Niagara IceDogs Reveal Specialty Jerseys Celebrating 80 Years of Junior Hockey History
OHL Niagara IceDogs

Niagara IceDogs Reveal Specialty Jerseys Celebrating 80 Years of Junior Hockey History

Published on October 16, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Niagara IceDogs News Release


St. Catharines, ONT - The Niagara IceDogs announced today that the team will be wearing specialty jerseys, designed by Mayor Matt Siscoe in partnership with the City of St. Catharines, paying homage to over 80 years of Jr. A hockey history in St. Catharines.

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The design is inspired by the teams of the past, featuring the yellow of the Teepees and Falcons as the base jersey colour, with black and red striping to tie in the Blackhawks years, transitioning into IceDogs colours of today.

Bones is featured prominently on the front of the jersey wearing a shoulder 'TP' patch, part of the original Teepees jersey design. Logos representing all four teams that came before the IceDogs are featured on each sleeve, paying homage to the following teams:

St. Catharines Falcons 1943-1947

The Garden City was introduced to the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Junior "A" Hockey in the fall of 1943 when the St. Catharines Falcons made their debut in the league. Rudy Pilous, a former St. Catharines Sr. "A" hockey player and his friend Jay MacDonald were inspired to bring a team to St. Catharines after watching a Memorial Cup game in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in the spring of 1943.

The St. Catharines Falcons name came from a naming contest for the new junior team. The winner of the contest was a nine-year-old boy named Jimmy Stirrett from St. Catharines, Ontario.

The Falcons' first lineup featured Winnipeg players Harvey Jessiman, Bing Juckes, Tom Pollock, Laurie Peterson, and Doug McMurdy, joined by local talent. McMurdy earned the Red Tilson Trophy in 1944-45 as the OHA's most outstanding player. Future NHLers included Armand Delmonte, Val Delory, Bing Juckes, and Nick Mickoski.

In 1946-47 the club didn't make the playoffs. It looked like the end of Junior hockey in the city. It was Local businessman George Stauffer of Thompson Products Ltd. who purchased the club for $2,500, saving junior hockey in the city and renaming the team the Teepees, after the company's initials.

St. Catharines Teepees 1947-1962

The St. Catharines Teepees were born in 1947 when local businessman George Stauffer, president and GM of Thompson Products Ltd., purchased the St. Catharines Falcons team for $2500 from Rudy Pilous and named the team after the company's initials.

Under Stauffer's ownership, the Teepees became an OHA powerhouse-finishing first five times in six years, winning two league titles, and producing five scoring champions and three MVPs. The team captured the Memorial Cup in 1954 and 1960.

In 1961-62, the Teepees, no longer owned by Thompson Products, had the team rights purchased by the Chicago Black Hawks, with the Teepees being renamed the St. Catharines Black Hawks in 1962- 63.

St. Catharines Black Hawks 1962-1976

The Black Hawks era began with Chicago's sponsorship, which lasted until NHL teams ended junior affiliations in 1968. Local owners Fred Muller

and Ken Campbell then took over.

St. Catharines reached the OHA Finals in 1969, 1971, and 1974, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup twice (1971, 1974). The 1971 R

ichardson Trophy series vs. the Quebec Remparts-featuring future Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne-became one of junior hockey's most famous rivalries.

Future NHL stars Marcel Dionne and Mike Gartner both played for the Black Hawks, and 61 alumni went on to the NHL. The franchise later relocated several times and is now the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.

St. Catharines Fincups 1976-1977

The Fincups-named after owners Joe Finochio and brothers Ron and Mario Cupido-were a brief but dominant force

in the OHA. In just four seasons, they captured both the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the Memorial Cup, and even represented Canada at the World Juniors, earning silver.

Led by captain Dale McCourt, the hardworking 1976 team won the Emms Division and defeated Kitchener, Toronto, and Sudbury to reach the Memorial Cup in Montreal. There, they topped the New Westminster Bruins 5-2 in the final, bringing home a Memorial Cup.

Now home to the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL, St. Catharines continues to be a city enriched in hockey, seeing IceDogs alumni such as Dougie Hamilton, Alex Pientrangelo, Jason Robertson, Akil Thomas and many others get their first taste of professional hockey in the Garden City.

Following the game, the Jerseys will be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to Community Crew, a Niagara-based charity that has grown from a small lunch program in 2015 to a region-wide initiative delivering over 4,500 healthy lunches weekly to 1,500+ children across 36 Niagara schools. Powered by volunteers, donors, and partners, the organization ensures no child in Niagara goes to school hungry.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at BlockTickets.xyz, or by calling Steven Tomlin, Manager of Business Development and Ticket Sales at (905) 687-3641 ext. 221.

Check out the Niagara IceDogs Statistics

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