Howard Pallett joined with area businessmen Vic Stanfield, Ed Waller, John Pallett, Ken Pallett, Charlie Richie, Earl Hiltz and Earl Clare in 1953 to establish the South Peel Hockey Club and purchased the Junior ‘B’ East York Rockets for the bargain price of $1,000.
The team was promptly renamed the Dixie Rockets and entered the OHA Metro Junior ‘B’ loop alongside the Lakeshore Flashers. The OHA announced that the ‘Big Six’, which was Weston, Scarborough, Brampton, St, Michaels College, Woodbridge and Unionville would expand to nine teams to include entries from Aurora, Lakeshore and Dixie.
The sale of the East York team came about because the arena where they played was making more money from ice rentals to major industrial hockey teams. The demand for ice time by the industrial teams pushed the junior team to the point where the ice time for the East York squad was extremely limited and was being cut back all the time. Moving to Dixie would solve that problem.
The press reports claimed that the junior bug hit Toronto Township like a ton of bricks. “The Township was introduced to junior hockey wars last season with the formation of the Flashers, who this year have shoved off to the Lakeshore Memorial Arena. The team was drawing paying patrons like a lump of sugar draws flies, and this year the Dixie fans will have something to holler for, and about, as the Rockets take to the ice,” the Port Credit Weekly reported.
When the exhibition season got underway, the Dixie Rockets came out of the box with all barrels blazing. In their first exhibition game they defeated Unionville 5-2 and in their second game they edged the powerful Weston Dukes 3-2. Gerry Denoird, who played one season in the NHL with the 1922 St. Pats and a decade after became a referee, coached the Dixie Rockets. Gerry Denoird resigned at the mid-season mark, turning over the reins to Don Graham.