Ottawa 67's

Lore & Background

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 hockey void left by the departure of the junior Hull–Ottawa Canadiens and the semi-professional Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. However, before the team played a game Touhey left the ownership group and Jack Kinsella became one of the owners in his stead. 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 the Hull Arena, Hull, Quebec, as their new home arena was still under construction. They played their first game at their own arena, the Ottawa Civic Centre, on December 29, losing to the Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–2. The first season for the 67's was terrible at best, with the team posting a final record of six wins, 45 losses and three ties. They made the playoffs in their second season, but lost in the quarter-finals to the Niagara Falls Flyers. They won their first playoff series in 1971–72, defeating the Hamilton Red Wings. The 67's reached the OHA finals during the following season in 1971–72. They lost to the Peterborough Petes 3–0, with two ties. The 67's came close to playing at home in the Memorial Cup, as the Ottawa Civic Centre hosted the tournament that year. Brian Kilrea joined the 67's as coach and general manager after the 1973–74 season. Kilrea coached the team to three successive improved winning records, culminating in a victory in the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals in 1977, versus the London Knights. The 67's moved on to compete for the 1977 Memorial Cup, but lost to the host Bruins 6–5 in the championship game. In 1984, the 67's reached the OHL championship series in a rematch from the 1982 OHL finals, against the Kitchener Rangers. The 67's defeated the Rangers and won their second J. Ross Robertson Cup and earned a place in the Memorial Cup tournament. At the Memorial Cup in Kitchener, Ottawa faced the Laval Voisins, featuring Mario Lemieux, of the QMJHL and the Kamloops Jr. Oile

In Their Own Story

The arena lights hum to life over the ice, and the smell of fresh Zamboni wax mingles with the sharp tang of cold air seeping through the upper deck. A line of young skaters circles the rink, their sticks tapping in unison, the sound a rhythmic percussion against the boards. In the stands, a father in a faded 67's hoodie leans over the railing, calling out encouragement to his son on the ice. The crowd is a patchwork of local faces—grandparents, teenagers, families with strollers parked in the concourse. When the puck drops, the noise swells into a single sustained roar, the kind that vibrates in your chest. For two hours, this is the centre of the world: a junior game in Ottawa, where the stakes feel enormous and the love is entirely its own.

Reader's Guide

The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They play home games at TD Place Arena. The team has won the OHL championship three times and the Memorial Cup twice (1984 and 1999). Notable former players include Denis Potvin, Bobby Smith, Doug Wilson, Gary Roberts, and Adam Creighton. The team's longest-serving coach and general manager was Brian Kilrea.

Did You Know?

• The team was named 67's in honour of Canada's centennial year of 1967.
• The 67's won their first Memorial Cup in 1984, defeating the Kitchener Rangers in the final.
• The 67's hosted and won the Memorial Cup in 1999, with Matt Zultek scoring the overtime winner.
• The 67's have appeared in the Memorial Cup six times (1973, 1977, 1984, 1999, 2001, 2023), winning in 1984 and 1999.