In 1953, three Humber Valley fathers, Stafford Smythe, Jack Stafford Jr., and Ray Picard, set out to give their young sons a chance to play hockey close to home. A notice at Humber Valley Village School drew overwhelming interest, and the Humber Valley Hockey League was born. That first season saw two teams, the Hornets and Redmen, compete as Atoms in the Toronto Hockey League. Their first game ended in a scoreless tie, but by season’s end the Hornets captured a sudden-death playoff win — with retired Leafs goalie Turk Broda as guest speaker at the year-end banquet.