Garden City Hockey Heroes

Look for the new book Garden City Hockey Heros in local stores and the information on Vic Teal.

A message to Vic Teal from Stan Makita

Hockey School Images

Port Abino All Ontario O.R.H.A. Champion Hockey Team 1936-37

Long before Vic started coaching his love of the game of hockey started as a player. Vic is in the back row centre of this picture.

Photos of Vic Teal

"We were coached by Vic Teal, one of the greatest minor league coaches ever."

Check out this interview with Gerry Cheevers from December 2004.

Born December 7, 1940, Gerry Cheevers rose through the ranks of minor hockey in his hometown. "In St. Catharines, we have the Little NHL, which was started by my father, Joe, and a guy named Paul Judd," recalls Cheevers. "We had a lot of great volunteer coaches. From there, you'd go to a city team. We were coached by Vic Teal, one of the greatest minor league coaches ever.

Who Was Vic Teal?

For 31 years, St. Catharines Minor Hockey has been running the Vic Teal International Tournament in honour of one of the founding fathers of hockey in the Niagara Region.

WHO WAS VIC TEAL?

The St.Catharines Minor Hockey Association Vic Teal Memorial International Tournament is named after a man who, unquestionable, was the most successful minor hockey coach in Ontario, if not Canadian history.

A native of Fort Erie, Vic moved to St.Catharines in 1938 to accept the position of engineer at the new first covered, artificial ice surface.

From the day the building opened, looking after the ice facilities was a relatively small part of his life. There is no question he spent more time coaching, managing, teaching and encouraging young hockey players-and athletes in other sports too-than he did at the position he filled so well.

CHAMPIONSHIPS CAME REGULARLY

Vic Tea'ls first championship title was produced just one season after the first sheet of ice was laid here, in 1939 as coach of the St. Catharines juveniles who defeated Sudbury for the Syl Apps Trophy.

From that point on, it was never-ending story of championships and more championships.

For more then 10 years he coached all three St.Catharines teams in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association - Bantam, Midget, and Juvenile. This was before the days of Peewee and Atom level teams or we're pretty sure he would have been involved with them, too!

Vic was a hard taskmaster, but exeptionally understanding, teaching with patience, while, at the same time, refusing to countenance anything less then 100% effort.

In his years of coaching he led 24 St.Catharines teams to provincial titles, believed to be a provincial record. Incredibly he coached 13 consecutive St.Catharines juvenile teams to Southern Ontario titles and into all-Ontario finals starting with the 1942-43 season carrying on until 1955-56 when his team was runner up to Kitchener.

HIS SUCCESS IS UNMATCHED, EVEN TODAY!

There is no comparable string of successes in the O.M.H.A. record book.Along the way, the late Vic Teal coached Junior A and Junior B teams, softball, baseball, and lacrosse.

These are just some of the many reasons the St. Catharines Minor Hockey Association decided to hold a tournament in memory of a man who, more than any other, made the city of St.Catharines recognized as one of the finest minor hockey communities in the world.

THE FAMILY IS STILL INVOLVED

Through 4 generations, the Teal family has been inolved in hockey in St. Catharines. Vic's great-grandson now plays on our Tyke team and will be part of this year's tournament in honour of his great-grandfather for the first time.