Niagara IceDogs and St. Catharines Mayor set to Honour Hockey Royalty
ST. CATHARINES, ON – A pair of the greatest players to hit the ice for major junior hockey in St. Catharines – Marcel Dionne and Brian Cullen – will be honoured Friday night with a banner-raising ceremony initiated by St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, in partnership with the Niagara IceDogs.
Dionne, who played three seasons with the St. Catharines Blackhawks from 1968 to 1971, is still the all-time regular season and playoff points record holder in the city’s major junior hockey history, with 507 points. He is also sixth on the NHL’s all-time scoring list with 1,771 career points, and was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
Cullen played with the St. Catharines Teepees from 1951 until 1954. In his first season he was the league’s top rookie. In 1954 he helped lead the Teepees to a Memorial Cup as captain. During that season, he scored 68 goals and 93 assists, setting a league record of 161 points. No St. Catharines junior player broke Cullen’s point’s record that season.
Both players will have their names on banners raised to the Meridian Centre rafters on Friday night in a special ceremony before the Niagara IceDogs take on the Sarnia Sting in a 7 p.m. puck drop.
“We’re honoured that we can help celebrate these two hockey giants – that started their junior careers and eventual pro careers here in St. Catharines,” said Niagara IceDogs Owner and Governor Darren DeDobbelaer.
“To know what these two gentlemen have done on the ice, and it all started here, is simply amazing,” St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe said. “I’m honoured that we can celebrate Mr. Dionne and Mr. Cullen’s careers, and legacy to hockey, in St. Catharines on Friday. I’d like to thank hockey author and historian John Hewitt and longtime local philanthropist Archie Katzman for approaching me about this initiative.”
This marks the second and third banner to be raised at the Meridian Centre to honour those who have contributed to hockey history here in St. Catharines, after Stan Mikita’s banner was raised in 2018.
“I look forward to working with both the IceDogs and the hockey historians in our community to continue to raise banners to celebrate the legacy of excellence established on the ice here in St. Catharines for years to come,” Mayor Siscoe added.
Both Dionne and Cullen will be signing copies of John Hewitt’s book ‘Garden City Hockey Heroes’ which will be on sale during Friday’s IceDogs game on the concourse at the Meridian Centre. All proceeds of the sale of the book will be donated back to a charity of the IceDogs choosing.
The IceDogs will also be wearing an 80’s night “specialty jersey” on Friday.
All jerseys will be auctioned off online after the game in support of Community Care St. Catharines and Thorold, and the Brain Injury Association of Fort Erie.
The Niagara IceDogs arrived in the Region in 2007, and since then have been crowned Eastern Conference Champions twice.
The team is one of 20 in the Ontario Hockey League, playing out of the beautiful Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines.
The IceDogs have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities over the years and welcome all groups and teams to find out what they offer in terms of partnerships.
Visit niagaraicedogs.net for more information
