Newmarket Royals

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Newmarket Royals
City: Newmarket, Ontario
League: Ontario Hockey League
Division: Leyden
Operated: 1992-94
Home Arena: Newmarket Recreational Complex
Colours: Blue, White and Orange
Franchise history
1969-1992: Cornwall Royals
1992-1994: Newmarket Royals
1994-Present: Sarnia Sting
Newmarket Royals1992-93
Enlarge
Newmarket Royals
1992-93

The Newmarket Royals were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1992 to 1994. They played out of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

Contents

[edit] History

The Royals franchise started in 1969 as the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Cornwall Royals won the Memorial Cup in 1972, 1980, and in 1981. For the 1981 - 1982 season, the team transferred into the Ontario Hockey League.

In 1992 the Cornwall Royals moved to Newmarket, Ontario to play as the Newmarket Royals. This team should be not be confused with a different Newmarket Royals team in the OMHA in the early 1980s.

Newmarket Royals inaugural game
Enlarge
Newmarket Royals inaugural game

The first year for the Newmarket Royals was moderately successful, finishing 5th in the Leyden Division with a winning record. In the playoffs that year the Royals faced the Sudbury Wolves in a very heated 7 game series, won by the Wolves.

For every goal the Royals scored at home in the series that year (11 in total), a stuffed wolf was hung in the rafters. This was move mocking the Sudbury Wolves stuffed wolf that howls at opposing bench whenever the home team Wolves score.

The second Royals season is best forgotten. The Newmarket Royals were the only team in OHL and CHL history to go winless in away games for an entire season. The Royals finished last in the OHL, 18 points behind the next closest team.

In 1994 the team was bought by the Ciccarelli brothers and moved to Sarnia, Ontario to begin play as the Sarnia Sting.

[edit] Coaches

Both Shawn Mackenzie and Don Boyd, coaches of the Newmarket Royals were former goalies. Don Boyd previously coached the London Knights and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Shawn Mackenzie, a native of Bedford, Nova Scotia played in the OHL for the Windsor Spitfires and Oshawa Generals, and briefly for the New Jersey Devils in 1983. He later coached the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL.

  • 1992-1993 Shawn MacKenzie
  • 1993-1994 Don Boyd

[edit] Players

The Newmarket Royals sent 9 players to compete in the NHL, all of whom were active for the 1992-1993 season. That year saw Jeff Reid total 106 points that year, Nathan Lafayette lead goal scorers with 49, and defenceman Mark DeSantis was voted a first team OHL All-Star.

[edit] NHL Alumni

[edit] Yearly Results

[edit] Regular Season

Season Games Won Lost Tied Points Pct % Goals
For
Goals
Against
Standing
1992-93 66 29 28 9 67 0.508 310 301 5th in Leyden
1993-94 66 9 47 10 28 0.212 231 377 8th in Leyden

[edit] Playoffs

  • 1992-1993 Lost to Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 3 in first round.
  • 1993-1994 Out of playoffs.

[edit] Team Uniforms & Logos

# 8 Aaron Brand Home Jersey
Enlarge
# 8 Aaron Brand Home Jersey

The Royals redesigned their logo when the franchise shifted from Cornwall to Newmarket, but kept the same uniforms colours of royal blue, white and orange. The new logo was a horizontal hockey stick with the words Newmarket Royals below it. Pictured are the home and away jerseys of # 8 Aaron Brand, that the team wore in their two seasons in the OHL.

[edit] Newmarket Recreational Complex

Newmarket Recreational Complex
Enlarge
Newmarket Recreational Complex

The Royals played home games at the Newmarket Recreational Complex. Since then the arena has been renamed the Ray Twinney Complex, for the former Mayor of Newmarket. It was built in 1985, and has a capacity of 3,700 seats.


Ontario Hockey League
Current Teams : Barrie Colts | Belleville Bulls | Brampton Battalion | Erie Otters | Guelph Storm | Kingston Frontenacs | Kitchener Rangers | London Knights | Mississauga IceDogs | Oshawa Generals | Ottawa 67's | Owen Sound Attack | Peterborough Petes | Plymouth Whalers | Saginaw Spirit | Sarnia Sting | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sudbury Wolves | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Windsor Spitfires
Defunct Teams : Brantford Alexanders | Cornwall Royals | Detroit Compuware Ambassadors | Detroit Junior Red Wings | Detroit Whalers | Guelph Platers | Hamilton Dukes | Hamilton Steelhawks | Kingston Canadians | Kingston Raiders | Newmarket Royals | Niagara Falls Thunder | North Bay Centennials | Owen Sound Platers | Toronto Marlboros
CHL | Memorial Cup | WHL | QMJHL | OHL | OHL History | OHL Standings | J. Ross Robertson Cup