Sudbury Wolves

Sudbury Wolves
City Sudbury, Ontario
League Ontario Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division Central
Founded 1962 (1962) (NOJHL)
1972 (OHA)
Home arena Sudbury Community Arena
Colours Blue, white and grey
              
General manager Open
Head coach Trent Cull
Affiliate(s) Sudbury Junior Wolves
Website
www.sudburywolves.com
Franchise history
1945–60 Barrie Flyers
1960–72 Niagara Falls Flyers
1972–present Sudbury Wolves

The Sudbury Wolves are the name of the ice hockey team from Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the "Wolves" (or "Club Wolves" for their junior team) nearly every year since World War I. The Sudbury Wolves, the senior men's AAA team, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World Championships. They were Canada's team at both the 1938 and 1949 World Ice Hockey Championships, winning the World Championship title for Canada in 1938, and the silver medal in 1949.[1]

The Sudbury Cub Wolves junior team began play in the 1920s as a member of the Nickel Belt Hockey League, then later in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. In 1932 and 1935 this team won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy as Eastern Canada's Junior "A" champions. They won the Memorial Cup in 1932 and were runners-up in 1935.

The current edition of the Sudbury Wolves is a junior ice hockey team that play in the Ontario Hockey League. The team is based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The Sudbury Wolves have existed since 1962 in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, and 1972 in the OHL.

Contents

History

Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the Wolves or Club Wolves nearly every year since World War I. A Sudbury Cub Wolves junior team began play in the 1920s as a member of the Nickel Belt Hockey League, then later the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Under the management of Max Silverman, this team won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy in 1932 and 1935, as Eastern Canadian champions. They won the Memorial Cup in 1932 and were runners-up in 1935. The senior Wolves represented Team Canada at the 1938 and 1949 World Championships, winning gold in 1938.

The second incarnation of the Wolves was the 1962 entry into the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Wolves won the McNamara Trophy as NOJHL Champions in 1969 and 1971.

The Ontario Hockey Association arrived in Sudbury in the fall of 1972 when the owners of the NOJHL's Sudbury Wolves bought the Niagara Falls Flyers franchise and merged the two teams.

Sudbury Wolves fans are dedicated and have persevered through many tough years and northern winters to support their club, and the team frequently ranks near the top of the OHL in attendance. Sam McMaster was named OHL Executive of the Year in 1989–90 as the general manager, helping his team have its first winning season in 10 years. Sudbury celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2006–07, also reaching the OHL championship series the same year.

Championships

The current OHL Sudbury Wolves have never won the OHL championship, and have never participated in the Memorial Cup. Theirs is currently the third-longest championship drought in the Canadian Hockey League, and is now the longest in the OHL since the London Knights broke their 40-year drought in 2005.

In 1976, the Wolves finished first overall in the OHA with 102 points, winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy, and the Leyden Trophy for the Leyden Division. That year Sudbury reached the OHA finals, losing to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Hamilton Fincups in 5 games. The Wolves returned to the OHL finals 31 seasons later in 2006–07. The Wolves also won was the 2000–2001 Emms Trophy for the regular season Central Division title.

J. Ross Robertson Cup

  • 1976 Lost to Hamilton Fincups
  • 2007 Lost to Plymouth Whalers

George Richardson Memorial Trophy

  • 1932 Defeated Ottawa Shamrocks
  • 1935 Defeated Ottawa Rideaus

Bobby Orr Trophy

  • 2006–2007 Eastern Conference Champions

Hamilton Spectator Trophy

  • 1975–1976 102 points

Leyden Trophy

  • 1975–1976 Leyden division

Emms Trophy

  • 2000–2001 Central division

Coaches

Jerry Toppazzini was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHA coach of the year in 1976, leading his team to a first-place finish in the regular season.

List of Sudbury Wolves coaches with multiple years in parentheses.

  • 1972–73 - B.MacKenzie, L.Rubic, T.Boyce
  • 1973–74 - Mac MacLean
  • 1974–75 - Stu Duncan
  • 1975–77 - Jerry Toppazzini (2)
  • 1977–78 - Marcel Clements, Andy Laing
  • 1978–81 - Andy Laing (4)
  • 1981–82 - Joe Drago
  • 1982–83 - Ken Gratton, M.Clements, B.Harris
  • 1983–84 - Billy Harris (2), Andy Spruce
  • 1984–85 - Andy Spruce (2)
  • 1985–86 - Bob Strumm, Wayne Maxner
  • 1986–87 - Guy Blanchard
  • 1987–88 - John Wallin, Ken MacKenzie
  • 1988–92 - Ken MacKenzie (5)
  • 1992–95 - Glenn Merkosky (4)
  • 1995–96 - Glenn Merkosky, Todd Lalonde
  • 1996–97 - Todd Lalonde (3)
  • 1997–98 - Todd Lalonde, Tom Watt
  • 1998–99 - Reg Higgs
  • 1999–03 - Bert Templeton (4)
  • 2003–09 - Mike Foligno (5)
  • 2009-10 - Bryan Verreault
  • 2010-11 - Trent Cull

Players

The Sudbury Wolves have retired three players' numbers, and have sent 77 players onto the NHL.

Current roster

Goalies

Defencemen

Forwards

Prospects

Retired numbers

# 6 Randy Carlyle , # 10 Ron Duguay , # 17 Mike Foligno

Award winners

NHL alumni

Team records

Team records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most points 102 1975–76
Most wins 47 1975–76
Most goals for 397 1978–79
Least goals for 171 2001–02
Least goals against 185 2004–05
Most goals against 427 1983–84
Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most goals Rod Schutt 72 1975–76
Most assists Ron Duguay 92 1975–76
Most points Mike Foligno 150 1978–79
Most points, rookie Pat Verbeek 88 1981–82
Most points, defenceman Jamie Rivers 121 1993–94
Best GAA (goalie) Matt Mullin 3.04 1994–95
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

Yearly results

Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SL Points Pct % Goals
For		 Goals
Against		 Standing
1962–63 40 11 29 0 - - 22 0.275 127 222 5th NOJHL
1963–64 39 26 12 1 - - 53 0.679 213 170 2nd NOJHL
1964–65 40 7 33 0 - - 14 0.175 167 275 5th NOJHL
1965–66 40 23 16 1 - - 47 0.588 267 211 3rd NOJHL
1966–67 40 21 19 0 - - 42 0.525 213 189 3rd NOJHL
1967–68 40 19 19 2 - - 40 0.500 211 198 4th NOJHL
1968–69 48 31 15 2 - - 64 0.667 229 160 2nd NOJHL
1969–70 48 33 11 4 - - 70 0.729 341 192 2nd NOJHL
1970–71 48 39 7 2 - - 80 0.833 353 159 1st NOJHL
1971–72 52 23 23 6 - - 52 0.500 214 194 2nd NOJHL
1972–73 63 21 32 10 - - 52 0.413 289 379 7th OHA
1973–74 70 31 26 13 - - 75 0.536 298 288 5th OHA
1974–75 70 31 29 10 - - 72 0.514 324 289 5th OHA
1975–76 66 47 11 8 - - 102 0.773 384 224 1st Leyden
1976–77 66 38 24 4 - - 80 0.606 385 290 2nd Leyden
1977–78 68 16 42 10 - - 42 0.309 255 377 6th Leyden
1978–79 68 40 27 1 - - 81 0.596 397 361 2nd Leyden
1979–80 68 33 33 2 - - 68 0.500 299 309 5th Leyden
1980–81 68 20 45 3 - - 43 0.316 284 380 6th Leyden
1981–82 68 19 48 1 - - 39 0.287 274 401 7th Emms
1982–83 70 15 55 0 - - 30 0.214 269 422 7th Emms
1983–84 70 19 50 1 - - 39 0.279 287 427 8th Emms
1984–85 66 17 46 3 - - 37 0.280 224 348 8th Emms
1985–86 66 29 33 4 - - 62 0.470 293 330 5th Emms
1986–87 66 20 44 2 - - 42 0.318 285 377 8th Emms
1987–88 66 17 48 1 - - 35 0.265 208 339 8th Emms
1988–89 66 23 36 7 - - 53 0.402 262 334 7th Emms
1989–90 66 36 23 7 - - 79 0.598 295 267 3rd Emms
1990–91 66 33 28 5 - - 71 0.538 288 265 6th Leyden
1991–92 66 33 27 6 - - 72 0.545 331 320 4th Leyden
1992–93 66 31 30 5 - - 67 0.508 291 300 4th Leyden
1993–94 66 34 26 6 - - 74 0.561 299 275 3rd Leyden
1994–95 66 43 17 6 - - 92 0.697 314 208 2nd Central
1995–96 66 27 36 3 - - 57 0.432 262 288 6th Central
1996–97 66 21 37 8 - - 50 0.379 251 302 6th Central
1997–98 66 25 34 7 - - 57 0.432 257 268 5th Central
1998–99 68 25 35 8 - - 58 0.426 261 288 2nd Central
1999–2000 68 39 23 5 1 - 84 0.610 262 221 2nd Central
2000–01 68 35 22 8 3 - 81 0.574 237 196 1st Central
2001–02 68 25 33 5 5 - 60 0.404 171 216 3rd Central
2002–03 68 16 46 4 2 - 38 0.265 175 273 5th Central
2003–04 68 25 32 6 5 - 61 0.412 185 220 5th Central
2004–05 68 32 23 6 7 - 77 0.515 201 185 4th Central
2005–06 68 34 28 - 1 5 74 0.544 227 222 3rd Central
2006–07 68 29 30 - 3 6 67 0.486 225 241 3rd Central
2007–08 68 17 46 - 2 3 39 0.287 175 292 5th Central
2008–09 68 26 35 - 3 4 59 0.434 227 282 5th Central
2009–10 68 26 35 - 4 3 59 0.434 193 267 5th Central
2010–11 68 29 35 - 2 2 62 0.456 235 276 4th Central

Playoffs

Uniforms and logos

From 1972 to 1987 the Sudbury Wolves' colours were green, white and gold, using the logo dispayed on the right. The home jerseys featured white background with green and gold trim. The away jerseys had a green background with white and gold trim.

Since the 1987–88 season, the Sudbury Wolves' colours have been blue, white and silver, with the current logo at the top of the article. The home jerseys have a white background with blue and silver trim. The away jerseys have a blue background with white and silver trim.

The Sudbury Wolves have also had special logo designed and worn as patches on the jersey for their 25th and 30th anniversaries.

Sudbury wore a black third jersey briefly in the mid-1990s. The current third jersey was first worn October 13, 2006. The jersey has a silver background, with blue and white trim, and the name "Sudbury" on the front diagonally from upper left to lower right.

Arena

The Sudbury Wolves play their home games at the Sudbury Community Arena, which was constructed in 1951 and is located in the downtown core. The arena holds approx. 5,100 spectators - 4,600 seats and 500 standing room, and has an ice size of 200' x 85'. Every time the Wolves score a goal, a taxidermic wolf rolls out on a pulley system to howl at the opposing team's bench. The City of Greater Sudbury and the hockey club have recently upgraded the facility. The 1.5 million dollar expansion includes 12 new suites, 990 club seats, a new lounge as well as improved lounge and washroom facilities.

Media

In the 2009-10 hockey season, Wolves games will be broadcast on CJTK-FM in Sudbury.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Holland, Dave (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008. Canada On Ice productions. pp. 46–47, 56–57. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1. 
  2. ^ "Wolves move away game broadcasts to FM dial", Northern Life, September 11, 2009.

External links

Sudbury Wolves
Based in Sudbury, Ontario • Member of the Ontario Hockey League
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History • Records • Players • Staff
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6 • 10 • 17
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