Fincups (OHL)
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| Hamilton & St. Catharines Fincups |
 
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| Cities: Hamilton, Ontario St. Catharines, Ontario |
| League: Ontario Hockey Association |
| Playing Years: 1974-1978 |
Memorial Cup Champions, 1976
The Fincups were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association for 4 years, from 1974 to 1978. The team played in Hamilton, Ontario for three years, and in St. Catharines, Ontario for one.
Franchise Identities:
- Hamilton Tiger Cubs 1953 to 1960
- Hamilton Red Wings 1960 to 1974
- Hamilton Fincups 1974 to 1976
- St. Catharines Fincups 1976 to 1977
- Hamilton Fincups 1977 to 1978
- Brantford Alexanders 1978 to 1984
- Hamilton Steelhawks 1984 to 1988
- Niagara Falls Thunder 1988 to 1996
- Erie Otters 1996 to present
History
The Fincups were a short-lived team in the Ontario Hockey Association that was very successful on the ice, but did poorly generating revenue. The club bounced around in three outdated arenas in four years. Unable to turn much of a profit, the Fincups moved out of town, becoming the Brantford Alexanders.The team's move to St. Catharines in 1977 was necessitated by the closure of the old Barton Street Arena in Hamilton. The ice-making machinery in the dilapidated, 67-year-old barn broke down and the city of Hamilton chose to demolish the arena rather than repair it. Homeless in Hamilton, the team was forced to move down the QEW, but were back in 1978, playing in a tiny building unsuited to the OHL.
The name "Fincup" is a combination of the team's owners, the Finochio Brothers and Ron Cupido. They renamed the Hamilton Red Wings after the 1974 season, and hired Bert Templeton as the team's new coach. Templeton would was voted winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy as Coach of the Year in his first season. Templeton was let go partway through the Fincups' fourth season and replaced by Dave Draper.
In the four short seasons that the Fincups played, the team won the Memorial Cup once, and the J. Ross Robertson Cup once. The Fincups also represented Canada at the World Junior Tournament and came away with a silver medal.
The Fincups won the Emms Division regular season title for two consecutive years in 1975-76 & 1976-77, and the Hamilton Spectator Trophy in 1976-77 as the first overall team in the OHA regular season.
The Fincups made the OHA finals all 3 years they played out of Hamilton, and came within one win of making it four consecutive appearances in the championship series in their only year in St. Catharines.
Memorial Cup 1976
The Hamilton Fincups of 1976 were a small, hard-working and determined team which practiced meticulously and strived to be top condition. Their hard work won the Emms division regular season in 1976 and eliminated the Kitchener Rangers, Toronto Marlboros and the Sudbury Wolves to make to the Memorial Cup hosted at the Montreal Forum. Their opponents for the 1976 national title would be the WHL's New Westminster Bruins and the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts.Hamilton lost the first game of the round-robin to Quebec 4-3, due to the 45 save performance of the Remparts goalie Barrette. The Bruins would defeat the Remparts the next day 4-2. The third game saw the Fincups score seven power play goals to beat the Bruins 8-4 in a game with many penalties, which concluded the round-robin.
The win and the large goal differential put Hamilton directly into the final game. New Westminster would solidly beat Quebec 10-3 in the semi-final game. The next day in front of 4,350 fans at the Montreal Forum, the Fincups played a tenacious forechecking game and defeated the New Westminster Bruins 5-2 in Memorial Cup Final game. The win brought the Memorial Cup back to the "Steel City" for the first time in 14 years.
Players
The heart and soul of the Fincups was their captain Dale McCourt. He led the team to the Memorial Cup title in 1976, and the Hamilton Spectator Trophy in 1977. He was voted CHL Player of the year for his efforts. There are 21 Fincups alumni who made the NHL.
Award Winners
- 1974-75 - Danny Shearer, Emms Family Award Rookie of the Year
- 1975-76 - Mark Locken, F.W. 'Dinty' Moore Trophy Best Rookie GAA
- 1975-76 - Dale McCourt, William Hanley Trophy Most Sportsmanlike Player
- 1976-77 - Dale McCourt, William Hanley Trophy Most Sportsmanlike Player
- 1976-77 - Dale McCourt, Red Tilson Trophy Most Outstanding Player
- 1976-77 - Dale McCourt, Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year
- 1977-78 - Al Jensen, Dave Pinkney Trophy Lowest Team GAA
NHL Alumni
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Yearly Results
Regular Season
| Season | City | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Pct % | Goals For | Goals Against | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | Hamilton | 70 | 37 | 24 | 9 | 83 | 0.593 | 337 | 271 | 3rd OMJHL |
| 1975-76 | Hamilton | 66 | 43 | 15 | 8 | 94 | 0.712 | 379 | 232 | 1st Emms |
| 1976-77 | St. Catharines | 66 | 50 | 11 | 5 | 105 | 0.795 | 438 | 242 | 1st Emms |
| 1977-78 | Hamilton | 68 | 31 | 23 | 14 | 76 | 0.559 | 273 | 223 | 3rd Emms |
Playoffs
- 1974-1975 Defeated St. Catharines Black Hawks in quarter finals.
Defeated Peterborough Petes in semi-finals.
Lost to Toronto Marlboros in OHA Finals. - 1975-1976 Defeated Kitchener Rangers in quarter-finals 8 points to 0.
Defeated Toronto Marlboros in semi-finals 9 points to 1.
Defeated Sudbury Wolves in OHA Finals 8 points to 2. OHA CHAMPIONS
Defeated New Westminster Bruins 5-2 in Memorial Cup Final. MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS - 1976-1977 Defeated Windsor Spitfires in quarter-finals 4 games to 2.
Lost to London Knights in semi-finals 4 games to 3, with 1 tie. - 1977-1978 Defeated Windsor Spitfires in quarter-finals 9 points to 3.
Defeated London Knights in semi-finals 9 points to 5.
Lost to Peterborough Petes in OHA Finals 8 points to 6.
Arenas
The Hamilton Fincups played home games at the Barton Street Arena, also known as the Hamilton Forum from 1974-1976. The St. Catharines Fincups played in the Garden City Arena in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario in 1976-1977. After moving back to Hamilton, the Fincups played out of the Mountain Arena from 1977-1978.
- Links to The OHL Arena & Travel Guide arena profiles
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