Sudbury Wolves

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, and then in 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 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 to 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.

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

Championships

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 6 games by the Plymouth Whalers. Sudbury won 7 of 8 playoff games in overtime before losing 2 straight overtime matches to Plymouth. The Wolves also won was the 2000–2001 Emms Trophy as the regular season Central Division champions.

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.

Players

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

Retired numbers

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

Award winners

1975–76 - Jim Bedard, Dave Pinkney Trophy (Lowest Team GAA)

1978–79 - Mike Foligno, Red Tilson Trophy (Most Outstanding Player), Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Scoring Champion), Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy (Top Scoring Right Winger)

1981–82 - Pat Verbeek, Emms Family Award (Rookie of the Year)

1984 - Dave Moylan, Jack Ferguson Award (First Overall draft pick)

1985–86 - Jeff Brown, Max Kaminsky Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman)

1987 - John Uniac, Jack Ferguson Award (First Overall draft pick)

1993–94 - Jamie Rivers, Max Kaminsky Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman)

1994–95 - David MacDonald, F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy (Best Rookie GAA)

1998–99 - Norm Milley, Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy (Top Scoring Right Winger)

1998–99 - Ryan McKie, Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy (Humanitarian of the Year)

2000–01 - Alexei Semenov, Max Kaminsky Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman)

2004–05 - Benoit Pouliot, CHL Rookie of the Year, Emms Family Award (OHL Rookie of the Year)

2006–07 - Marc Stall, Max Kaminsky Trophy (Most Outstanding Defenceman), Wayne Gretzky 99 Award (Most valuable player in playoffs)

NHL alumni

Paul Von Voss

Regular season

1962–1972 NOJHL

1972–1974 OHA

1974–1980 OMJHL

1980–2010 OHL

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Playoffs

1972–73 Lost to Ottawa 67's 8 points to 0 in first round.

1973–74 Lost to Kitchener Rangers 8 points to 0 in first round.

1974–75 Defeated Ottawa 67's 8 points to 6 in first round.
Lost to Toronto Marlboros 9 points to 7 in second round.

1975–76 Defeated S.S. Marie Greyhounds 9 points to 5 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Ottawa 67's 8 points to 2 in semi-finals.
Lost to Hamilton Fincups 8 points to 2 in finals.

1976–77 Lost to Kingston Canadians 4 games to 1 with 1 tie in quarter-finals.

1977–78 Out of playoffs.

1978–79 Defeated Oshawa Generals 8 points to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 8 points to 2 in semi-finals.

1979–80 Defeated Kingston Canadians 3 games to 0 in first round.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.

1980–81 Out of playoffs.

1981–82 Out of playoffs.

1982–83 Out of playoffs.

1983–84 Out of playoffs.

1984–85 Out of playoffs.

1985–86 Lost to Guelph Platers 8 points to 0 in first round.

1986–87 Out of playoffs.

1987–88 Out of playoffs.

1988–89 Out of playoffs.

1989–90 Lost to Owen Sound Platers 4 games to 3 in first round.

1990–91 Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 1 in first round.

1991–92 Defeated Oshawa Generals 4 games to 3 in first round.
Lost to North Bay Centennials 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals.

1992–93 Defeated Newmarket Royals 4 games to 3 in first round.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.

1993–94 Defeated Oshawa Generals 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 2 in division semi-finals.

1994–95 Defeated Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Detroit Jr. Red Wings 4 games to 3 in semi-finals.

1995–96 Out of playoffs.

1996–97 Out of playoffs.

1997–98 Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 2 in division quarter-finals.
Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals.

1998–99 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.

1999–2000 Defeated Kingston Frontenacs 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 3 in conference semi-finals.

2000–01 Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4 games to 3 in conference semi-finals.

2001–02 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

2002–03 Out of playoffs.

2003–04 Lost to Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals.

2004–05 Defeated Brampton Battalion 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.

2005–06 Defeated Kingston Frontenacs 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

2006–07 Defeated Mississauga Ice Dogs 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.
Defeated Belleville Bulls 4 games to 2 in conference finals.
Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 2 in finals.

2007–08 Out of playoffs.

2008–09 Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.

2009–10 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.

2010–11 Defeated Ottawa 67's 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

2011–12 Lost to Brampton Battalion 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.

2012–13 Defeated Brampton Battalion 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Belleville Bulls 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

2013–14 Lost to Barrie Colts 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.

2014–15 Out of playoffs.

2015–16 Out of 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.

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. 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.