Port Arthur Bearcats

The Port Arthur Bearcats (Bear Cats) were a senior amateur ice hockey team based in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada – now part of the city of Thunder Bay – from the early 1900s until 1970. Before settling on the nickname of Bearcats, the Port Arthur team played several seasons with unofficial generic names applied by fans and sportswriters, such as the Port Arthur Ports, Port Arthur Hockey Club, and the Port Arthur Seniors.
==History==
Port Arthur played the Ottawa Senators for the Stanley Cup in a 1911 challenge, losing 13–4 in a one-game showdown on March 16, 1911."Stanley Cup remains in Ottawa – Port Arthur beaten by 13 to 4" Ottawa Citizen. Mar. 17, 1911 (pg. 8). Retrieved 2020-07-24.
By 1915 the Port Arthur was playing in the Thunder Bay Senior A Hockey League (TBSHL). Port Arthur is located in western portion of Ontario, the Bearcats found it convenient to play in the Manitoba Senior A Hockey League (MSHL, MTBSHL) at various times during its history. The Bearcats have also played seasons in the Port Arthur Senior Hockey League (PSHL) and the International Amateur Hockey League (IAHL).
The Bearcats were amongst the best Senior-A teams in Canada, playing in the national Allan Cup championship finals seven times from 1925 through 1942, winning the 1925, 1926, 1929 and 1939 Allan Cup championships. During years that the Allan Cup was an East versus West competition, the Bearcats played as the representative from Western Canada.
After the 1935 Allan Cup champion Halifax Wolverines disbanded, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) chose the runnerup Bearcats to be Canada's representative at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The Bearcats won the silver medal for Canada.Canada at the 1936 Olympic Winter Games The team remained on an exhibition tour in Europe after the Olympics and returned late to Canada. CAHA president E. A. Gilroy upheld the ruling by W. G. Hardy to exclude the team from the 1936 Allan Cup playoffs.
The Bearcats were chosen to represent Canada at the 1940 Winter Olympics, and CAHA vice-president Frank Sargent was placed in charge of the upcoming tour of Europe. The CAHA approved $5,000 towards travel expenses, and the team would receive any profits from exhibition games played while in Europe. The Bearcats requested a guarantee from the CAHA against financial loss, and Sargent expected a meeting to decide on the travel demands. The 1940 Winter Olympics were ultimately cancelled after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.
The team suspended operation in 1943 and 1944, due to World War II. The Bearcats returned in the 1945–46 season, continuing operation until the merger of the cities of Port Arthur and Fort William, with the Fort William Beavers joining the Bearcats to form the Thunder Bay Twins for the 1970–71 season. This new iteration would appear in six more Allan Cup finals, including five Allan Cup wins. This team folded after finishing as runner-up in the 1991 Allan Cup.
The Bearcats and the successor Twins combined for 13 Allan Cup competitions, winning a combined 9 championships.
The 1936 Olympic silver medalist Bearcats team was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
In the winter of 1961–62, the Bearcats represented Canada in a European exhibition game tour, facilitated by Fred Page.
==Notable Players==
===1936 Olympic Team Roster===
*Gus Saxberg
*Maxwell Deacon
*Hugh Farguharson
*Kenneth Farmer-Horn
*James Haggarty
*Walter Kitchen
*Raymond Milton
*Francis Moore
*Herman Murray
*Arthur Nash
*David Neville
*Alexander Sinclair
*Ralph St. Germain
*Bill Thomson
===NHL Alumni===
Thirty-one alumni from the Port Arthur Bearcats/Ports/Hockey Club/Seniors/Bear Cats played in the National Hockey League:Port Arthur Bearcats alumni searchPort Arthur Bear Cats alumni searchPort Arthur Ports alumni searchPort Arthur Hockey Club alumni searchPort Arthur Seniors alumni searchPort Arthur Bearcats (revival) alumni search
* Cliff Barton, Bart Bradley, Bill Brydge, Marty Burke, Harry Cameron, Eddie Carpenter, Lorne Chabot, Art Chapman, Bob Connors, Danny Cox, Jimmy Creighton, Gus Forslund, Gord Fraser, Alex Gray, Jim Haggarty, Steve Hrymnak, James Jarvis, Dick Kotanen, Edgar Laprade, Norm Larson, Jim McLeod, Rudy Migay, Frank Nighbor, Bud Poile, Albert Pudas, Charlie Sands, Red Spooner, Butch Stahan, Bill Thomson, Jack Walker, Alex Wellington, Gord Wilson, Steve Wojciechowski, Benny Woit
==Season-by-Season Record==
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	GF 		GA 	P 	Results 	 	
1915–16	8 	4 	4 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	8 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1916–17	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1917–18	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1918–19	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1919–20	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1920–21	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1921–22	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1922–23	16 	11 	5 	0 	- 	95 	57 	22 	2nd MSHL 	 	
1923–24	15 	11 	4 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	16 	3rd MTBSHL 	 	
1924–25	19 	12 	7 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	24 	2nd MTBSHL, Allan Cup champion 	 	
1925–26	20 	14 	6 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	28 	1st TBSHL, Allan Cup champion 	 	
1926–27	20 	10 	9 	1 	- 	-- 	-- 	21 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1927–28	21 	6 	14 	1 	- 	56 	97 	13 	3rd MTBSHL 	 	
1928–29	18 	12 	6 	1 	- 	-- 	-- 	25 	2nd MTBSHL, Allan Cup champion 	 	
1929–30	22 	16 	6 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	25 	1st TBSHL, Allan Cup runnerup 	 	
1930–31	22 	11 	9 	2 	- 	-- 	-- 	21.5 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1931–32	17 	11 	5 	1 	- 	-- 	-- 	23 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1932–33	20 	9 	9 	2 	- 	-- 	-- 	28 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1933–34	14 	7 	4 	3 	- 	41 	34 	17 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1934–35	21 	11 	9 	1 	- 	-- 	-- 	23 	2nd TBSHL, Allan Cup runnerup 	 	
1935–36	8 	7 	1 	0 	- 	54 	7 	14 	Silver Medal, 1936 Olympics 	 	
1936–37	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season 	Statistics Not Available from IAHL season
1937–38	26 	10 	14 	2 	- 	85 	103 	22 	3rd IAHL 	 	
1938–39	23 	14 	6 	3 	- 	-- 	-- 	31 	1st TBSHL, Allan Cup champion 	 	
1939–40	23 	13 	8 	2 	- 	-- 	-- 	28 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1940–41	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available 	Statistics Not Available
1941–42	17 	14 	3 	0 	- 	101 	51 	28 	1st TBSHL, Allan Cup runnerup 	 	
1942–43	8 	4 	4 	0 	- 	45 	41 	8 	1st PASHL 	 	
1943–44	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2
1944–45	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2 	Folded due to WW2
1945–46	8 	4 	4 	0 	- 	45 	44 	8 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1946–47	12 	9 	2 	1 	- 	-- 	-- 	19 	1st IAHL 	 	
1947–48	9 	6 	3 	0 	- 	51 	45 	12 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1948–49	17 	11 	5 	1 	- 	112 	90 	23 	1st MTBL Lost Thunder Bay Senior Final 	 	
1949–50	12 	1 	10 	1 	- 	63 	97 	3 	3rd GLSL Lost Thunder Bay Final 	 	
1950–51	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year	No information available-May not have played this year
1951–52	16 	4 	12 	0 	- 	64 	107 	8 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1952–53	22 	5 	17 	0 	- 	61 	149 	8 	3rd TBSHL 	 	
1953–54	30 	10 	20 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	20 	3rd TBSHL 	 	
1954–55	45 	14 	30 	1 	- 	-- 	-- 	29 	3rd TBSHL 	 	
1955–56	8 	4 	3 	1 	- 	37 	34 	9 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1956–57	3 	0 	3 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	0 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1957–58	3 	0 	3 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	0 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1958–59	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season. 	No Regular Season.
1959–60	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season 	No Regular Season
1960–61	10 	6 	4 	0 	- 	45 	29 	12 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1961–62	10 	7 	3 	0 	- 	-- 	-- 	14 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1962–63	15 	4 	7 	4 	- 	60 	67 	12 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1963–64	22 	12 	7 	3 	- 	80 	74 	27 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1964–65	24 	11 	9 	4 	- 	90 	91 	26 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1965–66	18 	3 	14 	1 	- 	65 	107 	10.5 	4th TBSHL 	 	
1966–67	12 	3 	6 	3 	- 	57 	67 	9 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
1967–68	14 	10 	4 	0 	- 	84 	53 	20 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1968–69	13 	11 	2 	0 	- 	85 	39 	22 	1st TBSHL 	 	
1969–70	12 	2 	10 	0 	- 	54 	84 	4 	2nd TBSHL 	 	
==Gallery==
24-25PorArt.jpg|1925 Allan Cup championship team.
28-29PABea.jpg|1929 Allan Cup championship team.
1939bearcats.jpg|1939 Allan Cup championship team.
==See Also==
*Canada men's national ice hockey team
*Ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics
==References==
===Notes===
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Canadian Olympic Teams
Category:Defunct Teams
Category:Thunder Bay Senior Hockey League teams
Category:Manitoba-Thunder Bay League teams
Category:Ice hockey teams representing Canada internationally