Junior hockey at Dixie Arena became a fan favourite right from the time Ontario Premier Leslie Frost dropped the puck on opening night, December 16, 1949. The dream for a full-fledged Junior ‘B’ team had been realized.
The original Junior ‘B’ hockey team calling Dixie Arena home ice was the Dixie Staffords, sponsored by the Stafford Hot Chocolate Company. The Stafford brand was a mainstay at arenas and rinks across Canada. Jack Stafford lived just east of Dixie Road on the north side of the Queen Elizabeth Highway. Stafford Farm stood majestically on the east side of the Etobicoke Creek overlooking the valley, where the Etobicoke Hospital now stands. His son, Howard, attended Applewood Acres Public School.
The sight of 30 or more thoroughbred horses grazing alongside the Etobicoke Creek was common in those days. Sportsman Jack Stafford guided his horse racing empire to fourth place on the all-time list of leading stakes winners in Canada, behind only E.P. Taylor’s Windfield Farms, Conn Smythe and the legendary Seagram Stables.
Jack Stafford of the Stafford Hot Chocolate Company loved sports. He sponsored the Dixie Stafford team. In his youth Jack was a member of the 1918 Winnipeg Lacrosse Club Championship team.
The Dixie Staffords shone on Dixie Arena’s opening night as they defeated St. Michael’s Buzzers 6-1. The name Dixie Staffords, however, faded from newspaper coverage after one season.
Following the demise of the Dixie Staffords, Junior action ceased for the whole of the next season, which left a void in the hearts of the Dixie fans.
Fans became excited again on Saturday, April 12, 1952, when St. Michael’s Junior ‘B’ OHA team, complete with the league’s most celebrated players, returned to Dixie and were pitted against the TTHL Township All Stars in a gala evening sponsored by the Toronto Township Hockey League.