Hamilton Dukes / Dukes of Hamilton
Shop retro Hamilton Dukes tees and hoodies. Carrying a nickname that traced back to the Toronto Marlboroughs and the Duke of Marlborough, the Dukes played two seasons at Copps Coliseum and hosted the 1990 Memorial Cup, though they declined their automatic spot after a tough year. Celebrate Hamilton's junior hockey days by browsing all of our Dukes of Hamilton gear, then read the team history below. As an American small business, we're proud to keep the names, logos and stories of hockey's lost teams in circulation.
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Hamilton Dukes / Dukes of Hamilton History
The Hamilton Dukes, also known as the Dukes of Hamilton, were a short-lived major junior hockey team from Hamilton, Ontario. They played out of Copps Coliseum during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons. The team originated as the Toronto Marlboroughs franchise, which was sold by Maple Leaf Gardens due to financial difficulties. The Marlboroughs had been nicknamed the "Dukes," a reference to the Duke of Marlborough, a 17th-century aristocrat.
On the ice, however, the Dukes struggled, winning only 28 games over two seasons. Notably, they hosted the Memorial Cup tournament in 1990 but declined their automatic entry due to poor performance.
After two seasons at Copps Coliseum, the Dukes moved to Guelph, which had been without a team since the departure of the Guelph Platers a few years earlier.
