In the summer of 1957, the PHL had expressed interest in expansion. After taking applications throughout the 1957-58 season, the league finally announced that new franchises in Ottawa and Halifax would begin play in the fall of 1959. The Ottawa franchise will be called the Ottawa Beavers, while the Halifax franchise will be called the Nova Scotia Claymores. Logos will be revealed in in the summer of 1959.
News of expansion was not welcomed by everyone. Several western cities had once again been rejected by the league, including Vancouver. Former Vancouver Bighorns owner Gerald Smythe had recovered from his financial difficulties and had been pressuring the PHL to allow the Bighorns back into the league. When his proposal was rejected once again in 1958, he began to explore creating a new league based in the west.
In other off-season news, the Boston Bulldogs signed highly touted prospect Don Greer to his first contract. Greer had been playing in the Bulldogs system since 1954, when he was only 14. Greer had scored a record 62 goals in his final season with the Mississauga Nationals of the Ontario Junior league and was projected to be a future hall-of-famer. Boston also hired former superstar George Allen as their new head coach. Allen had played his final season in Boston, retiring with 466 goals and 874 Points.
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