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29-822: The North Shore Stars joined the International Junior B Hockey League in 1967 when the Elliot Lake Vikings went on hiatus. In 1972, they changed their name to the Thessalon North Stars and a year later to the Flyers. The Flyers played in 3 seasons in the NOJHL starting in 1987. The addition of the Flyers helped break the league from an interlocking schedule with the OHA Jr. "A" League , which otherwise would have probably fatally crippled

58-630: A hockey team known as the Wolves or Cub Wolves nearly every year since around WWI. This team name was informally adopted around 1920 as the "Wolves of the North," likely a reference to the "voracity and tenacity that typified the play of these men from Sudbury." The Sudbury Cub Wolves junior team began play in the 1920s as a member of the Nickel Belt Hockey League. Under the management of Max Silverman , and coached by Sam Rothschild ,

87-612: A regular season division title in 2019-20 . The current Sudbury Wolves have never won the OHL championship , and have never participated in the Memorial Cup tournament. The team currently holds the third-longest Memorial Cup championship drought in the CHL, and the longest in the OHL. The team has twice lost in the OHL finals, once in 1976 and again in 2007, winning the 1976 Leyden Trophy and

116-418: The 2022-23 season , including a fiftieth anniversary jersey, as well as a limited edition Shoresy Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs themed jersey. The Sudbury Wolves play their home games at the downtown Sudbury Community Arena , which was constructed in 1951. The City of Greater Sudbury and the Wolves have upgraded the facility over the years, but since the mid-2010s there have been intensified debates about

145-844: The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and was founded in 1965 and lasted until 1981. The International Junior B Hockey League was created in 1965 to fill the gap in the region between the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association and the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League . The league encompassed the Greater-Sault Ste. Marie region to the West in Wawa plus the edge of Northern Michigan. John Reynolds

174-490: The J. Ross Robertson Cup . Despite this lack of championships, the team has been one of the top development franchises in major junior over its history, with over 120 players drafted in to the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1973. The Wolves have been a central part of Sudbury's history for decades, and the team is among the most iconic junior hockey franchises in all of North America. Sudbury has had

203-737: The North Bay Trappers moved to the newly formed Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League . This left the Chelmsford Canadiens and dozens of junior-capable players without a league. This caused the expansion of the infantile NOHA Jr. B Hockey League who took the IJBHL to task in their first three years to win three straight NOHA titles from the IJBHL. In 1973, the Coniston Cubs defeated the Soo Indians, in 1974

232-561: The Northern Ontario Hockey Association . The team has yet to return to Thessalon, as a league to play in no longer exists. International Junior B Hockey League The International Junior B Hockey League (IJBHL) was a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in the Northern Ontario and Northern Michigan regions. The league was controlled by the Northern Ontario Hockey Association and

261-1041: The Rayside Balfour Canadians defeated the Wawa Travellers , and in 1975 the Onaping Falls Flyers defeated the Blind River Beavers. In 1978, the NOHA Junior B Hockey League was promoted to Junior A and became the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . This ice hockey league article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Sudbury , Ontario , Canada. Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at

290-473: The junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game known as the "Wolves" (or "Cub Wolves") nearly every year since around the time of World War I . The current junior franchise came into existence in 1972 when local businessman Mervin "Bud" Burke purchased the Niagara Falls Flyers and relocated the team to Sudbury. The current franchise has never won the Memorial Cup, nor has it captured

319-469: The 1975-76 OHL finals, but lost to the Hamilton Fincups in five games. In 1979, Burke sold the team to a large ownership group headed by future Hockey Canada board of directors chair Joe Drago. From 1973 to 1979, a young Joe Bowen began his broadcasting career covering the Wolves on local Sudbury radio. The Wolves were the worst performing team in the entire Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in

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348-443: The 1980s, making the playoffs only once and not winning a single postseason game in the process. The club did manage to develop some notable players in this era, such as Pat Verbeek and Jeff Brown . A turning point in franchise history came in 1986 when local businessman Ken Burgess purchased the struggling club and initiated a major organizational turnaround. Sam McMaster was hired as general manager in 1988, and under his direction

377-473: The 2007 Bobby Orr Trophy in the process. The Wolves have twice won the Emms Trophy as the regular season Central Division champions, first in 2000-01 and then in 2019-20. J. Ross Robertson Cup Bobby Orr Trophy NOJHA McNamara Trophy NOJHA Regular Season Champions Hamilton Spectator Trophy Leyden Trophy Emms Trophy Junior Club World Cup Jerry Toppazzini

406-778: The Cub Wolves won the Memorial Cup in 1932 with a roster that featured future NHL players such as Hector "Toe" Blake , Nakina Smith , and Adélard Lafrance . In 1935, the Cub Wolves lost in the Memorial Cup finals to the Winnipeg Monarchs. A senior team competing under the banner of the Sudbury Wolves, again coached by Silverman, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World Championships , winning

435-550: The Flyers went on to the NSHL final, losing four games to one to the Wawa Travellers. Players upset with the lack of team travel for the first two games of the series in Wawa sent management a message by refusing to report to practice the following week and neglected to show up for the next two games of the final series resulting in forfeiture of the title, and a hefty suspension levied on team owner and general manager Sacco by

464-642: The NOJHL Wolves, purchased the Niagara Falls Flyers from Leighton "Hap" Emms and moved the team to Northern Ontario . In 1975-76 , the Wolves, coached by Jerry Toppazzini , who won the Matt Leyden Trophy that season, won Hamilton Spectator Trophy for having the best regular season record in the league with a roster of future NHL players such as Randy Carlyle , Ron Duguay , Rod Schutt , and Mike Foligno . Sudbury advanced to

493-564: The NOJHL. In 1990, the Flyers folded. In 2003-04, the Flyers came back and entered the NSHL under owner Domenic Sacco, but that season ended up being the last in NSHL history. The Flyers were good enough to make the finals, but lost out the defending champion Wawa Travellers . After the season, the Flyers and the Aguasabon River Rats left the league, leaving the Wawa Travellers and the Marathon Renegades and

522-709: The Wolves were sent to represent Canada at the 2012 Junior Club World Cup . Sudbury defeated the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League in the championship finals by a score of 2-0. In 2016, the Burgess family, at the time the longest-serving ownership group in the OHL, sold the team to Sudbury businessman Dario Zulich. Since Zulich's takeover, the team has been moving in a positive direction, drafting players such as Quinton Byfield and Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen , and winning

551-562: The Wolves' 35th anniversary - when the team advanced to the OHL Finals, but ultimately lost to the Plymouth Whalers in six games. Coached by Mike Foligno , the Wolves roster that season featured several future NHL players, namely Marc Staal , Nick Foligno , Adam McQuaid , and Akim Aliu . From 2007 to 2016, the team generally struggled, including posting the worst season in franchise history in 2014-2015 . In August 2012,

580-599: The chance of seeing high-calibre hockey in their hometowns on a regular basis. Thus the reintroduction of the Thessalon Flyers in the small farming community of Thessalon, Ontario . With a competitive talent pool being sought by teams such as the Thunderbirds and nearby Soo Indians and Blind River Beavers , Sacco knew that drawing a competitive team would be difficult. Offering to cover transportation costs to and from surrounding areas, players from all over

609-633: The club during its brief existence. A junior version of the Wolves emerged in the early 1960s as a member of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association , winning the league championship in 1969 and 1971. The OHL - then known as the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League - arrived in Sudbury in 1972 when local businessman Bud Burke, who was a shareholder in

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638-454: The current franchise's inception, but overall has remained relatively unchanged and today is one of the most recognizable logos in the CHL. There have been various alterations and versions of the team's primary jersey design over the years, as well as the introduction of third alternate jerseys, such as black and grey ones that were introduced in the mid-1990s and again in the early-2010s. The team unveiled several special edition jerseys during

667-605: The league to fold. They were coached by Vic Duguay (fired before season started), Ryan Leonard (asst. coach/head coach), Roy Iachetta Sr. (asst. coach), Chad Vresk (asst. coach) and Jeff Williamson (trainer). The Flyers only ever season in the NSHL saw them led in scoring by Lucas Bedell with 48 points in 17 games played, this was good for the league lead. With the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Soo Thunderbirds playing out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario , Sault business man Domenic Sacco knew that surrounding communities would jump at

696-410: The mid-1910s. In 1988–89, Ken Burgess - who famously asked "Who ever heard of a green wolf?" - changed the team's colours to blue, white and grey, which happened to be the corporate colours of the business that bore his name. These have been the Wolves' colours ever since, though the team has occasionally donned throwback green jerseys. The iconic blood-toothed, wily wolf-head logo has subtly evolved since

725-489: The north shore of Lake Huron combined to make the 2003-2004 Thessalon Flyers. Of these players included former Great North Midget League players Lucas Bedell and Thessalon native Jason Bird. Failing to pay for ice fees in Thessalon, coupled with failed sponsorship deals, left the coffers of the team nearly empty and players left town, leaving the team not nearly as competitive as originally anticipated. Despite this setback,

754-712: The team experienced renewed success, winning its first playoff series since 1979-80 when they defeated the Oshawa Generals in the first round of 1991-92 OHL playoffs. McMaster was named OHL Executive of the Year in 1989–90 . From the early 1990s to the mid-2000s, the Wolves experienced mixed success. The club lost in Game 7 of the 1994-95 OHL semi-finals to the Detroit Junior Red Wings . A string of disappointing seasons came to an end in 2006–07 -

783-668: The title for Canada in 1938 and the silver medal in 1949. An iteration of the Wolves competed as the Eastern Canada entry at the 1954 Allan Cup senior national championship, falling to the Penticton Vees from Western Canada . A professional Sudbury Wolves team competed in the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) from 1959 until the league folded in 1963. Players such as Don Cherry , Dave Keon , and Gerry Cheevers suited up for

812-629: Was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as the league's 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. The Sudbury Wolves have retired six players' numbers, and have had over 120 players drafted to the NHL. Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss From 1972 to 1988, the Sudbury Wolves' colours were green, white and gold. The tradition of Sudbury teams wearing green jerseys dates back to

841-802: Was league commissioner in the early years. The league became very significant after the NOJHA folded in 1972 and competed against the NOHA Jr. B Hockey League and the Northwestern Ontario Junior Hockey League for Northern Ontario hockey supremacy. In 1972, the Memorial Cup -eligible NOJHA folded. The league's top two teams, the Sudbury Wolves and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds , moved to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League and

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