East York Lyndhursts

The East York Lyndhursts were an amateur senior ice hockey team based in East York, Ontario, Canada. The team was sponsored by Lyndhurst Motors, played in the Toronto Ice Hockey League as part of the Ontario Hockey Association, and represented the Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 1954 Ice Hockey World Championships. The Lyndhursts were the first Canadian team to play against the Soviet Union national ice hockey team and they lost by a 7–2 score, to place second overall at the World Championships. Canada had previously dominated international competitions, and the loss was called "a national calamity, a national humiliation, and a mortifying experience", by journalist Elmer Ferguson. It was referred to as a "day of reckoning" in Canada by writer Michael McKinley, and a symbol of what went wrong with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's international strategy. It was the beginning of a rivalry between Canada and the Soviet Union, increased interest by the Canadian public in the Ice Hockey World Championships, and ultimately changed the Canadian approach to selecting a national team. Team history and statistics The East York Lyndhursts played home games at the East York Memorial Arena, which opened in October 1951. The team was sponsored by Harry Crowder who owned Lyndhurst Motors located on Danforth Avenue, and sold cars manufactured by Nash Motors. He agreed to sponsor the team in 1952, with the expectation of a winning team. He stated, "my business's name is going to be on the sweaters, so I don't want a bunch of giving me a bad name". The Lyndhursts played in the B-level of senior ice hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association. Other teams in their league included the Stouffville Clippers, Lambton Lumbermen, Ravina Ki-Y Flyers, and the Leaside Dines. The team finished in first place during the 1952–53 season, and reached the B-level finals during the 1953–54 season. Ontario Hockey Association senior B-level regular season and playoffs results: