | 23 | 11 | 43 | 193 | 193 | 4th | Lost Semi Final |
| 1962-63 | 50 | 31 | 12 | 7 | 69 | 212 | 146 | 1st | Won Final, Won East. Lost Memorial Cup |
| 1963-64 | 56 | 26 | 22 | 8 | 60 | 207 | 178 | 4th | Lost Quarter Final |
| 1964-65 | 56 | 36 | 11 | 9 | 81 | 236 | 168 | 1st | Won Final.East, Memorial Cup |
| 1965-66 | 48 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 56 | 210 | 162 | 3rd | Lost Quarter Final |
| 1966-67 | 48 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 56 | 238 | 195 | 2nd | Lost Semi Final |
| 1967-68 | 54 | 32 | 15 | 7 | 71 | 255 | 169 | 4th | Won Final, East, Memorial Cup |
| 1968-69 | 54 | 28 | 24 | 2 | 58 | 223 | 229 | 4th | Lost Semi Final |
| 1969-70 | 54 | 10 | 41 | 3 | 23 | 151 | 313 | 10th | out of playoffs |
| 1970-71 | 62 | 11 | 44 | 7 | 29 | 193 | 350 | 10th | out of playoffs |
| 1971-72 | 63 | 27 | 27 | 9 | 63 | 280 | 293 | 6th | Lost Quarter Final |
Players[]
A combined total of 82 players from the Niagara Falls Flyers franchises went on to play in the National Hockey League, and two of those are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Award Winners[]
- 1962–63 - Wayne Maxner, Red Tilson Trophy (Most Outstanding Player), Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Scoring Champion)
- 1963–64 - Bernie Parent, Dave Pinkney Trophy (Lowest Team GAA)
- 1964–65 - Bernie Parent, Dave Pinkney Trophy
- 1966–67 - Derek Sanderson, Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
- 1967–68 - Tom Webster, Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, William Hanley Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
- 1976–77 - Mike Gartner, Emms Family Award (Rookie of the Year)
- 1978–79 - Nick Ricci, F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy (Best Rookie GAA)
- 1981–82 - Ron Meighan, Max Kaminsky Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman)
Hall of Famers[]
- Bernie Parent (1963–1965)
- Mike Gartner (1976–1979)
NHL Alumni[]
- 1960 to 1972
- Mike Amodeo, John Arbour, Steve Atkinson, Don Awrey, Doug Brindley, Tom Colley, Terry Crisp, Jim Dorey, Gary Dornhoefer, Doug Favell (G), George Gardner (G), Jeannot Gilbert, Bill Goldsworthy, Larry Gould, Gary Holt, Randy Holt, Wayne King, Bill Knibbs, Don Lever, Rick Ley, Jim Lorentz, Don Marcotte, Gilles Marotte, Wayne Maxner, Don McLean, Brent Meeke, Phil Myre (G), Rosaire Paiement
- Wilf Paiement, Bernie Parent (G), J. P. Parise, Jean Pronovost, Bob Ring (G), Phil Roberto, Wayne Rutledge, Larry Sacharuk, Derek Sanderson, Ron Schock, Jim Schoenfeld, Brad Selwood, Ted Snell, , Steve Stone, Garry Swain, Don Tannahill, Dave Tataryn, Morris Titanic, Eric Vail, Tom Webster, Ed Westfall, Barry Wilkins, Butch Williams, Dunc Wilson (G)
- 1976 to 1982
- Mark Botell, Marty Dallman, Mike Dwyer, Jeff Eatough, Daryl Evans, Lou Franceschetti, Ron Friest, Bob Froese, Mike Gartner, John Gibson, Paul Gillis, Pat Graham, Jim Jackson, Bob LaForest, Mark LaForest, Steve Larmer, Steve Ludzik, Andrew McBain, Kevin McClelland, Scott McLellan, Ron Meighan, Mark Osborne, Steve Peters, Mark Renaud, Nick Ricci, Gerry Rioux, Bill Root, Andy Schliebener, Howard Scruton, Bill Stewart, Tom Thornbury
Gallery[]
