History
The OHA team took their name from another Guelph hockey team, the Guelph Royals of the Ontario Professional Hockey League, which played from 1908 and briefly in 1909 (played 6 games). Other than a common name the OHA team and earlier OPHL team are not the same team.
The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were sold in 1960, and the new ownership renamed the team the Guelph Royals after the hometown's nickname as the "Royal City". Guelph won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy during the 1960-61 season, finishing 1st overall in the OHA. The Royals lost in the league finals to the St. Michael's Majors, 4 games to 2 with a tie.
The Royals' Rod Gilbert was the OHA scoring champion that year, winning the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy with 54 goals and 49 assists, totalling 103 points. Gilbert was also awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player.
The Royals had many players graduate from junior hockey after that season, and did not manage to recover their previous form. After two declining seasons the franchise was in financial trouble again. The team moved to nearby Kitchener, Ontario, becoming the Kitchener Rangers, taking the name of the NHL parent club.
Some of the Guelph Royals players who graduated from the junior ranks stayed in Guelph to play on the newly formed Senior OHA team, the Guelph Regals, which existed from 1963 to 1967.
Read more about this topic: Guelph Royals (hockey)
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