Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

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Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
founding 1962
history Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
since 1962
Stadion Essar Center
Location Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario
Team colors Red, white, silver, black
league Ontario Hockey League
Conference Western Conference
division West Division
Cooperations Soo Thunderbirds
Memorial Cups 1993
J. Ross Robertson Cups 1984/85 , 1990/91 , 1991/92

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (also Soo Greyhounds ) are a Canadian ice hockey team from Sault Ste. Marie in the Province of Ontario . The team was founded in 1962 as a youth team and has been playing in one of the three highest Canadian junior ice hockey leagues, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) , since 1972 . Since 1919 a team called Greyhounds played in Sault Ste. Marie.

history

The early years

The first team of greyhounds was formed in 1919. The first trainer, George MacNamara, suggested the team name with the quote "A greyhound is faster than a wolf". It was a nod to regional rivals, the Sudbury Wolves .

Initially they played in the Upper Peninsula League , but soon moved to the Northern Ontario Hockey Association . There they won the Senior A Championship in 1921, 1923, 1924 and 1925 . In 1924 they also won the Allan Cup . In 1927 the team was dissolved and a junior team was founded under the same name, which played in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . From 1928 to 1931 you could win the league championship four times in a row, in 1942 the fifth title followed. After the Gouin Street Arena fell victim to a fire, junior ice hockey in Sault Ste. Marie came to an abrupt end in 1945.

In 1948 the Greyhounds were revived as a senior team and were successful again. In 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1955 the championship was won in the NOHA . After the 1958/59 season, the league and the Tam were dissolved.

Today's team

As a member of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , the Greyhounds were re-established in 1962. After ten successful years in the league, in which you could win the title three times, you joined the Ontario Hockey Association as an expansion team .

In the 1977 draft, the sixteen-year-old, small and skinny Wayne Gretzky was brought in . Despite his physical deficits, young Gretzky stood out in the team in terms of play. After his desired number 9 was already taken, he played with the number 19. However, his trainer soon suggested that he use 99 as the number. With 70 goals and 112 assists in 63 games, Gretzky set team records that are still valid today.

Coach Terry Crisp had a great influence on the development of the team in the early 80s . 1985 succeeded for the first time to win the championship in the OHL. This also qualified for the final round of the Memorial Cup . In 1986 the team was sold to a group of investors led by Phil Esposito . During the 1988/89 season you got Ted Nolan as coach . After only three years, the new owners considered selling the team again. In May 1989, Peter Karmanos offered $ 600,000 for the team. He wanted to relocate the greyhounds to Detroit. The offer was turned down and attempts were made to add value to the team. In the following draft they got Eric Lindros . The highly talented player didn't want to go to Sault Ste. Marie and his parents said that an education this far from his hometown of Toronto was not good for their son. With Lindros, Karmanos now offered a million dollars, but a local group around Dr. Shunock bid against it and kept the team in Sault Ste. Marie. Since no agreement was in sight in the Lindros case, it was handed over to the Oshawa Generals .

In 1991 they qualified again for the Memorial Cup. However, the final round was only finished in fourth and last place. In 1992 they played again in the Memorial Cup and reached the finals, where the Kamloops Blazers had to be beaten 5: 4. As a host you were also a participant in the final round of the Memorial Cup in 1993. In the local Sault Memorial Gardens it was also possible to win the title for the first time. In the final, they defeated the Peterborough Petes 4-2.

The best player in the 1990s was Joe Thornton , who played for the Greyhounds from 1995. Thornton was also the first player in the team's history to be selected first in the NHL Entry Draft . Former NHL goalkeeper John Vanbiesbrouck was among the coaches in 2002 . In 2006 the team moved from the Sault Memorial Gardens to the new Steelback Center , now the Essar Center .

Logos

successes

Memorial Cup
further finals participation
J. Ross Robertson Cup
Hamilton Spectator Trophy
  • 1980-81 96 points
  • 1982-83 97 points
  • 1984-85 109 points
  • 2014–15 110 points

Division Trophies

  • 1980-81 Leyden Trophy , Leyden Division
  • 1982-83 Emms Trophy , Emms Division
  • 1984-85 Emms Trophy, Emms Division
  • 1990-91 Emms Trophy, Emms Division
  • 1991-92 Emms Trophy, Emms Division
  • 1992–93 Emms Trophy, Emms Division
  • 1996–97 Bumbacco Trophy , West Division
  • 2004–05 Bumbacco Trophy, West Division
  • 2007-08 Bumbacco Trophy, West Division
  • 2013-14 Bumbacco Trophy, West Division
  • 2014–15 Bumbacco Trophy, West Division
  • 2016–17 Bumbacco Trophy, West Division

player

First round draft picks

Draft year player as team
1967 Bob Tombari 7th Chicago Blackhawks
1967 Bob Smith 11. Pittsburgh Penguins
1974 Jack Valiquette 13. Toronto Maple Leafs
1978 Danny Lucas 14th Philadelphia Flyers
1979 Craig Hartsburg 6th Minnesota North Stars
1981 Ron Francis 4th Hartford Whalers
1981 Steve Smith 16. Philadelphia Flyers
1983 Jeff Beukeboom 19th Edmonton Oilers
1985 Derek King 13. New York Islanders
1994 Dan Cloutier 26th New York Rangers
1996 Richard Jackman 5. Dallas Stars
1997 Joe Thornton 1. Boston Bruins
2002 Petr Tatíček 9. Florida panthers
2003 Jeff Carter 11. Philadelphia Flyers
2013 Darnell Nurse 7th Edmonton Oilers
2014 Jared McCann 24. Vancouver Canucks
2015 Zachary Senyshyn 15th Boston Bruins
2017 Morgan Frost 27. Philadelphia Flyers
2018 Barrett Hayton 5. Arizona Coyotes

Other former players

1919-1972

1972 - today

Blocked jersey numbers
No. Surname
1 John Vanbiesbrouck
4th Craig Hartsburg
5 Adam Foote
10 Ron Francis
99 Wayne Gretzky

Web links