GUELPH MAPLE LEAFS – 1930 CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Goodwille, Roth, Burmister, Stan Hanna (President, Guelph Professional Hockey Club), Schnarr, Randle and Moore

In hockey as in most sports, timing is everything. That is why much of the short history of the Guelph Maple Leafs hockey team in the Canadian Professional Hockey League may not be well-known despite its championship season of 1929-30. It was then and still is today, the only “professional” championship won by a Guelph hockey club. The team, featuring Guelphite and future Hall of Fame member Norman “Mickey McMillan, defeated the Galt Terriers three games to one in the championship final. Stan Hanna was Guelph’s governor in the league that – because of the Depression – had as much trouble fighting the banks as other hockey teams. 

The league went bankrupt at the end of the 1930 season. Another well known Guelphite named Rob Dawson was the President of the league during this era and his name is still known in Guelph as Dawson Road bears his name. Despite the international Depression, Guelph hockey fans still supported the team the best they could. It paved the way for future success in Senior, Junior and Minor hockey in the city.

Inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame – Team category – on May 14, 2008