Dave Town knows the title of his latest book might cause some controversy in Orillia.
Saturday at the Orillia Museum of Art and History, the local author released The Incredible Younkers: Orillia’s Greatest Hockey Team.
The Orillia Terriers senior A hockey team that won the Allan Cup in 1973 is often looked at as the city’s best.
“Yeah, they were the Orillia Terriers, but these were Orillia boys,” Town said of the Younkers. “Everybody thinks the Terriers were Orillia’s greatest team, but no one on that team was from Orillia.”
Town’s book tells the tale of the persistent Younkers of 1913-15, started by a group of seven boys, 16 to 17 years old.
“These boys just thought, ‘Why can’t we have a hockey team?’” Town said. “That a group of boys could create a hockey team and fully expect to win the championship was never questioned.”
They were the underdogs – young and inexperienced and wading into the Ontario Hockey League.
They left their mark on the sport, winning three championships without any coaches or substitutes. In fact, they were the first OHL team to have an undefeated season.
One of the founding players, Lovering Jupp, was even declared the province’s best hockey player by Toronto newspapers.
So, why have so few people heard of the Younkers?
“We never heard of them because of World War 1,” Town said. “All of their careers were shortened by the war.”
The effort to recruit soldiers was strong in Orillia. Ultimately, 13 members of the team enlisted. One died in France, while another was hit with mustard gas and a few returned with post-traumatic stress disorder. Their success as a hockey team didn’t go unnoticed in Orillia, however. After the Younkers’ first championship win, others were inspired to start leagues and teams.
“There was a boom in Orillia hockey,” Town explained.
The Incredible Younkers is the first book released as part of the Mulcahy Publishing Initiative, which was made possible thanks to funding from the Mulcahy family, which has long supported the museum. It allowed Town to focus on research and writing, while the funding covered the first run of the book.
“I love the research and the writing,” Town said. “The publishing and marketing take some of the fun out of it, so I’m grateful for this.”
Watch for his next book, Taming Orillia’s Red Light District, which will look at how the law dealt with prostitution and brothels in town. Town hopes to release it in November.
The Incredible Younkers is available at the museum.
