The Muskoka Shield were a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Gravenhurst, Ontario . The Shield were members of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL).
31-730: The Shield are a community-based team with a number of corporate sponsors helping the team to be a viable club. Originally playing in Gravenhurst, Ontario , the Shield followed the Gravenhurst Indians and the Gravenhurst Cubs who played in the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League from 1980 to 1987 and 1994 to 2000, respectively. The Shield's first game was on September 9, 2006, against
62-489: A Marriott hotel for those looking to spend some time in Gravenhurst. Every year Gravenhurst has a winter carnival for the community to enjoy. There are events for every age at the carnival including donut eating contests, sno-yoga, ball hockey, a polar dip, and arm wrestling. The town has several dances for anyone ages nineteen and older as well as fireworks on Sunday for the closing ceremony. The fireworks take place at
93-625: A book called Sylvan Ontario, A Guide to Our Native Trees and Shrubs . It was the first book published on this subject in Ontario, and the drawings were his own. All the different types of trees and shrubs of Muskoka could be seen at the school, as he transplanted many of the specimens from Muldrew Lake. In 1942 the Royal Norwegian Air Force moved their training camp (Little Norway) from Toronto to Muskoka airfield near Gravenhurst. The Norwegians remained in Gravenhurst almost to
124-507: A change of 6.9% from its 2016 population of 12,311 . With a land area of 489.11 km (188.85 sq mi), it had a population density of 26.9/km (69.7/sq mi) in 2021. Age Structure (2021): Gravenhurst also declares itself the "Gateway to the Muskoka Lakes" and has a large gate bearing this message hanging over Muskoka District Road 169, the main road leading into town from Highway 11 . The gate had been removed but
155-489: A niche market after his relatives developed the disappearing propeller boat and operated the company under that name for a while. Port Carling became independent of Medora Township and was incorporated as a village in 1896 (a status it would keep until 1971). As it grew, the locks were widened in 1903 to permit steamship traffic and in 1922 smaller pleasure boat locks were installed. The Port Carling Volunteer Fire Department began in 1912 and got its biggest workout in 1931 when
186-587: A score of 9–6. On November 21, 2006, Shield left winger and captain Garrett Hamel was heavily injured in a head-on collision. He was flown to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto and required surgery to repair his broken talus , knee cap , femur , radius , pinky finger , and a shattered pelvis . The next game, on November 22 against the Nipissing Alouettes , was cancelled out of respect of
217-445: A set of stone steps leading down to the waterfront which can still be seen at Gull Lake Park today. They also built a light house in the park. The camp had its own gardens where the prisoners would grow their own vegetables and they were able to smoke sausages from the local animals. Some prisoners of war said that they became friends with the guards who sought to make the place as friendly as possible to avoid escapes. Many prisoners had
248-427: Is concrete pillars, a fire hydrant, and the outline of a fence. There is an information kiosk at the end of Lorne Street where visitors can go to get more information on the camp. The Town of Gravenhurst includes these original townships from the 1800s: In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Gravenhurst had a population of 13,157 living in 5,496 of its 8,271 total private dwellings,
279-430: Is the largest lake in the region, and Gull Lake , a smaller cottage-bordered lake. Another lake, Kahshe Lake , is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town. Gravenhurst was first known as McCabes Landing and later as Sawdust City. Gravenhurst was named by a postal official who was reading Gravenhurst or Thoughts on Good and Evil , a treatise by William Smith. Gravenhurst's economic prosperity stemmed from
310-690: The Deseronto Thunder in Deseronto, Ontario , and an 8–1 loss. The Shield's first goal was scored by Dustin Curran. Their first home game at the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre took place on September 15, 2006, against the eventual league, playoff, and Alliance Cup champion Bradford Rattlers . The result was a 10–1 blowout loss. The Shield's first win came on October 13, 2006, against the struggling Toronto Canada Moose by
341-527: The Hanmer, Ontario , native. After extensive rehab, Garrett rejoined the team in November 2007. On January 11, 2008, Garrett returned to the ice against the Nipissing Alouettes and scored a goal in a 9–5 victory for the Shield. The Shield finished their inaugural season in dead last with a 4–34–0–4 record. Seventh place out of seven teams, the Shield were forced to face the fourth-place Deseronto Thunder in
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#1732794195466372-683: The 1850s. They called their settlement Obajewanung or Obogawanung, while Europeans called it Indian Gardens. Before white settlers moved into the newly surveyed Medora Township starting in the 1860s, the Ojibway moved to Parry Sound but continued to summer in Port Carling. In 1869, Benjamin Hardcastle Johnston established a post office here and called it Port Carling. John Carling , the Ontario Minister of Public Works,
403-557: The 2023–24 season, the club was suspended by the league management. Gravenhurst, Ontario Gravenhurst is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario , Canada. It is located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Bracebridge, Ontario . The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontarians as "cottage country." The town centre borders on two lakes: Lake Muskoka , which
434-783: The Muskoka Wharf. Located on the shore of Lake Muskoka since 1949 Gravenhurst had been home to the Ontario Fire College . The College was run by the Province of Ontario , under the Fire Marshall's Office, and offered training and education programs which were based on the Ontario Fire Service Standards. Courses were available to members of any Ontario municipal fire department, whether full-time or volunteer. The Ontario Fire College
465-705: The city officials, the team decided to play its home games at Port Carling Arena in Port Carling, Ontario . The team was replaced in Gravenhurst by the Muskoka Anglers of the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League . The Shield played one season in Port Carling before relocating to Bracebridge Memorial Arena in Bracebridge, Ontario , for 2019–20. In 2020, the Shield returned to Graeme Murray Arena in Gravenhurst. Before
496-572: The construction of a colonization road in the 1850s. Steamboating on the Muskoka lakes began in the 1860s. The town was located strategically at the northern terminus of the Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway. The town is positioned as the "Gateway to Muskoka". Nearby Muldrew Lake was named after the lake's second cottager, Dr. William Hawthorne Muldrew. He was the principal of the first Gravenhurst high school in 1894. In 1901 he published
527-683: The crowd involved; final score 9–6 Thunder. Game four was another overtime showdown, which the again Shield lost 5–4 in overtime, to complete the four-game sweep for the Deseronto Thunder. On January 3, 2008, the Shield hosted the Moscow Selects All-star team in an exhibition game. The Selects won the game by a score of 5–1. This was the fifth game of seven that the Moscow team played against different GMHL clubs. The 2007–08 season saw an improved South Muskoka Shield take
558-505: The end of World War II in 1945. Between 1940 and 1946 Gravenhurst was home to a German prisoner-of-war camp known as Camp 20. The camp is also referred to as Camp Calydor and Muskoka Officer’s Club. Many describe Camp 20 as a vacation for the prisoners of war. The camp had a swimming area fenced in on Lake Muskoka where the prisoners could bathe. By the end of the first summer, Camp 20 held 489 prisoners. They were taken around Gravenhurst to work on various projects. The prisoners of war built
589-786: The game 5–4 despite a late rally by the Torpedo. The Shield finished the 2008–09 season with a record of 38 wins, 4 losses, and 1 overtime loss, to finish first in the league and win the John Klinck Award. On April 2, 2011, the South Muskoka Shield lost the Russell Cup championship in game seven to the Elliot Lake Bobcats , 8–5. On September 20, 2013, in Rosseau, Ontario , the Shield organization
620-456: The ice. At times, the Shield were ranked among the top of the GMHL, but faltered slightly late in the season to drop to a record of 19 wins, 18 losses, and 5 losses in overtime. The Shield had the best season-to-season record improvement of any of the seven clubs that also participated in the 2006–07 season. The Shield elected to take a bye in the first round of the playoffs and found themselves in
651-471: The league quarter-final. In game one, the Thunder blew out the Shield 7–1, but in game two the Shield took the Thunder to overtime but still lost 5–4. Game three saw the Shield lead after the first period 3–1 and the second 5–3. In the third, the Shield fell apart and the Thunder outscored them in the third 6–1. The game was called early due to violence breaking out at the game with both the Shield bench and
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#1732794195466682-453: The new development was built, the wharf used to be used for lumber and boat building industries. It was also the entry point to the lakes. Years ago, a train would arrive at the wharf three times a day with passengers coming to Muskoka looking to settle. Today, the wharf is full of retailers and restaurants. The wharf hosts a number of events in the summer including Pirate Fest and the Gravenhurst farmers’ market. There are also condominiums and
713-600: The opportunity to work outside of the camp and lumber camps and received a small wage as well as access to the outside world. Through this access to the outside world many German prisoners of war had love affairs with the local girls. Ulrich Steinhilper , a German fighter ace who shot down five RAF airplanes during the Battle of Britain before himself being shot down, was one of the prisoners here; he made at least five attempts to escape from various camps, his last two attempts being at Gravenhurst. Today, all that remains of Camp 20
744-498: The quarter-finals with the defending champions Bradford Rattlers . The Shield, who managed to be one of the few teams to defeat the Rattlers over the course of the last two seasons, fought a tough series. They kept each game rather tight, but ended up being eliminated 4-games-to-1. On December 29, 2008, the South Muskoka Shield played an exhibition game against Kazakhstan 's Torpedo UST-Kamenogorsk Under-18 squad. The Shield won
775-461: The township passes through, hence its nickname Hub of the Lakes . The community is directly located on the two-lane Muskoka Road 118, and improvements to Highway 69 now link it to the controlled-access freeway Highway 400 and the sometimes divided Highway 11 . This has greatly facilitated its increasing role as a tourist destination from the Toronto area . The Ojibway settled in the area in
806-535: The township since 1971. It has several hundred year-round residents and is a service centre for thousands of other seasonal residents in the area. Besides the town, which maintains much of its older architecture, there are several tourist and cultural sites: Port Carling is located on the Indian River and owes its importance to its key position on the water routes of the area. A set of locks joins Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau , so much boat and ship traffic in
837-435: Was a booster of the locks between the lakes which were completed in 1871. This led to an economic boom fuelled by tourism and logging, resulting in the building of four resorts, two sawmills and three Protestant churches of the 1870s. The Orange Order was active in the area, and few Catholics settled here. The Port Carling Boat Works Ltd. traces its origins to an enterprise started in 1868 by William J. Johnston. It captured
868-414: Was awarded the 2013 Muskoka Community Award for its contributions to local community and for its work with and donations to the non-for-profit A Child's Voice Foundation. For the 2018–19 season, the Shield management had been unhappy with the Gravenhurst officials pushing back their Friday evening start times to 8:30pm at Graeme Murray Arena in the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre. After slow communication with
899-702: Was closed by the Progressive Conservative government on March 31, 2021. Public education consists of Gravenhurst High School , and three elementary schools administered by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board . Port Carling, Ontario Port Carling is an unincorporated community in the Township of Muskoka Lakes in the Canadian province of Ontario . It has been the municipal seat of
930-597: Was rebuilt in 2009 and stands again at the south end of town. It is the home port of the RMS Segwun , the oldest vessel powered by a working steam engine in North America . Ontario Northland Motor Coach Services provides inter-city bus service to Gravenhurst along its Toronto to North Bay routes. The nearby Muskoka Airport has scheduled flights to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and also serves general aviation. The former Gravenhurst railway station
961-505: Was served by Ontario Northland Railway 's Northlander passenger train until the train was discontinued in 2012; it is currently vacant. Parts of the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park and Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve are in Gravenhurst. The Muskoka Wharf, located on Lake Muskoka, was completed in 2005. The project cost $ 170 million and spreads across 89 acres. Before