Sarnia Sailors Explained

Team:Sarnia Sailors
League:IHL 1949–1951
OHA Senior "A" 1951–1954
Operated:–1954
Coach:Norman Tustin

The Sarnia Sailors are a defunct Canadian semi-professional and amateur senior ice hockey team. The team played in the City of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada and participated in the International Hockey League and the OHA Senior A Hockey League afterwards.

History

The Sarnia Sailors began as an expansion team in 1949 with the Chatham Maroons in the International Hockey League. That year, the two upstarts dominated the league's playoffs and ended up in a one-on-one showdown for the Turner Cup. The Maroons came out on top, winning the series in seven games. From that point on, the Sailors demise began. They played one more season in the IHL before dropping to the amateur ranks in the OHA Senior A Hockey League. The Sailors were finalists for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in the 1950–51 season.[1]

Meeting a similar talent lever in the OHA, the Sailors struggled for three seasons before folding mid-season in 1953–54. The Sailors never stepped back on the ice. The team name was shared by the local Junior "B" hockey team. In 1954, after the Sr. Sailors folded, the team changed their names to the Sarnia Legionnaires. The Legionnaires folded mid-season as well, in 1969–70.

Season-by-season results

Season GP W L T GF GA P Results Playoffs
1949–50 40 26 11 3 219 136 55 1st IHL Lost Final
1950–51 52 24 19 9 226 191 59 4th IHL
1951–52 50 18 29 3 183 235 39 6th OHA Sr. A
1952–53 48 20 27 1 177 215 41 6th OHA Sr. A
1953–54 22 4 15 3 69 107 11 8th OHA Sr. A

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019. Senior Series. February 2, 2021. Ontario Hockey Association.