Steelheads Christmas Countdown – 3
This holiday season, the Mississauga Steelheads are counting down the 12 days of Christmas by looking back at the history of our franchise and the OHL in Mississauga.
With 3 days to go, we take a look at the three organizations that have represented Mississauga in the Ontario Hockey League!
Be sure to check back everyday for new features!
The Mississauga Ice Dogs were founded in 1997, by a group fronted by the legendary Don Cherry. The expansion IceDogs began play in the 1998-1999 OHL season in the brand new Hershey Centre, under the guidance of Head Coach Peter Sturgeon. As an inexperienced organization, the team sputtered to a 1-21-1 record in their first three games under Sturgeon. Looking to compete with the other OHL franchises, Sturgeon was replaced by Jim Hulton midway through the season, however he fared only slightly better, with the IceDogs finished dead last with a 4-56-3-5 record.
The last-place finish led toMississaugareceiving the first-overall pick in the 2000 OHL Priority Selection, which they used to pick Jason Spezza. Despite the poor on-ice performance, Hulton returned for the 1999-2000 season, tripling his wins. Unfortunately, a 9-56-1-2 record was still not enough to get the IceDogs to the playoffs, and Jim was replaced in the offseason.
Holding another first-overall pick, the IceDogs selected Patrick Jarrett. With two first-overall picks on the roster and a new head coach in former Toronto Maple Leaf Rick Vaive, there was much to be excited about inMississauga. Unfortunately, a slow start saw the departure of 9 players, and the IceDogs posted the worst season in their short history, finishing the season 3-56-7-2.
Picking first-overall for the third straight season, the IceDogs selected Patrick O’Sullivan, who would turn out to be a game-breaker forMississauga. With Don Cherry moving into a coaching role, and a Rookie-of-the-Year in O’Sullivan, the IceDogs began to show progress as they won double-digit games, however still finished in last place.
With their fourth straight first-overall pick, the IceDogs selected Rob Schremp, and brought in Steve Ludzik as head coach. The 2002-2003 IceDogs had their best season to date as Patrick O’Sullivan led the charge, with another Rookie-of-the-Year in Schremp, the emergence of Daniel Sisca and an emerging leader in Dan Rudisuela. With a 23-31-11-3 record, the IceDogs qualified for the playoffs for the first time in their history. Despite being eliminated in the first round, the pieces were in place for the IceDogs to make a push.
With another strong pick in Cody Bass, a new head coach in Greg Gilbert, and the captaincy in the hands of Rudisuela, the IceDogs marched to a second place finish in the Central Division, and a trip to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Finals. Although the IceDogs were unable to win a game against the Guelph Storm, hockey was finally becoming exciting again in Mississauga.
The 2004-2005 season was another successful one for the IceDogs, as OHL Goaltender-of-the-Year Michael Ouzas led Mississaugato their first-ever Central Division championship, and finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately the IceDogs could not put together another deep run, falling in the first round of the playoffs. With the departure of superstar Patrick O’Sullivan and go-to defenceman Kyle Quincey, the IceDogs finished the 2005-2006 season at the bottom of the Central Division.
In what would eventually be the demise of the Mississauga IceDogs, rival owner Eugene Melnyk of the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors purchased the IceDogs in the offseason. In a widely-publicized series of events, the IceDogs’ rebranded with a new logo and uniforms, as well as brought in Mike Kelly to replace Greg Gilbert as head coach. A 43-21-0-4 record was second-best in the Central Division, but was the best season in the history of the IceDogs, scoring 326 goals and accumulating 90 points. Unfortunately the IceDogs would fall to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Sudbury Wolves. In a widely-publicized series of events in the 2007 offseason, Melnyk sold the Ice Dogs, moving the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors into the Hershey Centre, to become the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. The IceDogs would eventually move to St. Catharine’s to become the Niagara IceDogs, ending the first chapter of hockey in Mississauga.
Mississauga IceDogs All-Time Leading Scorers
- Patrick O’Sullivan (148G, 197A – 345 Points)
- Michael Swift (73G, 110A – 183 Points)
- Jordan Owens (64G, 84A – 153 Points)
Mississauga IceDogs All-Time Games Played
- Patrick O’Sullivan (234)
- Cody Bass (217)
- Michael Swift (208)
Championships
– 2004 Bobby Orr Trophy (Eastern Conference Champions)
– 2004-05 Emms Trophy (Central Division Champions)
The modern Toronto St. Michael’s Majors were founded in 1996, when the former school team became an OHL Expansion Team. The team survived in Torontofor 10 years, winning 2 Emms Trophies before moving to Mississauga in the summer of 2007. Under head coach Dave Cameron, the Majors finished third in the Central Division after previously missing the playoffs and drafting third overall. First-round pick Casey Cizikas showed his skill, finishing fourth on the team in scoring during the regular season. Heading back to the playoffs, the Majors unfortunately went winless, however with the rookie Cizikas leading the team in points, the team saw promise.
The Majors took a step forward in 2008-2009, drafting future standout players in Devante Smith-Pelly, Riley Brace, J.P. Anderson, Joseph Cramarossa, Alex Cord, and Derek Schoenmakers. Finishing with a record of 36-26-1-2, the Majors finished second in the Central Division and returned to the playoffs, this time making it to the second round before being eliminated by their Peel Region rival Brampton Battalion.
Continuing to inch closer to an OHL championship, the Majors continued their strong drafting, selecting Stuart Percy, Dylan DeMelo, Eric Diodati and Brett Foy in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection. Once again, the Majors finished second in the Central Division, this time with a record of 42-20-4-2, and advanced to the post season. The Majors made it one step closer, this time falling in the Eastern Conference Final, however once again saw promise with strong contributions from their young players.
The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors started the 2010-2011 knowing that they already had a berth locked in for the MasterCard Memorial Cup as the host team. The team did not sit back however, dominating throughout the regular season. This edition of the Majors led the league in goals scored, while allowing the least amount of goals en route to a 53-13-0-2 season that saw them finish 7 points ahead of the second place team in the OHL. The Majors kept rolling in the postseason, sweeping the first two rounds before needing an extra game to defeat the IceDogs in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Majors would battle the Owen Sound Attack in a thrilling seven game series that saw three games go to overtime, including game 7 – where the Attack would eventually prevail. The Majors would gain a measure of revenge against Owen Sound, defeating them in the round robin before they were eliminated in a tiebreaker game against the Kootenay Ice. Mississauga would head to the finals, however, were defeated by the Saint John Sea Dogs for the Memorial Cup.
Looking to defend their Eastern Conference title, the Majors entered the 2011-2012 OHL season with a new head coach in James Boyd. The departure of many star players left the door open for new leaders to emerge, as Stuart Percy was named Captain of the Majors, with Dylan DeMelo serving as a new alternate. Despite a winning record of 33-28-1-6, the Majors finished last in the Central Division, still qualifying for the playoffs however, as the sixth seed. Unfortunately the Barrie Colts prevailed in round one of the playoffs, eliminating the St. Michael’s Majors for the final time.
In the 2012 offseason, the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors announced that the team had been acquired by Elliott Kerr, a former member of the IceDogs’ original ownership group. With the departure of Eugene Melnyk, the St. Michael’s branding returned to its original home in St. Michael’s College, and the Mississauga Steelheads were born.
James Boyd remained as head coach, and Stuart Percy as captain, while Dylan DeMelo, Riley Brace and Alex Cord were named alternates for 2012-2013. Mississauga started the season hot, placing on the BMO CHL Top 10 rankings, however a midseason slump would see the Steelheads fall in the standings. Eventually making the playoffs with the eighth seed, the Steelheads took the top-seeded Belleville Bulls to six games in the first round, before being eliminated.
The Steelheads used their fourth-overall pick to select 2013 OHL Exceptional Player Sean Day, and started the season hot. After a bit of a slide, the Steelheads are back to playing strong hockey, sitting in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt at the midway point of the season.
Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors/Steelheads All-Time Leading Scorers
- Riley Brace (89G, 145A – 234 Points)
- Casey Cizikas (88G, 115A – 203 Points)
- Jordan Mayer (89G, 91A – 180 Points)
Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors/Steelheads All-Time Games Played
- Riley Brace (304)
- Jordan Mayer (267)
- Brett Flemming (247)
Championships
– 2010-11 Emms Trophy (Central Division Champions)
– 2011 Bobby Orr Trophy (Eastern Conference Champions)
