Napanee Comets
Encyclopedia
The Napanee Comets were an ice hockey
franchise based in the eastern Ontario
town of Napanee, located in Lennox and Addington County
, approximately 40 kilometres west of Kingston, Ontario
, Canada
. The Comets played in a number of OHA
leagues in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Their home games were played in the Napanee & District Community Arena, 170 York St, Napanee.
the Comets had a successful run in the late 1950s capturing three consecutive Ontario championships in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The Comets made it back to the championship series in 1961 but their reign was halted that year by the Port Colborne Sailors
. The Comets were led by Walt Gerow and player-coach Les Douglas
, a former Stanley Cup
Champion (1943) centre with the Detroit Red Wings
. . Douglas leveraged his connections with the Red Wings to bring the Detroit club to Napanee to play the Comets during both the 1957-58 and 1958-59 seasons. The games were played on 2/27/58 and 2/17/59. Despite the Comets dominance in Major Intermediate A, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Comets by a wide margin on both occasions.
, 4 games to 1. They repeated as chamipions in 1971-72 in a re-match final with their 70-71 opponents from Lucan, defeating the Jets by a 4 games to 1 margin. The Comets would return one final time to the provincial championship in 1972-73 losing in the championship final to the New Hamburg Screaming Eagles.
, the first ever draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins
in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft
. The Comets uniforms were fashioned after the black and yellow of the Boston Bruins
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
franchise based in the eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
town of Napanee, located in Lennox and Addington County
Lennox and Addington County, Ontario
Lennox and Addington County, Ontario is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Greater Napanee. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Eastern Ontario.It includes the following municipalities:...
, approximately 40 kilometres west of Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Comets played in a number of OHA
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
leagues in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Their home games were played in the Napanee & District Community Arena, 170 York St, Napanee.
Ontario Major Intermediate A
As a member of the Ontario Major Intermediate A Hockey LeagueMajor Intermediate A Hockey League
The Major Intermediate A Hockey League was an ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association. It existed from 1978 to 1983. Its champion was eligible to compete for the W.G. Hardy Trophy, emblematic of Canadian Intermediate A hockey supremacy.The Georgian Bay...
the Comets had a successful run in the late 1950s capturing three consecutive Ontario championships in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The Comets made it back to the championship series in 1961 but their reign was halted that year by the Port Colborne Sailors
Port Colborne Sailors
The Port Colborne Pirates, formerly the Port Colborne Sailors, are a Canadian Junior B ice hockey team based in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Golden Horseshoe division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
. The Comets were led by Walt Gerow and player-coach Les Douglas
Les Douglas
Leslie Gordon Douglas was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 52 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Detroit Red Wings. Born in Perth, Ontario, he would win one Stanley Cup with the Wings in 1943.- References :*...
, a former Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Champion (1943) centre with the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. . Douglas leveraged his connections with the Red Wings to bring the Detroit club to Napanee to play the Comets during both the 1957-58 and 1958-59 seasons. The games were played on 2/27/58 and 2/17/59. Despite the Comets dominance in Major Intermediate A, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Comets by a wide margin on both occasions.
Ontario Major Intermediate B
In 1935-36 Napanee made an appearance in the Intermediate B provincial playoffs defeating Trenton in the first round series before bowing out to Belleville in the semi-finals. It wouldn't be until the 1969-70 season that the Comets would make a return to Intermediate B playoff action getting one step closer before falling short against the Lucan Jets in the best of seven final, 4 games to 2. They returned to the finals in 1970-71 but this time the Comets captured the OHA Intermediate B provincial title by defeating the Southern Counties Intermediate B champion, Durham HuskiesDurham Huskies
----The Durham Huskies are an ice hockey franchise based in the town of Durham, Ontario, Canada. The team is actually a series of teams that have spanned nine decades and through an uncountable series of leagues. The Huskies have existed under of couple short lived monikers before finding their...
, 4 games to 1. They repeated as chamipions in 1971-72 in a re-match final with their 70-71 opponents from Lucan, defeating the Jets by a 4 games to 1 margin. The Comets would return one final time to the provincial championship in 1972-73 losing in the championship final to the New Hamburg Screaming Eagles.
Ontario Major Intermediate C
The Napanee Comets made appearances in the Ontario Major Intermediate C playoffs in the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons losing both times to Minden in the semi-finals.Ontario Senior A
The Napanee Comets was also the name of a Napanee team that played in the OHA Senior 'A' Hockey League from 1974 through 1976 before ceasing operations. Their leading scorer during the 1974-75 season was former NHL player Dick Cherry. Their goaltender in the 1975-76 season was Steve RexeSteve Rexe
Stephen Glen Rexe is a former hockey goaltender, the first ever draft pick of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins and second overall pick in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft.- Biography :Rexe played junior hockey with the famed Ontario Major Junior A, Peterborough Petes...
, the first ever draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft
1967 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1967 NHL Amateur Draft was held June 7, 1967 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Selections by round:Listed below are the selections in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-External links:*...
. The Comets uniforms were fashioned after the black and yellow of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
.