Cambridge Hornets: A Look at Their History

Allan Cup Hockey League is pleased to be welcoming back the Cambridge Hornets, a storied franchise in Ontario Senior hockey history. As one of the most successful Senior hockey teams returns, we look back at their origins.

The lineage of the Hornets dates back to 1960 when they played as the Galt Terriers in the OHA Senior A hockey league where they were a dominant force. That first season, they would capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup as the league champions and then win the Allan Cup championship, establishing themselves as a powerhouse to be reckoned with.

Winning the Allan Cup back then allowed the Terriers to represent Canada at the 1962 Ice Hockey World Championships where they won the silver medal. Notably on that team were players Dave Dryden, Tod Sloan, Darryl Sly and Bill Wylie on the roster.

When the season concluded, the team was renamed the Galt Hornets.

The Hornets were a dominant force achieving considerable success throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. However, it would not be until the 1968-69 season that the Hornets, who won 52 of 67 games played, would win their second J. Ross Robertson Cup in a sweep of a best of seven series against the Barrie Flyers. They would go on to defeat the Gander Flyers in five games, the Victoriaville Tigers in six games and then sweeping the Calgary Stampeders for the Allan Cup.

Galt would go on and capture another provincial championship in the 1970-71 season, also capturing the Allan Cup with another four-game sweep of Calgary. Then in the 1971-72 season, the Hornets would finish second in the league and fall in the finals of the playoffs.

In 1973, the name changed to the Cambridge Hornets when Galt merged with Cambridge. From 1972 to 1979 the team would finish in the top three of the league, except for a fifth-place finish. In the next five seasons following the 1978-79 season, Cambridge would win the league three times and lose in the finals the other two times. They would also capture their fourth and final Allan Cup of their run in the 1982-93 season.

The Hornets remained one of the top teams in the Senior A before joining the Senior AAA loop for the 1986-87 season where they went 13-21-0, finishing in fourth place. The Ontario Hockey Association's termination of Senior A level left the team inactive. The team was revived by Gord Chaplin in 2001, joining the Major League Hockey league, now called the Allan Cup Hockey League.

In their first two seasons back, the team would finish first in the league with 27-4-1-0-0 and 21-7-1-2-0 records but would lose in the finals of both seasons. The next three seasons the team would finish second, third and fifth before folding.

This new incarnation of the Hornets is owned by a group led Rob McIntosh and Eric Boissonneault who also own the Cambridge Redhawks of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. This group is committed to not only Junior and Senior hockey, but the community that has shown tremendous support for their teams that represent the area.

Fans in Cambridge will bring renewed energy to the Galt Arena Gardens as the 2025-26 Allan Cup Hockey season starts, marking a new chapter for the Hornets.

Notable Hornets alumni with NHL experience include Earl Balfour, Gary Collins, Dave Cressman, Gilbert Dionne, Bob Dupuis, Gerry Gray, Todd Harvey, Tom McCarthy, Dave Tataryn, Vic Teal, Mike Torchia, Scott Walker, and Peter Zezel.

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For more information contact Allan Cup Hockey Commissioner Rick Richardson at 905-328-4727 or email: rickystar911@outlook.com