Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs
Encyclopedia
The Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs also known as the NDG Maple Leafs were a junior Canadian football
team based in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec from 1946 to 1973. The Maple Leafs were members of the Quebec Senior Football League
from 1946 to 1966, the Quebec Juvenile Football League
from 1967 to 1969, and the Quebec Junior Football League
from 1970 to 1973.
junior football championship in their inaugural season. From 1946 to 1973, the club had captured 16 provincial titles, six Eastern Canadian
Championships and the Dominion Junior Football championship in 1965. In 1970, the Maple Leafs won their final Quebec title, before losing to the Burlington Braves
in the Eastern Canadian final, 22-14. The final game for the Maple Leafs was a loss in the QRFU finals to the Verdun Invictus in 1973.
until 1980. The Maple Leafs were bought out by a group from the West Island of Montreal
, who renamed the team the Montreal Junior Alouettes in 1981. The team changed names again in 1982, to the Montreal Junior Concordes, when the professional franchise, the Montreal Alouettes
, changed ownership and name. The Concordes played from 1982 to 1984, when the team folded. They managed to reach the national junior football final in 1982, losing to the Renfrew Trojans by the score of 46 to 0.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
team based in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce , also nicknamed NDG, is a residential neighbourhood of Montreal located in the city's west-end. It is one of five districts of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce...
neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec from 1946 to 1973. The Maple Leafs were members of the Quebec Senior Football League
Quebec Senior Football League
Quebec Senior Football League operated in the 1950s and 1960s and ceased operations after the 1966 season. It was a league for players that were both junior and a bit older than juniors, and included the Verdun Shamcats and the Chateauguay Ramblers. It was followed by the strictly junior Quebec...
from 1946 to 1966, the Quebec Juvenile Football League
Quebec Juvenile Football League
The Quebec Juvenile Football League operated from 1959 to 1976 as a stepping stone between midget and junior football, and was later merged with the [Quebec Junior Football League]...
from 1967 to 1969, and the Quebec Junior Football League
Quebec Junior Football League
The Quebec Junior Football League operated from 1970 to the present, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football League from which it eventually withdrew. Upon withdrawal from the CJFL, the QJFL incorporated teams from...
from 1970 to 1973.
History
The Maple Leafs won the QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
junior football championship in their inaugural season. From 1946 to 1973, the club had captured 16 provincial titles, six Eastern Canadian
Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada is generally considered to be the region of Canada east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces:* New Brunswick* Newfoundland and Labrador* Nova Scotia* Ontario* Prince Edward Island* Quebec...
Championships and the Dominion Junior Football championship in 1965. In 1970, the Maple Leafs won their final Quebec title, before losing to the Burlington Braves
Burlington Braves
The Burlington Braves are a Canadian junior football league team. Founded in 1958 in Burlington, Ontario, they presently play in the Ontario Football Conference of the Canadian Junior Football League. Two legendary CFL Hall of Fame players started their football careers with the Braves: Tony...
in the Eastern Canadian final, 22-14. The final game for the Maple Leafs was a loss in the QRFU finals to the Verdun Invictus in 1973.
Demise
At the end of 1973, the Notre-Dame-de-Grace Maple Leafs and the Verdun Invictus were the last two surviving teams from the Quebec Junior Football League. The two teams merged in 1974, becoming the Verdun Maple Leafs, and played in the Canadian Junior Football LeagueCanadian Junior Football League
The Canadian Junior Football League is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in six provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl...
until 1980. The Maple Leafs were bought out by a group from the West Island of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, who renamed the team the Montreal Junior Alouettes in 1981. The team changed names again in 1982, to the Montreal Junior Concordes, when the professional franchise, the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, changed ownership and name. The Concordes played from 1982 to 1984, when the team folded. They managed to reach the national junior football final in 1982, losing to the Renfrew Trojans by the score of 46 to 0.