They won the 1952-53 Ontario Hockey League "A" title. The team boasted a 22-game winning streak that year. Verne Hesse, Reggie "Raggie" Smith, Harry Bentley, Lennie Cook, George Stanutz, Val Lucian, Hal Schooley, Doug Walton, Terry Hagen, Dick Taylor, Bill Bartlett, Dr. Forster, Ted Westcott, Jack Dyte, Herb Hause, George "Chirp" Bentley, Harold Eatwell, George Butcher, George Troughton, Wilf Stewart, George Coulter, Jim MacKenzie, Doug Calvert, Fred Kenny, Gord Astles, Walt Gardiner, Ken Wilson, Sonny Lowe, Don Mitchell and Bert Lariviere were the 1952-53 Gunners hockey team. More than 3,000 fans jammed the Simcoe Arena game after game to watch Eddie Bush and the Collingwood Shipbuilders battle the Gunners for the OHA crown. Fred Kenny remembers rival Collingwood's Eddie Bush grabbing the microphone out of CKPC radio announcer Arnold Anderson's hand after scoring, and saying "How do you like that, Simcoe?" during the championship game. The whole town celebrated the Gunners' win and gave the team our traditional fire truck ride through downtown. The 1952-53 Gunners were inducted into our Sports Hall of Recognition in 1996. ______ |
