By Dan McCaffery
The LaSalle Vipers
won the Western
Ontario Jr. 'B'
hockey championship
Sunday, but they've
got a long way to go
if they ever hope to
surpass the number
of titles captured
by Sarnia.
The Vipers defeated
the upstart St.
Thomas Stars 4-2 to
win the Weir Cup in
six games. For the
Essex County club,
it was their first
Western crown.
The Sarnia
Legionnaires
franchise has won
the most Western
titles in history,
with an astounding
total of 16 to its
credit! That total,
which is almost
twice as many as the
next closest team,
includes trophies
won under the club's
various nicknames
(Legionnaires,
Sailors, Bees and
Blast).
Here's how the
totals per team
stack up since the
league was launched
in 1950:
Sarnia – 16
Chatham – 9
London – 8
St. Marys – 8
St. Thomas – 6
Strathroy – 3
Windsor – 3
Seaforth – 3
LaSalle – 1
Petrolia – 1
Tecumseh 1
Simcoe – 1
Stratford 1
Note: Stratford
moved to the Midwest
loop after winning
the Western title.
Petrolia, Tecumseh,
Simcoe, Windsor and
Seaforth are
defunct.
Here's a
year-by-year
breakdown of all the
Western Jr. 'B'
champions:
1950 – Sarnia
Sailors
1951 – Sarnia
Sailors (also
won Sutherland Cup
as Ontario champs)
1952 – London Lou
Balls.
1953 – Seaforth
Baldwins
1954 – Seaforth
Baldwins
1955 – Seaforth
Baldwins (Sarnia
Legionnaires were
finalists)
1956 – Simcoe
Gunners
1957 – Sarnia
Legionnaires
1958 – Sarnia
Legionnaires (also
won Sutherland Cup)
1959 – Sarnia
Legionnaires (also
won Sutherland Cup)
1960 – St. Marys
Lincolns
1961 – St. Marys
Lincolns (Sarnia
Legionnaires were
finalists)
1962 – St. Thomas
Barons (Sarnia
Legionnaires were
finalists)
1963 – St. Marys
Lincolns
1964 – London
Nationals
1965 – London
Nationals
1966 – Sarnia
Legionnaires (also
won Sutherland Cup)
1967 – St. Thomas
Barons (Sarnia
Legionnaires were
finalists)
1968 – Sarnia
Legionnaires (also
won Sutherland Cup)
1969 – Strathroy
Rockets
1970 – Stratford
Warriors (Sarnia
Bees were finalists)
1971 – St. Marys
Lincolns (Sarnia
Bees were finalists)
1972 – St. Marys
Lincolns
1973 – Sarnia
Bees (also
won Sutherland Cup)
1974 – Sarnia
Bees
1975 – London
Squires
1976 – St. Marys
Lincolns
1977 – Sarnia
Bees
1978 – Windsor
Royals
1979 – Windsor
Royals
1980 – Windsor
Royals
1981 – London
Diamonds
1982 – Sarnia
Bees
1983 – London
Diamonds (Sarnia
Bees were finalists)
1984 – London
Diamonds (Sarnia
Bees were finalists)
1985 – St. Marys
Lincolns
1986 – St. Thomas
Stars
1987 – St. Thomas
Stars
1988 – Sarnia
Bees
1989 – Sarnia
Bees
1990 – Chatham Mic
Macs (Sarnia Bees
were finalists)
1991 – Chatham Mic
Macs (Sarnia Bees
were finalists)
1992 – London
Diamonds
1993 – Sarnia
Bees
1994 – St. Marys
Lincolns
1995 – St. Thomas
Stars
1996 – St. Thomas
Stars
1997 – Strathroy
Rockets
1998 – Chatham
Maroons
1999 – Chatham
Maroons
2000 – Chatham
Maroons
2001 – Chatham
Maroons
2002 – Sarnia
Blast (also
won Sutherland Cup)
2003 – Petrolia Jets
(Sarnia Blast
were finalists)
2004 – Chatham
Maroons
2005 – Chatham
Maroons
2006 – Chatham
Maroons
2007 – Strathroy
Rockets (Sarnia
Blast were finalists)
2008 – Tecumseh
Chiefs
2009 – Sarnia
Legionnaires
2010 – LaSalle
Vipers
The Western Jr. 'B'
winner has gone on
to win the
Sutherland Cup as
all-Ontario champion
twelve times. Here's
how the total
provincial
championships per
Western team breaks
down:
Sarnia – 7
St. Marys – 2
St. Thomas – 1
Chatham – 1
Tecumseh – 1.
Note: The lists
above do not include
Tier II Jr. 'A'
titles. The Chatham
Maroons won two of
those and the St.
Thomas Barons won
one such crown.
