Menu

St. Catharines Orioles

Statistics:

  • Sport: Hockey
  • Year team formed: 1932 

Legacy:

  • This first Black hockey team in Ontario led the way for other African-Canadian athletes in the following decades.

The St. Catharines Orioles was the first Black hockey team in Ontario. The hockey team was formed in 1932 by Ben Walker, a local quarry operator, and was sponsored by H.G “Touch” Wood, owner of Dominion-Consolidated Transport and florist Wally Walker. The team played within the Niagara District Hockey League throughout southern Ontario against white teams. Some of the men that played for the team included Rev. J. Ivan, Doug Nicholson, Dick Nicholson, Amos Dorsey, Ted Wilkins, Winifred Bell, Ken Bell, Leverne “Larry” Dorsey, Hope Nicholson, Gordon Dorsey, George West and Charles “Chuck” Smith. The Orioles led the way for other African-Canadian athletes in the following decades, including Herbert Carnegie and Willie O’Ree.

Learn more about the Orioles on the Ontario Black History Society website.

Learn more about the Orioles on the Virtual Museum of Canada website.

Learn more about the Orioles on the Sportsnet website.