Sudbury Wolves

For other uses, see Sudbury Wolves (disambiguation).
Sudbury Wolves
City Sudbury, Ontario
League Ontario Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division Central
Founded 1962 (1962) (NOJHA)
1972 (OHA)
Home arena Sudbury Community Arena
Colours Blue, white and grey
              
Owner(s) Dario Zulich[1]
General manager Barclay Branch
Head coach David Matsos
Website www.sudburywolves.com
Franchise history
1945–1960 Barrie Flyers
1960–1972 Niagara Falls Flyers
1972–present Sudbury Wolves

The Sudbury Wolves are an OHL 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.[2]

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 Association, and 1972 in the OHL.

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 Association. 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 owner of the NOJHL's Sudbury Wolves, Ken Burgess, bought the Niagara Falls Flyers franchise and merged the two teams.

The Wolves frequently garner support from the hometown fans, and the team often 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.

In August 2012, the Wolves were sent to represent Canada at the 2012 Junior Club World Cup, a 10-team tournament that would feature some of the best junior clubs in the World. They opened up the tournament with a 9-1 win over Finnish Nuorten SM-liiga champion HIFK. The next day, the Wolves tied Latvian HK Rīga of the Minor Hockey League 1-1. Two days later, the Wolves clinched a semi-final berth with a 7-2 win over Denmark's National Junior Team. They then played the Swedish J20 SuperElit champion Linköpings HC and won the game 6-3. Finishing second in their pool, the Wolves drew the other pool's top seed Belorussian Dinamo-Shinnik of the Minor Hockey League. The Wolves would earn a trip to the finals with a 5-2 win. In the finals, the Wolves met the United States Hockey League's finalist Waterloo Black Hawks. The Black Hawks and Wolves were scoreless until almost halfway through the third, when the Wolves' Josh Leivo scored on a partial breakaway. Thirty-five seconds later Frank Corrado made it 2-0 on the powerplay. The Wolves would hold on to the 2-0 spread to win the Cup. Joel Vienneau picked up the win and the shutout for the Wolves, Michael Kantor was named top forward, and Leivo won the top scorer award.[3]

In July 2016, the Burgess and Edwards families who had owned the Wolves for over 30 years sold the team to Sudbury businessman Dario Zulich.[4] At the time of the sale, the Burgess and Edwards families were the longest standing ownership in the OHL.

Championships

Sudbury Wolves make an entrance on home ice

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, where they were they fell just short in 7 games by the Plymouth Whalers. The Wolves also won was the 2000–2001 Emms Trophy as the regular season Central Division champions.

J. Ross Robertson Cup

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

Bobby Orr Trophy

  • 2006–2007 Eastern Conference Champions

NOJHA McNamara Trophy

  • 1969 Defeated Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
  • 1971 Defeated Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

NOJHA Regular Season Champions

  • 1970–1971 80 pts.

Hamilton Spectator Trophy

  • 1975–1976 102 points

Leyden Trophy

  • 1975–1976 Leyden division

Emms Trophy

  • 2000–2001 Central division

Junior Club World Cup

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
  • 2009-10 - Mike Foligno
  • 2010–13 - Trent Cull
  • 2013–15 - Paul Fixter
  • 2015–present - David Matsos

Players

Sudbury Wolves against the Ottawa 67's in Ottawa

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

Current roster

Goaltenders
Number Player Glove Acquired NHL Draft Place of birth
30 Canada Jake McGrath L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2017 Mississauga, Ontario
35 Canada Zack Bowman L Trade with Flint Firebirds Undrafted St. Catherines, Ontario
Defencemen
Number Player Shoots Acquired NHL Draft Place of birth
7 Canada Reagan O'Grady R Trade with Kingston Frontenacs Eligible in 2017 Lindsay, Ontario
8 Canada Conor Ali L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2017 Brampton, Ontario
21 Canada Owen Lalonde R Sudbury Wolves 2016 Eligible in 2018 Windsor, Ontario
23 Canada Kyle Capobianco L Sudbury Wolves 2013 ARZ 2015 Mississauga, Ontario
24 Canada Cole Mayo R Trade with Erie Otters Undrafted London, Ontario
37 United States Zach Wilkie L Trade with Niagara Ice Dogs Undrafted Villa Park, Illinois
74 Canada Aiden Jamieson L Trade with London Knights Undrafted Whitby, Ontario
Forwards
Number Player Shoots Acquired NHL Draft Place of birth
11 United States Alan Łyszczarczyk L Free Agent Undrafted Wallington, New Jersey
12 Canada Brady Pataki R Sudbury Wolves 2014 Undrafted Wallaceburg, Ontario
13 Canada Michael Pezzetta L Sudbury Wolves 2014 Montreal Canadiens 2016 Toronto, Ontario
14 Canada Owen Lane L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2017 Kitchener, Ontario
16 Canada Ryan Valentini L Trade with London Knights Undrafted Mississauga, Ontario
18 Canada Macauley Carson L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2017 Midhurst, Ontario
20 Canada Shane Bulitka L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2017 Ilderton, Ontario
22 Canada Ben Garagan L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2017 North Bay, Ontario
25 Canada Owen Gilhula R Sudbury Wolves 2016 Eligible in 2017 Stratford, Ontario
28 Canada Drake Pilon R Free Agent Undrafted Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
29 Canada Darian Pilon L Free Agent Undrafted Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
63 Canada Liam Dunda L Trade Owen Sound St Louis Blues 2015 Grimsby, Ontario
71 Israel David Levin L Sudbury Wolves 2015 Eligible in 2018 Tel Aviv, Israel
98 Russia Dmitri Sokolov L CHL Import Draft 2015 Minnesota Wild 2016 Omsk, Russia

Retired numbers

# 6 Randy Carlyle, # 10 Ron Duguay, # 17 Mike Foligno, # 15 Dale Hunter

Award winners

NHL alumni

Team records

Team records for a single season
StatisticTotalSeason
Most points1021975–76
Most wins471975–76
Most goals for3971978–79
Least goals for1712001–02
Least goals against1852004–05
Most goals against4271983–84
Individual player records for a single season
StatisticPlayerTotalSeason
Most goalsRod Schutt721975–76
Most assistsRon Duguay921975–76
Most pointsMike Foligno1501978–79
Most points, rookiePat Verbeek881981–82
Most points, defencemanJamie Rivers1211993–94
Best GAA (goalie)Matt Mullin3.041994–95
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
1962–63401129 0 -- 220.2751272225th NOJHL
1963–64392612 1 -- 530.6792131702nd NOJHL
1964–6540 733 0 -- 140.1751672755th NOJHL
1965–66402316 1 -- 470.5882672113rd NOJHL
1966–67402119 0 -- 420.5252131893rd NOJHL
1967–68401919 2 -- 400.5002111984th NOJHL
1968–69483115 2 -- 640.6672291602nd NOJHL
1969–70483311 4 -- 700.7293411922nd NOJHL
1970–714839 7 2 -- 800.8333531591st NOJHL
1971–72522323 6 -- 520.5002141942nd NOJHL
1972–7363213210 -- 520.4132893797th OHA
1973–7470312613 -- 750.5362982885th OHA
1974–7570312910 -- 720.5143242895th OHA
1975–76664711 8 --1020.7733842241st Leyden
1976–77663824 4 -- 800.6063852902nd Leyden
1977–7868164210 -- 420.3092553776th Leyden
1978–79684027 1 -- 810.5963973612nd Leyden
1979–80683333 2 -- 680.5002993095th Leyden
1980–81682045 3 -- 430.3162843806th Leyden
1981–82681948 1 -- 390.2872744017th Emms
1982–83701555 0 -- 300.2142694227th Emms
1983–84701950 1 -- 390.2792874278th Emms
1984–85661746 3 -- 370.2802243488th Emms
1985–86662933 4 -- 620.4702933305th Emms
1986–87662044 2 -- 420.3182853778th Emms
1987–88661748 1 -- 350.2652083398th Emms
1988–89662336 7 -- 530.4022623347th Emms
1989–90663623 7 -- 790.5982952673rd Emms
1990–91663328 5 -- 710.5382882656th Leyden
1991–92663327 6 -- 720.5453313204th Leyden
1992–93663130 5 -- 670.5082913004th Leyden
1993–94663426 6 -- 740.5612992753rd Leyden
1994–95664317 6 -- 920.6973142082nd Central
1995–96662736 3 -- 570.4322622886th Central
1996–97662137 8 -- 500.3792513026th Central
1997–98662534 7 -- 570.4322572685th Central
1998–99682535 8 -- 580.4262612882nd Central
1999–2000683923 5 1- 840.6102622212nd Central
2000–01683522 8 3- 810.5742371961st Central
2001–02682533 5 5- 600.4041712163rd Central
2002–03681646 4 2- 380.2651752735th Central
2003–04682532 6 5- 610.4121852205th Central
2004–05683223 6 7- 770.5152011854th Central
2005–06683428- 1 5 740.5442272223rd Central
2006–07682930- 3 6 670.4862252413rd Central
2007–08681746- 2 3 390.2871752925th Central
2008–09682635- 3 4 590.4342272825th Central
2009–10682635- 4 3 590.4341932675th Central
2010–11682935- 2 2 620.4562352764th Central
2011–12683626- 4 2 780.5742422404th Central
2012–13682927- 5 7 700.5152142343rd Central
2013–14683324- 3 8 770.5662192283rd Central
2014–15681254- 1 1 260.1911493235th Central
2015–16681646- 5 1 380.2791833285th Central

Playoffs

Uniforms and logos

From 1972 to 1988 the Sudbury Wolves' colours were green, white and gold, using the logo displayed 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 1988–89 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.

Jake Cardwell of the Wolves wearing the 2009 version of the away jersey

Sudbury wore a black third jersey briefly in the 1995/96-1996/97 seasons. The next 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 and lasted the 2006/07-2008/09 seasons. The current third jersey is black with a grey and white wolf's head, with white piping, and a wolf's paw as the shoulder patch and has been worn starting the 2010 season.

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.[5] On TV, games are broadcast on local programming in Sudbury. In 2013, after failing to force The Sudbury Star to provide the chiefly positive coverage the Wolves demanded, the team took its business relationship to another local media company that acquiesced, and vowed to provide positive coverage.

See also

References

  1. "Sudbury Wolves Ownership Transferred". OurSports Central. July 29, 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/article/wolves-win-2012-world-junior-club-cup
  4. "Update: Zulich issues statement regarding purchase of Sudbury Wolves". Sudbury.com. July 29, 2016.
  5. "Wolves move away game broadcasts to FM dial", Northern Life, September 11, 2009.
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