Ottawa 67's - History

History

The Ontario Hockey Association granted the city of Ottawa an expansion franchise on February 16, 1967. Four months later, the team was given the nickname 67's, in honour of Canada's centennial year. Three local businessmen--Bill Cowley, Howard Darwin and Bill Touhey as well as Alderman Howard Henry --helped bring junior hockey back to Canada's capital. The 67's filled the void left by the departure of the Ottawa Junior Canadiens and the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens in 1963.

Bill Long was the team's first head coach. The 67's played their first game on October 6, 1967, losing 9-0 on the road, to the Niagara Falls Flyers. The first 11 home games of the season were played in Hull, Quebec, as their new home arena was still under construction. The first season for the 67's was terrible at best, with the team posting a final record of 6 wins, 45 losses and 3 ties. They then made the playoffs in their second season, but lost in the quarter-finals to the Niagara Falls Flyers.

The 67's reached the OHA finals during their fifth season in 1971–72, losing to the Peterborough Petes 3 games to 0, with 2 ties. The 67's came close to playing at home in the Memorial Cup, as the Ottawa Civic Centre hosted the tournament that year.