Bramalea Blues

Bramalea Blues
City Bramalea, Ontario, Canada (1972-2007)
Brampton, Ontario, Canada (2008-2010)
League Ontario Junior Hockey League
Metro Junior A Hockey League
Operated 1972-2010
Home arena Victoria Park Arena (1972-2007)
Powerade Centre (2008-2010)
Colours Blue, Yellow, and White
              
Affiliates Brampton Battalion (OHL)
Franchise history
2010 Merged w/ Brampton Capitals

The Bramalea Blues were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Bramalea, Ontario, Canada. Their final two seasons were played in Brampton, Ontario at the Powerade Centre. They were a part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League. They joined the OPJHL in 1995. In 2010 the Blues took a buyout offer from their league to cease operations.

History

Formed in 1972, the Blues joined the Metro Junior "B" league. The Metro had just been curtailed by the Ontario Hockey Association as the many of their top teams were moved to the newly created OHA Junior "A" league. The Blues won the Sutherland Cup in 1975 as OHA Junior "B" Champions and was one of the top Junior "B" teams in Ontario for almost two decades winning league titles in 1974, 1975, 1985, and 1988.

In 1991, the Metro league (along with the Blues) went Junior "A". The team stayed with the Metro until 1995 when a mass exodus of teams made the jump to the OPJHL. In 1999, the Blues won the Buckland Cup as league champions and the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Champions. They fell short at the Royal Bank Cup.

In the 1990s, the Blues had a working agreement of affiliation with the South-Central Triple A Hockey League's local Chinguacousy Blues minor hockey club.

1999 Royal Bank Cup

The Blues opened up the Royal Bank Cup 1999 with a 4-2 victory over the British Columbia Hockey League's Vernon Vipers—the Doyle Cup Champions. The Blues then took out the Anavet Cup Champions, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Estevan Bruins 4-3. The Blues then beat the host Yorkton Terriers by a score of 5-1. The Blues had already clinched first place in the round robin and floated through a 5-1 loss to the Fred Page Cup Champion Charlottetown Abbies of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.

The slack effort did not pay off. The Blues entered the Semi-final as the favourite to win the Royal Bank Cup, but were upset by the Vernon Vipers by a score of 3-2. The Vipers went on to win the Cup, and the favourite Blues were left with a long and unhappy ride home from Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

1978 Ontario Winter Games Gold Medalist / Bramalea Blues

In 1978 the Bramalea Blues won the 1978 Ontario Winter Games hockey competition in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The final game was played against the Streetsville Derbys and the final score was 3-2. This Ontario Winter Games gold medal win qualified the Bramalea Blues to represent Ontario for the 1979 Canada Winter Games in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. At the 1979 Canada Winter Games the Bramalea Blues, representing Team Ontario, won the bronze medal, playing seven games in eight days of competition.

2006-07

After the Royal Bank Cup upset loss to the Vernon Vipers, the Blues played like a team jinxed. With only one winning season in the last seven, the Blues were never the same.

Despite initial optimism, at the halfway point of the 2006-07 season the Blues are sitting at a dismal 1 win, 23 losses, and an overtime loss. As of November 18, the Blues are in the basement of the OPJHL and are in danger of missing the playoffs again. On January 18, 2007, the Blues, with a 1-38-1-2 record, were officially eliminated from any chance of making the playoffs. The final blow came with the Orangeville Crushers defeating the surging Newmarket Hurricanes which pushed the Crushers out of reach in the wildcard race. The Blues finished the season in last place and with one of the worst records in Tier II Junior "A" history.

Future of franchise

After folding for the 2007-08 season and almost moving to Ancaster, Ontario,[1] the Blues announced new ownership and they returned for the 2008-09 season.[2]

Season-by-season results

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
1972-73 34 13 18 3 - 148 168 29 6th Metro B
1973-74 44 22 15 7 - 229 202 51 4th Metro BWon League
1974-75 38 30 5 3 - 268 122 63 1st Metro BWon League, Won SC
1975-76 36 21 9 6 - 193 144 48 3rd Metro B
1976-77 36 17 18 1 - 180 163 35 8th Metro B
1977-78 34 11 19 4 - 145 192 26 11th Metro B
1978-79 44 28 9 7 - 298 172 63 2nd Metro B
1979-80 42 22 14 6 - 235 215 50 5th Metro B
1980-81 42 17 16 9 - 179 167 43 7th Metro B
1981-82 35 8 22 5 - 115 178 21 12th Metro B
1982-83 36 20 10 6 - 186 131 46 3rd Metro B
1983-84 42 24 11 7 - 237 166 55 2nd Metro B
1984-85 36 21 9 6 - 201 139 48 5th Metro B Won League
1985-86 35 27 5 3 - 224 121 57 2nd Metro B Lost Final
1986-87 37 16 15 6 - 194 198 38 7th Metro B Lost Quarter-final
1987-88 37 27 7 3 - 249 142 57 1st Metro B Won League
1988-89 39 19 15 5 - 200 184 43 4th Metro B
1989-90 44 26 10 8 - 235 155 60 4th Metro BLost Quarter-final
1990-91 44 26 10 8 - 233 171 60 3rd Metro BLost Final
1991-92 44 20 21 3 - 238 233 43 5th Metro ALost Final
1992-93 48 22 22 4 - 251 243 48 7th Metro A Lost Preliminary
1993-94 50 20 22 8 - 262 295 48 9th Metro A Lost Quarter-final
1994-95 50 17 31 2 - 199 249 36 12th Metro A DNQ
1995-96 50 37 10 3 - 292 142 77 1st OPJHL-Me
1996-97 51 36 12 3 - 263 154 76 1st OPJHL-Me
1997-98 51 32 11 6 2 244 182 72 2nd OPJHL-Me
1998-99 51 38 6 7 0 296 158 83 2nd OPJHL-W Won League, Won DHC
1999-00 49 10 33 2 4 142 217 26 10th OPJHL-W
2000-01 49 18 23 4 4 182 206 44 8th OPJHL-W
2001-02 49 25 19 4 1 224 209 55 4th OPJHL-W
2002-03 49 10 35 3 1 168 282 24 9th OPJHL-W
2003-04 49 14 30 2 3 137 223 33 8th OPJHL-W
2004-05 49 4 44 0 1 97 381 9 10th OPJHL-W
2005-06 49 10 36 1 2 127 278 23 9th OPJHL-W DNQ
2006-07 49 1 45 1 2 111 360 5 10th OPJHL-W DNQ
2007-08 Did Not Participate
2008-09 49 11 34 - 4 170 297 26 10th OJHL-M DNQ
2009-10 56 16 36 - 4 199 293 36 13th OJAHL DNQ

Playoffs

MetJHL Years

Thornhill Thunderbirds defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-2
Bramalea Blues defeated Richmond Hill Rams 4-games-to-1
Bramalea Blues defeated Henry Carr Crusaders 4-games-to-2
Wexford Raiders defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-3
Bramalea Blues defeated Richmond Hill Rams 4-games-to-1
Bramalea Blues defeated Muskoka Bears 4-games-to-none
Wexford Raiders defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-none
Aurora Eagles defeated Bramalea Blues 3-games-to-1
Caledon Canadians defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-2

Sutherland Cup appearances

1974: Hamilton Red Wings defeated Bramalea Blues by forfeit (No name of winner recorded on cup & caused investigation into violence in hockey)
1975: Bramalea Blues defeated Oakville Blades 4-games-to-3
1985: Waterloo Siskins defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-1
1988: Waterloo Siskins defeated Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-1

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Bramalea Blues

External links

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