West Toronto Nationals

The West Toronto Nationals were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1928 to 1936. Previously, they were known as the West Toronto Redmen due to their red colour sweaters. Home games were played at Mutual Street Arena and later Maple Leaf Gardens.^{[citation needed]}

The Nationals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as champions of the OHA in 1930, and defeated the Niagara Falls Cataracts by an 11–9 combined score in two games.^[1] The Nationals won the Eastern Canada junior playoffs by defeating teams from Sault Ste. Marie and Ottawa, to earn a berth in the 1930 Memorial Cup.^{[citation needed]}. Travelling to Winnipeg for a best-of-three series at Shea's Amphitheatre, the Nationals lost game one to the Regina Pats by 3–1 score, were leading game two by a 2–0 score, then conceded three goals to lose the game and the series.^[2]

The Nationals were finalists for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1931, and were defeated by the Niagara Falls Cataracts by a 12–7 combined score in two games.^[1]

In the 1935–36 season, the National were managed by Harold Ballard and coached by Hap Day. The team had not lost a regular season game since February, and defeated the Oshawa Red Devils in the OHA semifinal.^[3] The Nationals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1936, by defeating the Kitchener Greenshirts in two games in a best-of-three series.^[1] The Nationals were led by Peanuts O'Flaherty, who was the league's leading scorer.^[4] The Nationals won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy as Eastern Canada junior playoffs champions by defeating the South Porcupine Porkies, the Junior Quebec Aces, and the Pembroke Lumber Kings. The Nationals earned a berth in the 1936 Memorial Cup played in Toronto, and defeated the Saskatoon Wesleys in two games, by scores of 5–1 and 4–2.^[5]