Kingston Frontenacs

History

The "Frontenacs" name has been long associated with hockey in the Kingston area. Several teams have been known as the Frontenacs. The origin of the name "Frontenacs" comes from Louis de Buade de Frontenac, governor of New France, who established Fort Frontenac on the site of present-day Kingston.

From 1959 to 1963, there was also a Kingston Frontenacs team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League.

Before 1945

The city had a team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Jr. league in the 1910s. NHL Alumni from this team are Alec Connell, Bill Cook, Allan Davidson and Flat Walsh.

An Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Sr. League team also existed from the 1910s to 1940s. NHL Alumni from this team are Mickey Blake, Glen Brydson, Bill Cook, Gus Giesebrecht, Doug Stevenson, Charles Stewart, Carl Voss and Flat Walsh.

Some members of this team then formed an entry in the Ontario Veteran's Hockey League (OVHL) during World War II. NHL Alumni from this team are Hub Macey, Gus Marker, Walt McCartney and Ed Nicholson.

1952–73

In 1952, the Kingston Victoria were renamed the Kingston Frontenacs. This team played at the Junior B level, then later at the Junior A level. This Frontenacs team lost in the 1963 Sutherland Cup final to the St. Marys Lincolns, 4 games to 1.

Kingston Canadians (1973–88)

The Kingston Canadians arrival in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) for the 1973–74 season, was a result of the Montreal Junior Canadiens switch to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 1972. During the summer of 1972, the QMJHL had threatened a lawsuit against the OHA to force the Junior Canadiens to return to the Quebec-based league. To solve the problem, the OHA granted the Junior Canadiens franchise a "one-year suspension" of operations, while team ownership transferred the team and players into the QMJHL, renaming themselves the Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge in the process.

After a one-year hiatus, the OHA then reactivated the suspended franchise under new ownership and with new players, calling the team the Kingston Canadians. The new Kingston team was essentially an expansion franchise promoted from the OHA's Tier II league, that had only common name to share with the old Junior Canadiens. The Tier II Frontenacs originated in the Eastern Junior B Hockey League and date back to at least the early 1940s as the Kingston Victorias. However, in some OHA histories (such as the annual Media Guide) the Kingston team is still shown as the legitimate successors of the Junior Canadiens' legacy.

Kingston Raiders (1988–89)

Following a change in ownership the club was renamed Kingston Raiders for one season in 1988–89. Due to ownership problems, the team was sold again following that season.

Kingston Frontenacs (1989–present)

In 1989, the new ownership, including Wren Blair and Bob Attersley, renamed the team Kingston Frontenacs after the Eastern Professional Hockey League team of which they had both been members. The Boston Bruins-style uniforms and logos were revived from the old franchise. The city embraced and welcomed the new ownership. Wren Blair and Bob Attersley were both hockey legends in their own right. In 1997 Wren Blair would be honoured with the Bill Long Award for distinguished service in the OHL. The club was sold to the Springer family of Kingston in June 1998, with Doug Springer becoming the Owner and Governor.

The Kingston franchise has the second-longest championship drought in the OHL (second to the Sudbury Wolves by one year), and the fourth-longest in the Canadian Hockey League. Two titles won by the Frontenacs were in the 1994–95 and 2015-16 seasons where the team won the OHL East Division, represented by the Leyden Trophy. In the 1992–93 OHL season, the Frontenacs lost the conference final to Peterborough.

Coaches

Larry Mavety coached the Frontenacs for much of the teams history. He originally coached the team in 1988–89, when they were still known as the Kingston Raiders. In 1989–90, the first season the franchise was known as the Frontenacs, he won the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHL Coach of the Year. Mavety returned to Kingston in 1997 to become the head coach once again, and stayed in that position until midway through the 2002–03 season when he stepped down to focus on his general manager duties. After a slow start in the 2007–08 season, Mavety once again found himself coaching the Frontenacs, where he remained until November 2008 when it was announced that Doug Gilmour had signed a 3-year contract as the team's new coach. Concurrently, it was announced that Mavety would stay on as general manager. Mavety remained as the general manager until the end of the 2010-11 season.

The franchise has had two coaches go on to the NHL as a head coach; Dave Allison, who coached Kingston from 1992–94, coached the Ottawa Senators for 25 games in the 1995–96 season, while Gary Agnew, who coached the Frontenacs from 1994–97, was an interim head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets for five games in the 2006–07 season.

Kingston Canadians (1973–88)

During the inaugural season of the Kingston Canadians in 1973–74, Jack Bownass was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHA Coach of the Year.

Former NHL defenceman Jim Morrison coached the team from 1975–82, which was the longest stint a coach had when the club was known as the Canadians.

Coaches

(Multiple years in parentheses, totals include all incarnations of the Kingston franchise)

Players

Paul Coffey is the only former member of the Kingston franchise to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, getting the honour in 2004. In 1977–78, Coffey played for the Kingston Canadians, as a late season addition from the North York Rangers. He played eight regular season games and five playoff games with the Canadians.

Current roster

Updated as of January 10, 2017

Honoured numbers

Seven numbers have been "honoured" from the Kingston Canadians/Frontenacs. They are not retired and remain in use. (#5 Mike O'Connell, #7 Tony McKegney, #10 Brad Rhiness, #14 Ken Linseman, #17 David Ling, #7 Mike Zigomanis, #88 Keli Corpse)

First round draft picks

The Kingston franchise has had several players selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

Alex Forsyth – 18th overall, Washington Capitals, 1975 Draft

Mark Suzor – 17th overall, Philadelphia Flyers, 1976 Draft

Mike Crombeen – 5th overall, Cleveland Barons, 1977 Draft

Mike Gillis – 5th overall, Colorado Rockies, 1978 Draft

Behn Wilson – 6th overall, Philadelphia Flyers, 1978 Draft

Ken Linseman – 7th overall, Philadelphia Flyers, 1978 Draft

Jay Wells – 16th overall, Los Angeles Kings, 1979 Draft

Rik Wilson – 12th overall, St. Louis Blues, 1980 Draft

Mike Stothers – 21st overall, Philadelphia Flyers, 1980 Draft

Roger Belanger – 16th overall, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1984 Draft

Scott Metcalfe – 20th overall, Edmonton Oilers, 1985 Draft

Bryan Fogarty – 9th overall, Quebec Nordiques, 1987 Draft

Scott Pearson – 6th overall, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1988 Draft

Drake Berehowsky – 10th overall, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1990 Draft

Chris Gratton – 3rd overall, Tampa Bay Lightning, 1993 Draft

Brett Lindros – 9th overall, New York Islanders, 1994 Draft

Chad Kilger – 4th overall, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 1995 Draft

Kevin Grimes – 26th overall, Colorado Avalanche, 1997 Draft

Anthony Stewart – 25th overall, Florida Panthers, 2003 Draft

Chris Stewart – 18th overall, Colorado Avalanche, 2006 Draft

Erik Gudbranson - 3rd overall, Florida Panthers, 2010 Draft

Sam Bennett - 4th overall, Calgary Flames, 2014 Draft

Lawson Crouse - 11th overall, Florida Panthers, 2015 Draft

NHL alumni

Kingston Canadians Kingston Raiders Kingston Frontenacs

Regular season

Kingston Frontenacs 1960–73 (EJBHL & OPJHL)

Kingston Canadians 1973–88

Kingston Raiders 1988–89

Kingston Frontenacs 1989–present

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shoot Out Loss

Playoffs

Junior B Era

1953–54 Won Eastern Jr. B championship
Lost Sutherland Cup semi-final round robin

1955–56 Won Eastern Jr. B championship
Lost Sutherland Cup semi-final round robin

1962–63 Won Eastern Jr. B championship
Defeated Lakeshore Bruins in Sutherland Cup quarter-final 3-games-to-2
Defeated Burlington Cougars in Sutherland Cup semi-final 3-games-to-none
Lost Sutherland Cup final to St. Marys Lincolns 4-games-to-1

1963–64 Won Eastern Jr. B championship
Defeated Burlington Cougars in Sutherland Cup quarter-final 4-games-to-1
Lost Sutherland Cup semi-final to Weston Dukes 4-games-to-none

1964–65 Won Eastern Jr. B championship
Lost Sutherland Cup quarter-final to Hamilton Mountain Bees 4-games-to-2

1969–70 Won Eastern Jr. B championship
Lost Sutherland Cup semi-final to Hamilton Mountain Bees 4-games-to-3

OPJHL Era

1972–73 Did Not Qualify.

OHL Era

1973–74 Out of playoffs.

1974–75 Lost to Toronto Marlboros in quarter-finals 9 points to 7.

1975–76 Lost to Ottawa 67's in quarter-finals 9 points to 5.

1976–77 Defeated Sudbury Wolves in quarter-finals 9 points to 3.
Lost to Ottawa 67's in semi-finals 9 points to 7.

1977–78 Lost to S.S.Marie Greyhounds in first round 6 points to 4.

1978–79 Defeated Ottawa 67's in first round 6 points to 2.
Lost to Peterborough Petes in quarter-finals 9 points to 5.

1979–80 Lost to Sudbury Wolves in first round 3 games to 0.

1980–81 Defeated Ottawa 67's in division semi-finals 9 points to 5.
Lost to S.S. Marie Greyhounds in division finals 9 points to 5.

1981–82 Lost to Peterborough Petes in first round 6 points to 2.

1982–83 Out of playoffs.

1983–84 Out of playoffs.

1984–85 Out of playoffs.

1985–86 Defeated Oshawa Generals in first round 8 points to 4.
Finished 3rd place in round-robin versus Peterborough Petes and Belleville Bulls, and are eliminated.

1986–87 Defeated Belleville Bulls in first round 4 games to 2.
Lost to Oshawa Generals in quarter-finals 4 games to 2.

1987–88 Out of playoffs.

1988–89 Out of playoffs.

1989–90 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 3 in first round.

1990–91 Out of playoffs.

1991–92 Out of playoffs.

1992–93 Defeated North Bay Centennials 4 games to 1 in first round.
Defeated Oshawa Generals 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 1 in semi-finals.

1993–94 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 2 in division quarter-finals.

1994–95 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.

1995–96 Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.

1996–97 Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.

1997–98 Defeated Oshawa Generals 4 games to 3 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to London Knights 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals.

1998–99 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

1999–2000 Lost to Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

2000–01 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.

2001–02 Out of playoffs. (Lost to North Bay Centennials 6 to 2 in 8th place tie-breaker game.)

2002–03 Out of playoffs.

2003–04 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

2004–05 Out of playoffs.

2005–06 Lost to Sudbury Wolves 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.

2006–07 Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

2007–08 Out of playoffs.

2008–09 Out of playoffs.

2009–10 Lost to Brampton Battalion 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals.

2010–11 Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

2011–12 Out of playoffs.

2012–13 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.

2013–14 Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals.

2014–15 Lost to North Bay Battalion 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.

2015-16 Defeated Oshawa Generals 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Niagara IceDogs 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

Team uniforms and logos

The original uniforms and logos of the OHL Frontenacs were revived from the EPHL franchise, which was affiliated with the Boston Bruins. The logo featured a yellow letter 'K' with a black outline, surrounded by black spokes leading to a yellow circle border with the name Kingston Frontenacs in black.

In 2002, the team adopted a new logo with a stylized Count Frontenac. The jerseys feature a star striping pattern similar to Dallas of the NHL, and a modified version of the former "K" logo is used on the shoulder.

In 2007, the Frontenacs unveiled a 3rd jersey, which was black, yellow and white, and very similar looking to the Boston Bruins jerseys from the early 1970s. The "K" logo was used on the front of the jersey. The Frontenacs began wearing these jerseys on February 22, 2008, which was the same night that they opened their new arena.

In 2008, The Frontenacs unveiled a new 3rd jersey which was worn at home between opening night and New Years barring 2 games where the black star jersey was worn. The new jersey was a white version of the black alternate which was worn for the second half of the season.

In 2009, the Frontenacs, along with all CHL teams unveiled new uniforms using RBK EDGE templates. In 2012, the Frontenacs began wearing a newly designed set of uniforms featuring a large K as a logo.

Arenas

The former home arena of the Frontenacs was the Kingston Memorial Centre, with a seating capacity 3,079 seated, and 3,300 including standing room. Built in 1950, its ice size has unique dimensions of 200' x 92'. The Frontenacs' final game was played at the Memorial Center on February 15, 2008, a 6–4 win over the London Knights. Kyle Paige scored the final goal ever at the Memorial Centre.

The Kingston Frontenacs began play at their new downtown arena, the Rogers K-Rock Centre on February 22, 2008, in a 3–2 loss to the Belleville Bulls. The Frontenacs won their first game at the Rogers K-Rock Centre on February 24, 2008 defeating the Peterborough Petes by a score of 7–4.

Rogers K-Rock Centre The OHL Arena & Travel Guide

Kingston Memorial Centre The OHL Arena & Travel Guide