The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 1969 to 1981, and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 1981 to 1992. They won the Memorial Cup three times as junior champions of Canada: in 1971, 1980, and 1981.
The Royals shared a common name with teams that played in the Quebec Senior Hockey League, the Central Junior A Hockey League.
History
thumb|Cornwall Royals home jersey
From 1961 until 1969, the Cornwall Royals were successful members of the Central Junior A Hockey League (CJHL). As perennial CJHL champions, they represented that league at the playdowns for the 1966, 1967 and 1968 Memorial Cup national junior hockey championships, falling in the quarterfinals each year against the representatives from Quebec.
After an application to join the OHL was rejected, the franchise became one of the inaugural teams of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1969. The Cornwall Royals were one of the league's premier teams during its tenure in the QMJHL, winning three Memorial Cup titles.
For the 1981–82 season, the team transferred into the Ontario Hockey League.
The Royals suffered through many tough seasons and poor attendance after moving to the OHL. The switch in leagues alienated many die-hard fans from across the Quebec border. Seeking better fortunes, the franchise moved to Newmarket, Ontario to play as the Newmarket Royals in 1992. In 1994 the team was bought by the Ciccarelli brothers and moved to Sarnia, Ontario as the Sarnia Sting.
Championships
The Cornwall Royals are one of only 7 clubs to win consecutive Memorial Cup championships. They did so in 1980 and 1981. In total, the Royals won 3 Memorial Cups, 3 President's Cups, and 5 division titles while in the QMJHL. The Royals did not win any OHL championships.
CJHL Bogart Cup Championships: 1966, 1967, 1968
President's Cup<br>Playoff Champions in the QMJHL.
- 1972 QMJHL Champions vs. Quebec Remparts
- 1980 QMJHL Champions vs. Sherbrooke Castors
- 1981 QMJHL Champions vs. Trois-Rivieres Draveurs
Jean Rougeau Trophy<br>Regular season champions in the QMJHL.
- 1971–1972 96 points
- 1980–1981 90 points
West Division Trophy<br>First overall in the West Division.
- 1973–1974 94 points
Lebel Division Trophy<br>First overall in the Lebel Division.
- 1977–1978 100 points
- 1979–1980 88 points
- 1980–1981 90 points
;Memorial Cups
- 1972 CHL Champions vs. Peterborough Petes
- 1980 CHL Champions vs. Peterborough Petes
- 1981 CHL Champions vs. Kitchener Rangers
Coaches
Orval Tessier guided the Cornwall Royals to the Memorial Cup championship in 1972. Doug Carpenter coached the 1980 Royals, and Bob Kilger in 1981.
Marc Crawford was a former Cornwall Royals player. He won the Stanley Cup as coach of the Colorado Avalanche. He also coached the Vancouver Canucks, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Dallas Stars.
;List of Coaches
(Multiple years in parentheses)
- 1981–82 Bob Kilger
- 1982–83 Jocelyn Guevremont
- 1983–84 Jocelyn Guevremont / Floyd Crawford
- 1984–85 Floyd Crawford / Tony Zappia
- 1985–86 Tony Zappia
- 1986–89 Orval Tessier (3)
- 1989–91 Marc Crawford (2)
- 1991–92 John Lovell
<nowiki>*</nowiki>1982–83 coaches Bob Kilger, Bill Murphy, Gord Woods, Jocelyn Guevremont
Players
Award recipients
{|class="wikitable"
!Season!!Player!!Award(s)!!Recognition!!Source
|-
| 1970–71 || Bob Murphy || Coaches' Trophy || Rookie of the year ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1971–72 || Bob Murray || Coaches' Trophy || Rookie of the year ||rowspan="2"|
|-
| Richard Brodeur || Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy || Lowest goals against average
|-
| Gerry Teeple || Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy || Most sportsmanlike player ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1973–74 || rowspan="2"| Gary MacGregor || Michel Brière Memorial Trophy || Most valuable player ||
|-
| Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy || Most sportsmanlike player ||
|-
| 1974–75 || Mario Viens || Michel Brière Memorial Trophy || Most valuable player, regular season ||
|-
| 1975–76 || Tim Bernhardt || Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy || Lowest goals against average ||
|-
| 1976–77 || Tim Bernhardt || Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy || Lowest goals against average ||
|-
| 1977–78 || Tim Bernhardt || Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy || Lowest goals against average ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1979–80 || rowspan="2"| Dale Hawerchuk || Coaches' Trophy || Rookie of the year ||
|-
| Guy Lafleur Trophy || Most valuable player, playoffs ||
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1980–81 || rowspan="4"| Dale Hawerchuk || Jean Béliveau Trophy || Top scorer, regular season ||
|-
| Michel Brière Memorial Trophy || Most valuable player ||
|-
| CHL Player of the Year || Most valuable player ||
|-
| Michael Bossy Trophy || Best professional prospect ||
|-
| Fred Boimistruck || Emile Bouchard Trophy || Defenceman of the year ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1982–83 || rowspan="2"| Doug Gilmour || Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy || OHL Top Point Scorer ||
|-
| Red Tilson Trophy || OHL Most valuable player ||
|-
| Ian MacInnis || Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy || OHL Top Scoring Right Winger ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1985–86 || rowspan="3"| Ray Sheppard || Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy || OHL Top Point Scorer ||
|-
| Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy || OHL Top Scoring Right Winger ||
|-
| Red Tilson Trophy || OHL Most valuable player ||
|-
| 1987–88 || Rick Tabaracci || OHL Goaltender of the Year || Voted best goaltender in the OHL ||
|-
| 1988–89 || Owen Nolan || Emms Family Award || Rookie of the year ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1989–90 || Owen Nolan || Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy || OHL Top Scoring Right Winger ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| John Slaney || Max Kaminsky Trophy || Most Outstanding Defenceman ||
|-
| CHL Defenceman of the Year || ||
|-
| 1990–91 || Nathan LaFayette || Bobby Smith Trophy || Scholastic player of the year ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1991–92 || rowspan="2"| Nathan LaFayette || Bobby Smith Trophy || Scholastic player of the year ||
|-
| CHL Scholastic Player of the Year || ||
|}
NHL alumni
Three alumni of the Cornwall Royals have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, including Billy Smith, Dale Hawerchuk, and Doug Gilmour.
List of QMJHL (1969–1981) alumni in the National Hockey League (NHL) or World Hockey Association:
- Jeff Allan
- Dave Allison
- Scott Arniel
- Fred Arthur
- Reid Bailey
- Tim Bernhardt
- Fred Boimistruck
- Brian Bowles
- Richard Brodeur
- Eric Calder
- Alain Chevrier
- Bob Crawford
- Lou Crawford
- Marc Crawford
- Dan Daoust
- Jeff Eatough
- Dan Frawley
- Danny Geoffrion
- Doug Gilmour
- Dale Hawerchuk
- Blair MacDonald
- Gary MacGregor
- John Markell
- Corrado Micalef
- Bob Murray
- Graeme Nicolson
- Jim Park
- Rick Paterson
- Ron Scott
- Al Sims
- Billy Smith
- Ron Smith
- Pierre Viau
- Mario Viens
- John Wensink
- Rod Willard
List of OHL (1981–1992) alumni in the NHL:
- Scott Arniel
- Bob Babcock
- Eric Calder
- Jason Cirone
- Larry Courville
- Craig Duncanson
- Jeff Eatough
- Dan Frawley
- Doug Gilmour
- Jim Kyte
- Nathan LaFayette
- Alan Letang
- Guy Leveque
- Steve Maltais
- Owen Nolan
- Mike Prokopec
- Rob Ray
- Joe Reekie
- Ken Sabourin
- Mathieu Schneider
- Ray Sheppard
- John Slaney
- Mike Stapleton
- Jeremy Stevenson
- Rick Tabaracci
- Tom Thornbury
- Mike Tomlak
- Ryan Vandenbussche
- Michael Ware
Season-by-season results
- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season-by-season results (1969–1981):
- Ontario Hockey League season-by-season results (1981–1992):
Legend: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|<small>Memorial Cup champions</small>
|bgcolor="#B3FFB3"|<small>League champions</small>
|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|<small>League finalists</small>
|}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Season !! colspan="9"|Regular season !! rowspan="2"|Playoffs
|-
! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! Finish
|-
|1969–70||56||24||31|| 1|| 49||0.438||223||255||2nd West||Lost quarterfinal (Verdun Maple Leafs) 4–2
|-
|1970–71||62||22||40|| 0|| 44||0.355||260||326||10th QMJHL||Did not qualify
|-
|1971–72||62||47||13|| 2|| 96||0.774||361||182||1st QMJHL||bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|Won quarterfinal (Verdun Maple Leafs) 8–0<br />Won semifinal (Shawinigan Bruins) 8–2<br />Won QMJHL final (Quebec Remparts) 9–5<br />Won 1972 Memorial Cup final (Peterborough Petes) 2–1
|-
|1972–73||64||43||19|| 2|| 88||0.688||365||253||2nd QMJHL||bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won quarterfinal (Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge) 4–0<br />Won semifinal (Sorel Éperviers) 4–1<br />Lost QMJHL final (Quebec Remparts) 4–3
|-
|1973–74||70||46||22|| 2|| 94||0.671||438||328||1st West||Lost quarterfinal (Laval National) 4–1
|-
|1974–75||72||36||24||12|| 84||0.583||322||296||3rd West||Lost quarterfinal (Montreal Bleu Blanc Rouge) 4–0
|-
|1975–76||72||39||24|| 9|| 87||0.604||349||270||2nd West||Won quarterfinal (Montreal Juniors) 4–2<br />Lost semifinal (Quebec Remparts) 4–0
|-
|1976–77||72||38||24||10|| 86||0.597||345||281||2nd Lebel||Won quarterfinal (Trois-Rivières Draveurs) 8–4<br />Lost semifinal (Sherbrooke Castors) 9–0
|-
|1977–78||72||46||18|| 8||100||0.694||404||258||1st Lebel||Won quarterfinal (Hull Olympiques) 8–0<br />Lost semifinal (Montreal Juniors) 8–2
|-
|1978–79||72||29||36|| 7|| 65||0.451||361||397||3rd Lebel||Lost quarterfinal (Verdun Éperviers) 8–6
|-
|1979–80||72||41||25|| 6|| 88||0.611||388||333||1st Lebel||bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|Won quarterfinal (Shawinigan Cataractes) 4–3<br />Won semifinal (Chicoutimi Saguenéens) 4–1<br />Won QMJHL final (Sherbrooke Castors) 4–2<br />Won 1980 Memorial Cup final (Peterborough Petes) 3–2
|-
|1980–81||72||44||26|| 2|| 90||0.625||403||311||1st Lebel||bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|Won quarterfinal (Quebec Remparts) 4–3<br />Won semifinal (Sherbrooke Castors) 4–3<br />Won QMJHL final (Trois-Rivières Draveurs) 4–1<br />Won 1981 Memorial Cup final (Kitchener Rangers) 5–2
|-
|colspan="11"|Royals transferred from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Ontario Hockey League
|-
|1981–82||68||28||35|| 5|| 61||0.449||303||327||6th Leyden||Lost division quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 6–4
|-
|1982–83||70||36||33|| 1|| 73||0.521||370||335||5th Leyden||Won division quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 7–1<br />Lost quarterfinal (Ottawa 67's) 8–0
|-
|1983–84||70||33||37|| 0|| 66||0.471||348||375||6th Leyden||Lost division quarterfinal (Peterborough Petes) 6–0
|-
|1984–85||66||34||30|| 2|| 70||0.530||355||344||4th Leyden||Won division quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 8–2<br />Lost quarterfinal (Belleville Bulls) 6–2
|-
|1985–86||66||28||36|| 2|| 58||0.439||307||356||5th Leyden||Lost division quarterfinal (Belleville Bulls) 9–3
|-
|1986–87||66||23||40|| 3|| 49||0.371||261||369||6th Leyden||Lost division quarterfinal (Ottawa 67's) 4–1
|-
|1987–88||66||35||24|| 7|| 77||0.583||333||255||3rd Leyden||Won division quarterfinal (Belleville Bulls) 4–2<br />Lost quarterfinal (Ottawa 67's) 4–1
|-
|1988–89||66||31||30|| 5|| 67||0.508||350||308||4th Leyden||Won division quarterfinal (Toronto Marlboros) 4–2<br />Won quarterfinal (Ottawa 67's) 4–2<br />Lost semifinal (Peterborough Petes) 4–2
|-
|1989–90||66||24||38|| 4|| 52||0.394||309||361||6th Leyden||Lost division quarterfinal (Oshawa Generals) 4–2
|-
|1990–91||66||23||42|| 1|| 47||0.356||281||335||7th Leyden||Did not qualify
|-
|1991–92||66||38||22|| 6|| 82||0.621||328||289||3rd Leyden||Lost division quarterfinal (Ottawa 67's) 4–2
|}
Arenas
The Royals played home games at the Water Street Arena from 1969 to 1976. Moving across the road, the Royals played at the Cornwall Civic Complex from 1976 to 1992, and hosted the 1990 All-Star game between the OHL and the QMJHL, which the OHL won by a 3–0 score.