Toronto Aura Lee
| Toronto Aura Lee | |
|---|---|
| City | Toronto, Ontario |
| League | Ontario Hockey Association |
| Operated | 1916–1926 |
| Home arena | Arena Gardens |
The Toronto Aura Lee Hockey Club operated a pair of junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1916 to 1926. They played at Arena Gardens in Toronto. The Aura Lee juniors won the OHA championship in 1916, 1917, 1922, and 1925, and twice won the Eastern Canadian Championship, in 1922 and 1925.
In 1922, the Aura Lee juniors defeated the Iroquois Falls Papermakers for the Eastern title. The 1922 Memorial Cup was scheduled to be played at Shea's Amphitheatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with the Eastern Champion playing the Western Champion for the Memorial Cup. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association decided to save money, that Aura Lee play the Fort William War Veterans en route to Winnipeg. Aura Lee lost that game 5–3. In 1925, the Aura Lee juniors defeated the defending Memorial Cup champions Owen Sound Greys en route to returning to the Eastern Canadian Championship. They were victorious versus the Quebec Sons of Ireland in that series, and earning a berth in the national championship for the 1925 Memorial Cup. The Aura Lee juniors were defeated in two games by the Regina Patricias.
In January 1925, the trustees of the Aura Lee Athletic Club voted to turn their clubhouse and football grounds over to the University of Toronto.
NHL and Hall of Fame alumni
Four alumni of the Aura Lee have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Billy Burch, Lionel Conacher, Babe Dye and Harry Watson. Watson never played in the NHL. He was offered a professional contract, but he declined, remaining an amateur.[1] He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962. Seventeen members of the Aura Lee went on to play in the National Hockey League:[2]