Belleville Hockey Heritage Stories
Crawford family has a legacy of success
By Aaron Bell When Floyd Crawford first moved to Belleville in 1957, he had a feeling it was going to be a good fit for him. More than six decades later, Crawford and his family’s legacy are part of the history of our community. Floyd came from the salt mines in...
Youthful Bulls get historic first win against Kingston
1981-82 1981 was a year of change for the Ontario Hockey League. Commissioner David Branch was entering his third season at the helm and was poised to make a lasting impression on the junior circuit. The league officially separated from the Ontario Hockey Association...
Kelly was Bulls’ first leader
Ben Kelly was the captain for the Bulls' historic first game -a 12-7 win over the Kingston Canadians. He resumed the role again in December when Ray Flaherty, who wore the C for most of the games in the first few months, was traded to Oshawa. Kelly was an alternate...
Kelleher narrowly avoided tragedy in Bulls early win
Brett Kelleher was the Belleville Bulls' best player during the 1980-81 championship season and was recognized as the league's most valuable at the end of the year. He scored 41 goals and 85 points in just 31 games and was the playoff MVP after adding 26 postseason...
The Birth of the Bulls
For more than four decades, the Belleville Bulls helped shape the identity of the Friendly City. The players have been a focal point of the community since their admission into the OHL in 1981, but the love affair between the city and the team started a little bit...
Meagher had a big impact in the community
It’s hard to imagine that Rick Meagher could have possibly had a bigger impact off the ice than he did on it. The Belleville native played in nearly 700 games in the National Hockey League after graduating from Boston University. He was an NHL team captain, won...