Brantford Lions

Brantford Lions
City	Brantford, Ontario
League	Ontario Hockey Association
Operated	1933 (1933) to 1946 (junior A & B)

The Sutherland Cup trophy

The Brantford Lions were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), based in Brantford, Ontario. The Lions played at the junior A level from 1933 to 1936, and from 1941 to 1944. In the intermediate years, they played at the junior B level from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1946.^{[ citation needed ]} They were OHA junior B champions in the 1940–41 season, winning the Sutherland Cup. ^[1]

Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Bill Quackenbush played for the Lions in the 1941–42 season. ^[2] Bob Wiest led the league in scoring the same season, with 40 goals and 28 assists in 40 games. ^[3] Branford finished first place in the OHA for the 1941–42 season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the defending champions, the Oshawa Generals. ^[4] The Lions were finalists for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1943, but again lost to the Oshawa Generals. ^[5]

National Hockey League alumni

Brantford Lions alumni who graduated to play in the National Hockey League:

Junior A alumni

• Fred Hunt ^[6]
• Francis Kane ^[7]
• Howie Meeker ^[8]
• Ray Powell ^[9]
• Bill Quackenbush ^[2]
• Thain Simon ^[10]
• Cliff Simpson ^[11]

Junior B alumni

• Leo Gravelle ^[12]
• Tom McGrattan ^[13]
• Leo Reise Jr. ^[14]
• Bill Wylie ^[15]

Season-by-season results

Regular season results: ^[16]

Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Memorial Cup champions

League champions

League finalists

Season	Regular season									Playoffs
	GP	W	L	T	Pts	Pct	GF	GA	Finish
1941–42	24	19	5	0	38	0.792	183	83	1st OHA	Lost semifinal (Oshawa Generals) 4–3 [4]
1942–43	22	12	10	2	26	0.591	102	98	2nd OHA	Won quarterfinal (Stratford Kroehlers) 2–0 [17] Won semifinal (Toronto St. Michael's Majors) 2–1 [18] Lost OHA final (Oshawa Generals) 4–1 [19]
1943–44	25	11	13	1	23	0.460	90	126	3rd Group 2	Lost quarterfinal (Hamilton Whizzers) 2–1 [20]

References

1. Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition (1998). "1940–41 Brantford Lions Jr. B Ontario Champions" . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
2. Blevins, David (2012). The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia. Scarecrow Press. p. 785. ISBN   0810861305.
3. "OHL Awards: Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Top Scorer)". Ontario Hockey League . 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
4. "Generals Win Game No. 7". Windsor Star . The Canadian Press. March 10, 1942. p. 19.
5. Annual Report: Constitution, Regulations and Rules of Competition. Cambridge, Ontario: Ontario Hockey Association. 2006. p. W-13.
6. "Fred Hunt Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
7. "Francis Kane Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
8. "Howie Meeker Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
9. "Ray Powell Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
10. "Thain Simon Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
11. "Cliff Simpson Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
12. "Leo Gravelle Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
13. "Tom McGrattan Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
14. "Leo Reise Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
15. "Bill Wylie Stats And News". National Hockey League . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
16. "Brantford Lions Statistics and History [OHL]". HockeyDB . Retrieved March 31, 2026.
17. "Stratford Rally Falls Two Short: Brantford Lions Eliminate Kroehlers With Second Straight Win". Toronto Star . February 24, 1943. p. 12.
18. "Brantford Lions Beat St. Michael's". The Sun Times . Owen Sound, Ontario. The Canadian Press. March 12, 1943. p. 10.
19. "Generals Finish Series With Brantford Lions For Sixth O.H.A. Trophy". Toronto Telegram . March 23, 1943. p. 18.
20. "Hamilton Whizzers Oust Brantford From Playoffs". Waterloo Region Record . Kitchener, Ontario. The Canadian Press. March 4, 1944. p. 8.