American Hockey League (1986-1991)
Tombstone
Born: June 1986 – The St. Catharines Saints relocate to Newmarket, ON
Moved: May 2, 1991 (St. John’s Maple Leafs)
First Game: October 10, 1986 (L 3-2 vs. Binghamton Whalers)
Last Game: March 30, 1991 (L 5-4 @ Hershey Bears)
Calder Cup Championships: None
Arena
Newmarket Recreation Complex (3,387)11990-91 American Hockey League Media Guide
Opened:1985
Marketing
Team Colors: Blue & White21990-91 American Hockey League Media Guide
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. (Harold Ballard)
NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs
Attendance
The Saints ranked last in the AHL in attendance in each of their five seasons.
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Source: 1994-95 American Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book
Background
The Newmarket Saints were the top farm club of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs during the late 1980’s. The team was owned directly by Maple Leaf Gardens Limited during the last dark years of the Harold Ballard era.
The club played at the tiny 2,500-seater Ray Twinney Complex just north of Toronto. The arena’s insufficient size contributed to the Saints ranking dead last in American Hockey League attendance in all five seasons of their existence.
A year after Ballard’s death in 1990, the Maple Leafs’ 5-year lease of the Ray Twinney Complex expired and Toronto moved their farm club to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Since the Saints’ departure, pro hockey has never returned to Newmarket and the Complex now plays host to junior hockey.
Newmarket Saints Shop
Links
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