On February 3, Whitby is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Whitby Dunlop team that won the World Championships in 1958.The original Whitby Dunlops were founded from the remnants of the former Oshawa Generals team of 1952-53. After the an arena fire destroyed the Generals home ice, the team was disbanded.
Some of the players followed team manager Wren Blair to form the Oshawa Truckmen who were relocated to Whitby in 1954. The team was soon sponsored by the Dunlop Rubber Company, and renamed the Whitby Dunlops. The team started as a Senior B team, winning its division the first year. The following year the Dunlops moved up to the Senior A league.
The Senior A team would go on to win two Allan Cups (in 1957 and 1959) and a World Hockey Championship (in 1958). Notable members of the team are, former Whitby mayor Bob Attersley, former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Sid Smith, Boston Bruin president Harry Sinden and my father-in-law and former Toronto Marlie coach and general manger Frank Bonello (in picture below). Harry Sinden was captain of the 1958 Dunlops, while former Leaf captain Sid Smith was a playing coach. The Town of Whitby honoured this great team for their incredible achievements with their induction into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame.The Dunlops were Canada's representative to the 1958 World Championships in Oslo, Norway, as the defending Allan Cup champions. The team took an ocean liner to the championships in Norway because team manager Wren Blair was terrified of flying. Everyone was sick for six days because of the rough waters but the chance to restore Canada's pride was worth it.
