WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes

Hurricanes to Honor 1951 Lethbridge Maple Leafs

Published on January 17, 2011 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release


Lethbridge, AB - At a special media gathering this morning at the Galt Museum the Lethbridge Hurricanes were very proud to unveil a special jersey to be worn for their game on January 25th, 2010 against the Brandon Wheat Kings. The jersey is being worn to honor the 1951 Lethbridge Maple Leafs who 60 years ago - Represented Canada and were victorious in the 1951 World Amateur Hockey Championships in Paris, France.

"The sweaters are great, they are an exact duplicate of the sweaters we wore in 1951." said former Maple Leaf Tom Wood "I think they make a wonderful souvenir of that special event in the history of sport in the City of Lethbridge."

After being selected as Canada's representatives - the Canadian team from Lethbridge dominated play in Europe - outscoring the competition with 62 goals for and only 6 against while facing teams that included Finland (11-1), Norway (8-0), England (17-1), the United States (16-2), Switzerland (5-1) and Sweden in the championship game (5-1) Dubbed after their victory as "The Greatest team ever to show in Europe", the Maple Leafs followed this remarkable achievement by winning the Winston Churchill Ice Hockey Series tournament in England. They accomplished this by downing the United States team 5-0 and the English All-Star team 4-3.

The Maple Leafs played in front of 400,000 people and travelled 30,000 miles through 14 countries in their four-month long adventure before heading home to be welcomed like heroes. Thousands celebrated the players by hosting a special banquet and holding a parade in their honor. The Hurricanes players representing Lethbridge Hockey today are very proud to wear these replica jerseys in honor of the players who represented Lethbridge on the world stage 60 years ago.

"I am very honored that the Hurricanes are wearing an exact replica of our jersey's from 1951." said former Maple Leaf Nap Milroy who the Hurricanes were honored to have in attendance this morning adding "We never would have guessed that our winning the World Cup Championship in 1951 would have had such a long lasting effect - It is a very proud and humble moment as we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of our win."

Hurricanes Mitch Maxwell, Dylan Tait and Neal Tarnasky were on hand for the special event today to help showcase the limited edition jerseys which will go on sale via online auction starting today at: www.hurricanesauction.com - Auctions will then conclude at 12 NOON - Saturday, January 29th following the January 25th game with proceeds going towards the Lethbridge Hurricanes Onside Committee.

"It's a beautiful jersey and carries with it such a great storyline - it's rich in history and tradition and we know our players will be proud to wear them" said Hurricanes Business Manager Jim Bradley "The historical significance of this team to hockey in Lethbridge and to the sport as a whole cannot be over emphasized and they would make a great souvenir for any fan of the game."

For more information on the 1951 Lethbridge Maple Leafs be sure to log on to www.lethbridgemapleleafs.com

The Hurricanes would like to thank everyone involved in this project with special thanks going to James Sinclair, Les Colwill, Tom Wood, Nap Milroy, Trevor Esau and Maple Leaf Foods - the night's game night sponsor.

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2011


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