Brantford Blast were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association's Allan Cup Hockey, from Brantford, Ontario. The team was established in 2000, and played their games at the Brantford Civic Centre.
The Blast were the winners of the 2008 Allan Cup as Canadian Senior "AAA" Champions.
History In 2000, the Ontario Hockey Association allowed for the expansion of the first Brantford team since 1987 into Ontario's top tier of Senior hockey. The Brantford Prowl competed during the 2000-01 Southwestern Senior A Hockey League season and finished in fifth place with a record of 12 wins, 17 losses, and a tie. The team took 2001-02 off, but then re-emerged in 2002 as the Blast.
In 2002, Brantford rejoined the top tier of Ontario senior hockey this time known as the Brantford Blast. At the time, the city had the Brantford Golden Eagles in the Ontario Hockey Association, but had also lost teams, like the Brantford Alexanders of the Ontario Hockey League, who left in 1984 and the Brantford Smoke of the Colonial Hockey League, who left in 1998. The Blast would play their home games at the Brantford Civic Centre as well. The Blast have made it to the post season twice. In the 2005–06 season, when they won the league, but lost in the first round to the Dundas Real McCoys 4 games to 2. In the 2006–07 season, they placed third, defeating the Petrolia Squires 4 games to 3, and the Windsor St. Clair Saints 4 games to none to capture their first MLH Championship after a 4–3 win Monday March 12 in front of the home town crowd in Brantford.
Brantford won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the league's playoffs championship in 2013 and 2014.
The Blast's was initially withdrawn from the Allan Cup Hockey for the 2022–23 season only. However, the application for the 2023-24 season was not submitted.
2008 Allan Cup The Blast finished the 2007–08 season in second place. They swept the Windsor St. Clair Saints 4-games-to-none in the Major League Hockey semi-final, but were defeated 4-games-to-2 to the Dundas Real McCoys.
The Brantford Blast were the host team of the 2008 Allan Cup, which was held in Brantford from April 14-April 19, 2008. This was also the 100th anniversary for the event, one of the reasons that the Blast wanted to host it.
The Brantford Blast became the first Ontario Hockey Association team since the Brantford Motts Clamatos, in 1987, to win the Allan Cup. As hosts of the 2008 Allan Cup, the Blast failed to win their league and were allowed to bypass the OHA Final against the Whitby Dunlops and the Renwick Cup against the Thunder Bay Hawks. After almost a months rest, the Blast competed at home for the Allan Cup and won the entire thing. After suffering their only loss of the tournament to the Shawinigan Xtreme 3–2 in the first game, the Blast defeated the Bentley Generals 5–3 to clinch second in their division. They defeated the Robertson Cup and EOSHL champion Whitby Dunlops in the quarter-final handily, 7–2. They then knocked off the Major League Hockey and Renwick Cup champion Dundas Real McCoys in the semi-final 3–2 in overtime. They met Bentley again in the final, who defeated the 2007 champions Lloydminster Border Kings and the Shawinigan Xtreme, and defeated them 3–1 to win the Canadian National Senior "AAA" crown.
Season-by-season record Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results2000-01 30 12 17 1 0 -- -- 25 5th SWSHL2001-02 Did Not Participate2002-03 31 9 21 1 0 130 189 20 5th OHA Sr. A2003-04 32 16 11 4 1 162 141 37 5th OHA Sr. A2004-05 34 8 25 1 0 136 195 17 6th MLH2005-06 32 18 9 - 5 161 137 41 1st MLH2006-07 30 15 13 - 2 156 142 32 3rd MLH2007-08 30 21 9 - 0 131 100 42 2nd MLH2008-09 28 13 15 - 0 127 120 26 5th MLH2009-10 Did Not Participate2010-11 24 13 11 - 0 133 127 26 2nd MLH2011-12 28 17 10 - 1 148 131 35 3rd ACH2012-13 24 20 2 - 2 148 82 42 1st ACH2013-14 24 16 7 - 1 126 80 33 3rd ACH2014-15 24 16 6 - 2 136 98 34 2nd ACH, Lost league final2015-16 24 17 5 - 2 105 86 51 2nd ACH, Lost league final2016-17 24 12 10 - 2 112 111 51 4th ACH, Lost quarterfinal2017-18 23 8 15 - 0 103 126 24 5th ACH2018-19Did Not Participate 2019-20 20 11 8 - 1 105 108 31 3rd ACH, Playoffs cancelled during final with team trailing 2-0
Awards 2004/2005 - All Star Centre - Paul Polillo 2004/2005 - Most Sportsmanlike - Tyler Pelton November 2005 - Player of the Month - Adriano Fiacconi December 2005 - Player of the Month - Tyler Pelton 2005-06 - League All-Star Game players - Tyler Pelton, Adriano Fiacconi, Brett Leggat 2005-06 - Season Champions 2005-06 - Best Team Goaltending 2006-07 - Major League Hockey Champions 2007-08 - Allan Cup Champions 2011-12 - Allan Cup Hockey - Robertson Cup Champions 2011-12 - Best Team Goaltending - Brett Leggat, Anthony Marshall, Ben Thomas 2011-12 - League Best player award - Mike Ruberto 2011-12 - League Leader Points - Mike Ruberto 2011-12 - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat 2011-12 - League Leader Goaltending - Brett Leggat 2012-13 - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat 2012-13 - League Leader Goltending - Brett Leggat 2013-14 - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat 2013-14 - League Most valuable player - Joel Prpic 2013-14 - League Leader Goaltending - Brett Leggat 2014-15 - League Best goaltender award - Anthony Marshall 2014-15 - League Leader Goltending - Anthony Marshall 2015-16 - League Best goaltender award - Brett Leggat 2015-16 - League Leader Goaltending - Brett Leggat 2017-18 - Most Sportsmanlike - Cameron Sault 2019-20 - Most Gentlemanly - Deron Cousens
Notable alumni Tyrone Garner Brent Gretzky Grant Ledyard Jeff MacMillan Joel Prpic Steven Rice Jason Williams
References
External links Official web site