The Thunder Bay Twins were an Amateur Senior and Professional ice hockey team from Thunder Bay , Ontario , Canada. The Twins won five Allan Cups as National Senior Champions from 1970 until 1991.
48-640: On 1 January 1970, the City of Thunder Bay was formed through the merger of the neighbouring cities of Fort William and Port Arthur , along with portions of smaller townships. Fort William and Port Arthur had a long history of teams competing in Senior "A" hockey, dating back to at least the Port Arthur Bearcats 's loss in a 1911 challenge for the Stanley Cup . In 1916 a team from Fort William
96-514: A 3–2 victory over the Hornets. Cambridge came back in game two and rocked the Twins 7–3. After this, the Twins battened down the hatches and fought through a pair of tight wins (5-3, 6–5) to clinch the series in game five with a convincing 6–1 win to clinch the team's second Allan Cup. In 1985, the Twins repeated as Manitoba and Western champions and found themselves in a best-of-seven marathon with
144-791: A Canadian senior ice hockey team based in Petrolia, Ontario . They play in the Western Ontario Super Hockey League and are two-time Allan Cup National Champions. The Petrolia Chiefs were founded in the 1960s as members of the Tri-County Intermediate League. In 1973, the Chiefs won their league but lost the Intermediate C provincial final to a team from Bracebridge, Ontario 4-games-to-none. Also in 1973, they changed their name to
192-607: A minor HBC fur trading post. The original site disappeared under development of Canadian Pacific Railway]] railroad tracks and coal piles in the 1880s. A replica of Fort William was built further upstream on the Kaministiquia River at Pointe de Meuron , a former military staging location named after Lord Selkirk 's Swiss de Meuron Regiment . It is now known as the Fort William Historical Park . Two townships ( Neebing and Paipoonge ) and
240-698: A railway to the Pacific that would begin somewhere along the north shore of Lake Superior. The selection of the Fort William Town Plot (later known as West Fort) as the eastern terminus for the CPR stimulated development, as did the construction of the railway, begun in June 1875. The federal Department of Public Works, and later the Department of Railways and Canals, took seven years (1875–1882) to build
288-629: A round robin tournament to determine an Allan Cup champion. The Twins started off the tournament against the Petrolia Squires , defeating them 8–3. In game two, they faced the Grand Falls Cataracts and defeated them 9–4. In the third and final game of the round robin, the Twins met the St. Boniface Mohawks and beat them 5–4 in overtime to clinch first place in the round robin. In the tournament semi-final, something went wrong for
336-588: A significant challenge to the Twins. After losing the league championship to the St. Boniface Mohawks, the Twins hosted the Allan Cup round robin with three other teams. In game one of the round robin, the Twins met their old rival in the St. Boniface Mohawks and lost 5–3. In game two, the Twins met the Montreal Team Chomedey and defeated them 6–3. In the final game of the round robin, the Twins met
384-571: The Bassano Hawks and defeated soundly 7–1 to clinch second place. Thunder Bay found themselves in a sudden death semi-final against Montreal for the right to play in the final. The Twins beat Chomedey 6–3. The final was set up as a best-of-three games set and was against St. Boniface. The Twins avenged the 1981 Allan Cup semi-final loss to the Mohawks by defeating them 2-0 and then 4–2 to win their fifth Allan Cup championship. After winning
432-632: The CIAU Lakehead Nor'Westers . The Twins were easily the top team in the 1980–81 season and swept the playoffs. The 1981–82 season had the other three teams give the Twins more trouble. The Twins were upset by the Nor'Westers in the semi-final, and the league was won by the Jr. A Kings. From 1982 until 1986, the Twins played in the Manitoba's Central Senior A Hockey League. In 1981, the Twins hosted
480-604: The Corner Brook Royals in Corner Brook, Newfoundland . So far from home, the Twins may have accomplished one of the greatest feats in amateur hockey history. The Corner Brook Royals crushed the jet-lagged Twins 9–5 in game one. Game two went a little better for the Twins, as they forced overtime but were overpowered by the Royals 3–2. Game three needed to be won by the Twins, but again they were embarrassed by
528-742: The OHA Senior A champion Thunder Bay Twins in the Ontario Hockey Association final. The Squires won the series 4-games-to-2 and also won the Eastern Canadian senior championship as well, earning them a berth into the 1979 Allan Cup final. The Squires met the Steinbach Huskies in the National final. The Squires won game one 6-5 in overtime, then game two 7-3. The Huskies took game three 5-4, before
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#1732800896967576-577: The OHA Senior A Hockey League without ever disbanding, and were the only Intermediate level team to have survived and still play in the OHA (not including Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League teams, who are not affiliated with the OHA). As of 2008, the Petrolia Squires have been a franchise for 38 seasons and only sat on the sidelines for one of those years. In the summer of 2008,
624-656: The Thunder Bay Twins embarrass the Squires 8-3. Game two had the Squires defeat the St. Boniface Mohawks 6-4 and in game three the Squires beat the Grand Falls Cataracts 6-3. In the semi-final, the Squires drew Grand Falls again, while the Twins drew the Mohawks whom they just defeated 5-4 in overtime. The Squires repeated their 6-3 performance over the Cataracts, but the Twins were shocked by
672-642: The 1671 "Carte des Jésuites" as "R. [rivière] par où l'on va aux Assinipoualacs à 120 lieues vers le Nord-Ouest." In late 1683 or spring 1684, Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut , established a trading post near the mouth of the Kaministiquia River . French authorities closed this post in 1696 because of a glut on the fur market. In 1717, a new post, Fort Kaministiquia , was established at the river mouth by Zacharie Robutel de la Noue . This post appears on 18th century French maps by Royal hydrographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin as "Fort Caministogoyan". The post
720-724: The 1990-91 Manitoba title and the Western Canadian championship, the Twins found themselves yet again in the Allan Cup final. The Eastern champion was the Charlottetown Islanders, a team that the Twins had embarrassed in 1988 in a lopsided four-game-sweep. This time the Islanders came out to return the favour in their own home rink in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island . The Islanders won four straight games (5-3, 5–2, 5–4, and 5–4 in overtime) to kill
768-584: The Allan Cup final by a score of 7-2. In 2002, the Southwestern Senior A Hockey League was recognized as the Ontario Hockey Association 's Allan Cup representative and was renamed the OHA Senior AAA Hockey League. In 2004, the league was renamed Major League Hockey. The Petrolia Squires were the only Ontario Hockey Association Senior level team to have been founded before 2000, were the only team to still exist from
816-602: The Continental Senior A Hockey League was renamed the OHA Senior A Hockey League , as the original folded in 1979. In 1981, the Squires won the Robertson Cup as OHA champions by defeating the Hornets 4-games-to-1, they also gained a berth to the Allan Cup . The Squires travelled to Thunder Bay , Ontario to compete in a first-time round-robin tournament for the prestigious trophy. Their first game saw
864-459: The Eastern champions 9–5. With their back against the wall down 3-games-to-none, the Twins began their trek back. Game four ended with a 4–2 nail-biter of a win for the Twins. Game five saw the Twins embarrass a seemingly deflated Royals squad 8–3. The Twins took game six 2–0 and then finished the comeback with an unbearably close 5–4 victory. With their third Allan Cup victory, the Twins became
912-509: The Fort William Town Plot were surveyed in 1859–1860 by the Province of Canada 's Department of Crown Lands and opened to settlement. A large section of land adjacent to the Hudson's Bay Company post remained in dispute until 1875, when it was surveyed as Neebing Additional Township. Most land was acquired by absentee landowners speculating on the decision of the new Dominion of Canada to build
960-441: The Mohawks with a 4-3 loss. Petrolia beat St. Boniface 5-1 to win their second Allan Cup. The 1982 playoffs ended a little tougher than 1981, with the Squires requiring all seven games to defeat the Hornets. The Squires were also Eastern Canadian champions. Petrolia qualified for their third Allan Cup , but were up against a tough Cranbrook Royals team at Cranbrook, British Columbia . The Royal won games one and two easily and
1008-615: The Nor'Westers abandoned Grand Portage and established a new fur trading post on the Kaministiquia River on land acquired from the Ojibwe by written agreement 30 July 1798. The post was named Fort William in 1807 after William McGillivray , chief director of the North West Company from 1804-1821. After the union of the North West Company with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1821, the fort lost its raison d'être because most trade shifted to York Factory on Hudson Bay. It became
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#17328008969671056-696: The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. Fort William, Ontario Fort William was a city in Ontario , Canada, located on the Kaministiquia River , at its entrance to Lake Superior . It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Since then, it has been the largest city in Northwestern Ontario . The city's Latin motto
1104-727: The Petrolia Squires as their league became the Western Intermediate C Hockey League. In 1976, the Western Intermediate C Hockey League merged with the Seaway Intermediate C Hockey League to create the Seaway-Western Intermediate C Hockey League. The Squires played one season with the league and then moved up to the Continental Senior A Hockey League . In that one season, the Squires won the 1977 league championship as well as
1152-536: The Southwestern Senior A Hockey League. The Squires are the only remaining team from the founding of the Southwestern League to still exist in modern hockey. Throughout the 1990s, the Southwestern League, led by Petrolia, struggled to stay alive and fought for recognition from the OHA and Hockey Canada to be declared the top level of senior hockey in the Province of Ontario . The Petrolia Squires and
1200-877: The Squires came alive and won the next two 6-1 and 7-1 to win their first national title. To top off this feat, the Squires were invited to play in the World Senior Hockey Championships. During the event, the Squires lost to HC Kladno of the CSSR 5-3 and then tied the Soviet Union powerhouse Khimik Voskresensk 3-3. In 1980, the Squires were defeated in the league final by a new foe, the Cambridge Hornets . The Squires and Hornets would meet in five straight league championships. Cambridge would win three, Petrolia would win two, but each would walk away with another Allan Cup . In 1980,
1248-839: The Squires left the MLH and joined the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League . On October 11, 2008, the Squires travelled to Thedford to defeat the Thedford Dirty Dogs 8-3 to win their first ever WOAA game. Petrolia had a very successful first season in the WOAA, finishing with a 16-2-2 record, earning 34 points, enough for first place in the WOAA South Division and first place overall. The Squires were 2010 WOAA South Sr. AA Champions defeating
1296-464: The Squires made game three interesting but still lost. It took until game four until the Squires woke up and won 6-1, but it was too late as the Royals took game five 7-3 and the series to win the national championship. In 1986, the OHA Senior A Hockey League was reduced in size and declared Senior AAA. The Squires dropped to their local Seaway-Cyclone Senior B Hockey League. After two seasons in
1344-702: The Thunder Bay Branch from Fort William to Winnipeg, Manitoba . The Ontario Legislature incorporated the Municipality of Shuniah in March 1873. This early form of regional government comprised a vast area from Sibley Peninsula to the American border. For eight years the residents of Neebing and Neebing Additional townships battled Port Arthur residents for the Thunder Bay terminus. In March 1881,
1392-566: The Twins dream of a sixth Allan Cup. That summer, the Colonial Hockey League announced plans to expand to the city of Thunder Bay. The Twins made way for the semi-Professional Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks who began play in the 1991–92 season. Senior glory would not return to the city of Thunder Bay until the creation of the Thunder Bay Bombers many years later. The 1974-75 Thunder Bay Twins were inducted into
1440-601: The Twins entered the Allan Cup playoffs upon the conclusion of the USHL playoffs, then won the series versus the Mohawks. In the Western Canada finals, the Twins won the best-of-five series with three consecutive victories versus the Spokane Flyers . The Twins scored five goals in the last 25 minutes of the decisive third game, including the winning goal scored with six seconds remaining. In a best-of-seven series for
1488-722: The Twins, the league folded and the Twins returned to the Manitoba Senior A Hockey League. The 1987–88 season had the Twins win the Manitoba and Western titles and find themselves in the Allan Cup final again. Playing at home in the Gardens, the Twins found themselves against a starkly lesser opponent. The Eastern champions in 1988 were the Charlottetown Islanders . The Twins easily swept the Islanders by scores of 7–4, 10–2, 9–3, and 7-1 respectively to win their fourth ever Allan Cup. The 1989 Allan Cup brought
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1536-635: The city of Sarnia, Ontario were awarded the 2001 Allan Cup . In the first game, the Squires defeated the Stony Plain Eagles 3-1. They then met and were massacred by the home-province rival Dundas Real McCoys 8-0. In their final round-robin game, a 2-2 tie with the Lloydminster Border Kings earned them a semi-final berth over the McCoys. In the semi-final, the Squires defeated Stony Plain 3-0 but fell to Lloydminster in
1584-610: The colonists' victory in the American Revolution . Following the signing of the Jay Treaty of 1794 between Great Britain and the United States, which acknowledged American control of the area, the North West Company required a new midway transshipment point between their inland posts and Montreal. The partners needed to meet and exchange furs and supplies without being subject to American taxation. In 1803,
1632-612: The cup. The Twins played in the OHASr through the 1978–79 season. In those four seasons, the Twins won two regular season championships and one league playoff title. From at least 1980 until 1982, the Twins competed in the Thunder Bay Hockey League. This all-city super-league consisted of four teams. With the Twins were the Tier II Junior "A" Thunder Bay Kings , the Intermediate A Thunder Bay Blazers and
1680-403: The first head coach of the Twins, after previously coaching the Finland men's national ice hockey team . In the 1974–75 season, Dave Siciliano served as a player-coach for the Twins. He led the team to 36 wins in 48 games, and a second-place finish in the Northern Division. The Twins defeated the first-place Green Bay Bobcats two games to none in a best-of-three series in the first round of
1728-497: The inhabitants of Neebing and Neebing Additional petitioned the Ontario Legislature successfully to separate the southern townships from Shuniah and to create the Municipality of Neebing. By 1883–1884, the Montreal-based CPR syndicate, in collaboration with the Hudson's Bay Company , clearly preferred the low-lying lands along the lower Kaministiquia River to the exposed shores of Port Arthur, which required an expensive breakwater if shipping and port facilities were to be protected from
1776-431: The league, the Squires seemingly took a one-year leave from the Ontario Hockey Association for the 1988-89 season and returned for the 1989-90 Seaway-Cyclone Senior B season. In a time when all Senior teams systematically disappeared and never came back, the Squires refused to disband and came right back to action. In 1990, the Seaway Cyclone Senior B Hockey League merged with the Southern Senior A Hockey League to create
1824-416: The national championship, Siciliano and the Twins won the Allan Cup by defeating the defending champion Barrie Flyers four games to two. The Twins then withdrew from the USHL due to travel costs and schedule commitments to represent Canada on a European tour in the 1975–76 season. The Thunder Bay Twins moved to the OHASr for the 1975–76 season, bringing the Allan Cup to the league it had just defeated to win
1872-417: The only team in Allan Cup history to come back from a 3–0 deficit to win the Allan Cup. As the tournament is now in a round robin format and a revert to best-of-sevens are very unlikely, the feat may never be repeated. In 1986 they were eliminated 4 game to 1 in the league final by the St. Boniface Mohawks. In 1986, the Twins moved to the four-team OHA Senior A Hockey League . After one lackluster season for
1920-403: The playoffs. The Twins won the final round of the playoffs with three consecutive wins versus Waterloo Black Hawks in a best-of-five series for the USHL championship. The Twins had chosen not to participate in the 1975 Allan Cup playoffs for the Canadian senior hockey championship due to scheduling conflicts with the USHL playoffs. After the St. Boniface Mohawks appealed for reconsideration,
1968-433: The provincial championship by defeating the Bradford Comets 4-games-to-1. The Squires found strong competition in the Continental League, with early feuds with the Durham Huskies and the Lucan-Ilderton Jets . As well, the Continental League competed for the Allan Cup , the National championship. In their second season in the league, the Squires won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions. They went on to meet
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2016-484: The runner-up in 1955. When the city of Thunder Bay was formed, the Port Arthur Bearcats and the Fort William Beavers, longtime teams playing in the Thunder Bay Senior A Hockey League (TBSHL), merged to form the Thunder Bay Twins for the 1970–71 season. The newly created Thunder Bay Twins started in the American United States Hockey League (USHL) in 1970, when the USHL was operating as a semi-professional senior ice hockey league. Port Arthur native Joe Wirkkunen became
2064-411: The twins. In their second straight game against the Mohawks, the Twins were shocked 4-3 and eliminated from the tournament despite a 3–1 record. The Petrolia Squires won the 1981 Allan Cup. In 1984, the Twins were again Manitoba and Western Canadian champions. They played host to the Cambridge Hornets at the Fort Williams Gardens in a best-of-seven series. The Twins opened the series squeezing out
2112-412: The two starting points for the canoe route from the Great Lakes to Western Canada . For details of the route inland see Kaministiquia River . Kamanistigouian, as a place, is first mentioned in a decree of the Conseil Souverain de la Nouvelle-France dated 23 August 1681 instructing one of two canoes to make known the king's amnesty to coureurs de bois , although the Kaministiquia River is depicted on
2160-454: The waves. The CPR subsequently consolidated all its operations there, erecting rail yards, coal-handling facilities, grain elevators and a machine shop. In April 1892, Neebing Additional Township and parts of Neebing Township were incorporated as the town of Fort William. Fort William was incorporated as a city in April 1907. The city of Fort William ceased to exist at the end of December 1969. Petrolia Squires The Petrolia Squires are
2208-417: Was A posse ad esse ( From a possibility to an actuality ), featured on its coat of arms designed in 1900 by town officials, "On one side of the shield stands an Indian dressed in the paint and feathers of the early days; on the other side is a French voyageur ; the cent[re] contains a grain elevator, a steamship and a locomotive, while the beaver surmounts the whole." Fort William and Grand Portage were
2256-404: Was abandoned in 1758 or 1760 during the British conquest of New France. The fur trade was quickly re-established with most people using Grand Portage . By 1784, Montreal merchants and their "wintering partners" had formed the North West Company (Nor'Westers). The North West Company continued to use Grand Portage as their centre of operations after the area was ceded to the United States after
2304-423: Was the first area team to challenge for the Allan Cup , emblematic of the amateur senior hockey championship. Teams from the two cities played for the Allan Cup 13 times from 1916 through 1955, winning 4 Allan Cup championships – all by the Bearcats – in 1925 , 1926 , 1929 and 1939 . The Fort William Beavers would be the last area team, pre-merger, to be a finalist for the Allan Cup when they were
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