Oakville Blades History and Alumni

The Oakville Blades:

The Oakville Blades have a proud and rich tradition within the Oakville community dating back to the 1960s.

One of the goals of the current hockey club is to build a relationship with those who have been a part of the organization in the past.  To that end, the site will be updated in the coming weeks with information from decades past, as well as upcoming special events involving Blades alumni.  Please check back soon!

History:

The Oakville Blades are one of the oldest and longest continuously operating junior teams in Ontario.  Dating back to 1966 the team has always been the top hockey team in the town of Oakville and has been the inspiration for many young Oakville players for over 40 years.

The team has had considerable success over the years and has been the catalyst for many players to continue their careers at higher levels including the OHL, NCAA, CIS and professional ranks in Canada, US and Europe.

The Oakville Blades originally started in Oakville as a Junior "C" hockey team in the late 1960s.  As a Junior "C" team the Blades appeared in one Clarence Schmalz Cup final, for the All-Ontario title, losing in 1969 to the Woodstock Navy Vets 4-games-to-3.

The Blades moved up to the Junior "B" level at the start of the 1970-71 season and joined a very competitive Mid-Ontario Junior "B" League.  When the league realigned in 1971 Oakville moved to the new Central Junior "B" League.  In more than two decades at the Junior "B" level the Blades appeared in the Sutherland Cup Ontario Final twice, in 1975 and 1991, respectively.  In the 1975 final they lost to the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League's Bramalea Blues 4-games-to-3. The second time around, in 1991, they were defeated by the Midwestern Junior "B" Hockey League's Waterloo Siskins 4-games-to-0.  During the Junior "B" years the team played their home games at the old Oakville Arena on Kerr St in the downtown area.  The team was always one of the most popular forms of winter entertainment in the city as the rink was often filled with standing room only crowds.

In the mid-1990s the Blades moved up to the Provincial Junior "A" level and also moved home rinks, making a brief stop at the Canlan IceSports Arena before settling at the Joshua's Creek Arenas on the North Service Road across from the Ford Plant.  In the fall of 2010 the team made another move, this time settling at the sparkling new Sixteen Mile Sports Complex located on Neyagawa Blvd.  Pictures and an arena outline can be viewed by accessing the 'Blades Facility' tab on the homepage.

During the 2011-2012 season the current hockey team plans to highlight and profile many of the alumni and teams from the first 44 years of Junior hockey in Oakville.  As well, plans are in the works for the establishment of an official "Rusty Blades" alumni club for all former Blades.

In addition to that, fans can learn more about the three trophies the current Blades set out to capture each year at the Provincial Junior "A" level on the history portion of the website - the Buckland Cup (Ontario Junior Hockey League Champions), the Dudley Hewitt Cup (Ontario Hockey Federation/Central Canadian Junior "A" Champions) and the Royal Bank Cup (Canadian Junior Hockey League National Champions).

Championships:

The 2007-2008 season and the 2009-2010 season were by far the most successful in franchise history as the Blades captured both the Buckland Cup and the Dudley Hewitt Cup on their way to raeching the RBC Cup National championship.

For more information on the championship series' and tournament appearances please use the links on the side menu bar.

Do you have a piece of Blades history?

The Blades invite all alumni to check the website regularly for content updates and annoucenments.  If you have any alumni related pictures or information from the past please email jo.laise@rogers.com to have it posted on the site.