Sudbury Wolves

The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game known as the "Wolves" (or "Cub Wolves") nearly every year since around the time of World War I. The current junior franchise came into existence in 1972 when local businessman Mervin "Bud" Burke purchased the Niagara Falls Flyers and relocated the team to Sudbury.

The current franchise has never won the Memorial Cup, nor has it captured the J. Ross Robertson Cup. Despite this lack of championships, the team has been one of the top development franchises in major junior over its history, with over 120 players drafted in to the National Hockey League (NHL) since 1973. The Wolves have been a central part of Sudbury's history for decades, and the team is among the most iconic junior hockey franchises in all of North America.

History

Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the Wolves or Cub Wolves nearly every year since around WWI. This team name was informally adopted around 1920 as the "Wolves of the North", likely a reference to the "voracity and tenacity that typified the play of these men from Sudbury."

The Sudbury Cub Wolves junior team began play in the 1920s as a member of the Nickel Belt Hockey League. Under the management of Max Silverman, and coached by Sam Rothschild, the Cub Wolves won the Memorial Cup in 1932 with a roster that featured future NHL players such as Hector "Toe" Blake, Nakina Smith, and Adélard Lafrance. In 1935, the Cub Wolves lost in the Memorial Cup finals to the Winnipeg Monarchs.

A senior team competing under the banner of the Sudbury Wolves, again coached by Silverman, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World Championships, winning the title for Canada in 1938 and the silver medal in 1949. An iteration of the Wolves competed as the Eastern Canada entry at the 1954 Allan Cup senior national championship, falling to the Penticton Vees from Western Canada.

A professional Sudbury Wolves team competed in the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) from 1959 until the league folded in 1963. Players such as Don Cherry, Dave Keon, and Gerry Cheevers suited up for the club during its brief existence.

A junior version of the Wolves emerged in the early 1960s as a member of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association, winning the league championship in 1969 and 1971. From 1973 to 1979, a young Joe Bowen began his broadcasting career covering the Wolves on local Sudbury radio. In 2016, the Burgess family, at the time the longest-serving ownership group in the OHL, sold the team to Sudbury businessman Dario Zulich. Since Zulich's takeover, the team has been moving in a positive direction, drafting players such as Quinton Byfield and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and winning a regular season division title in 2019-20.

Championships

thumb|right|230px|Sudbury Wolves make an entrance on home ice

The current Sudbury Wolves have never won the OHL championship, and have never participated in the Memorial Cup tournament. The team currently holds the third-longest Memorial Cup championship drought in the CHL, and the longest in the OHL.

The team has twice lost in the OHL finals, once in 1976 and again in 2007, winning the 1976 Leyden Trophy and the 2007 Bobby Orr Trophy in the process. The Wolves have twice won the Emms Trophy as the regular season Central Division champions, first in 2000-01 and then in 2019-20.

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
2019–2020 Central division

Junior Club World Cup

2012 Defeated Waterloo Black Hawks

Coaches

Jerry Toppazzini was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as the league's 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.

1972–1973 - B.MacKenzie, L.Rubic, T.Boyce
1973–1974 - Mac MacLean
1974–1975 - Stu Duncan
1975–1977 - Jerry Toppazzini (2)
1977–1978 - Marcel Clements, Andy Laing
1978–1981 - Andy Laing (4)
1981–1982 - Joe Drago
1982–1983 - Ken Gratton, M.Clements, B.Harris
1983–1984 - Billy Harris (2), Andy Spruce
1984–1985 - Andy Spruce (2)
1985–1986 - Bob Strumm, Wayne Maxner
1986–1987 - Guy Blanchard
1987–1988 - John Wallin, Ken MacKenzie
1988–1992 - Ken MacKenzie (5)
1992–1995 - Glenn Merkosky (4)
1995–1996 - Glenn Merkosky, Todd Lalonde
1996–1997 - Todd Lalonde (3)
1997–1998 - Todd Lalonde, Tom Watt
1998–1999 - Reg Higgs
1999–2003 - Bert Templeton (4)
2003–2009 - Mike Foligno (5)
2009-2010 - Bryan Verreault
2009-2010 - Mike Foligno
2010–2013 - Trent Cull
2013–2015 - Paul Fixter
2015–2017 - David Matsos (2)
2017–2020 - Cory Stillman (3)
2021–2022 - Craig Duncanson
2022–2023 - Derek MacKenzie
2023-2024 - Ken MacKenzie
2024–present - Scott Barney

Players

thumb|230px|right|Sudbury Wolves against the [[Ottawa 67's in Ottawa]]

The Sudbury Wolves have retired six players' numbers, and have had over 120 players drafted to the NHL.

Retired numbers

6 Randy Carlyle
8 Rod Schutt
10 Ron Duguay
14 Marc Staal
15 Dale Hunter
17 Mike Foligno

Award winners

1975–76 - Jim Bedard, Dave Pinkney Trophy
1978–79 - Mike Foligno, Red Tilson Trophy, Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
1981–82 - Pat Verbeek, Emms Family Award
1984 - Dave Moylan, Jack Ferguson Award
1985–86 - Jeff Brown, Max Kaminsky Trophy
1987 - John Uniac, Jack Ferguson Award
1993–94 - Jamie Rivers, Max Kaminsky Trophy
1994–95 - David MacDonald, F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy
1998–99 - Norm Milley, Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
1998–99 - Ryan McKie, Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy
2000–01 - Alexei Semenov, Max Kaminsky Trophy
2004–05 - Benoit Pouliot, CHL Rookie of the Year, Emms Family Award
2006–07 - Marc Staal, Max Kaminsky Trophy, Wayne Gretzky 99 Award
2008 - John McFarland, Jack Ferguson Award
2009-10 - John Kurtz, Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy
2011–12 - Michael Sgarbossa, Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
2012-13 - Connor Burgess, Ivan Tennant Memorial Award
2015 - David Levin, Jack Ferguson Award
2018 - Quinton Byfield, Jack Ferguson Award
2018–19 - Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Red Tilson Trophy, OHL Goaltender of the Year
2018–19 - Quinton Byfield, Emms Family Award, CHL Rookie of the Year
2021 - Quentin Musty, Jack Ferguson Award
2023-24 - David Goyette, Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy, Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy

NHL alumni

Akim Aliu
Mike Allison
Derek Armstrong
John Baby
Ryan Barnes
Don Beaupre
Jim Bedard
Adam Bennett
Jason Bonsignore
Kip Brennan
Jeff Brown
Quinton Byfield
Kyle Capobianco
Randy Carlyle
Tom Colley
Brandon Convery
Frank Corrado
Dean De Fazio
Paul DiPietro
Ron Duguay
Craig Duncanson
Ben Dunn
Dave Farrish
Fedor Fedorov
Mike Fisher
Rory Fitzpatrick
Marcus Foligno
Mike Foligno
Nick Foligno
Jim Fox
Dan Frawley
Sean Gagnon
David Goverde
Josh Gratton
Scott Gruhl
Richie Hansen
Randy Hillier
Randy Holt
Dale Hunter
Dave Hunter
Mike Hudson
Dan Jancevski
Wes Jarvis
Jason Jaspers
Chris Kelly
Chris Kontos
Marc Laforge
Josh Leivo
Mike Lenarduzzi
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Kevin MacDonald
Derek MacKenzie
Paul Mara
Hector Marini
Mike Marson
Dan McCarthy
Dale McCourt
John McFarland
Brian McGrattan
Jay McKee
Alex McKendry
Don McLean
Adam McQuaid
Ken McRae
Max Middendorf
Norm Milley
Mike Moher
Barrie Moore
Ethan Moreau
Glen Murray
Zdenek Nedved
Sean O'Donnell
Michael Peca
Michael Pezzetta
Isaak Phillips
Randy Pierce
Benoit Pouliot
Taylor Pyatt
Andrew Raycroft
Jamie Rivers
Shawn Rivers
Adam Ruzicka
Warren Rychel
Mike Sands
Rod Schutt
Alexei Semenov
Jason Simon
Brad Smith
Mike Smith
Marc Staal
Steve Staios
Zack Stortini
John Tanner
Eric Vail
Steve Valiquette
Pat Verbeek
Dave Watson
Dennis Wideman
Mike Wilson

Season-by-season results

Regular season and playoffs results:

1962–1972: Northern Ontario Junior Hockey Association
1972–1974: Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A Series
1974–1980: Ontario Major Junior Hockey League

|1973–74||70||31||26||13||–||–|| 75||0.536||298||288||5th OHA||Lost quarterfinals (Kitchener Rangers) 8–0

|1974–75||70||31||29||10||–||–|| 72||0.514||324||289||5th OHA||Won quarterfinals (Ottawa 67's) 8–6 Lost semifinals (Toronto Marlboros) 9–7

|1975–76||66||47||11|| 8||–||–||102||0.773||384||224||1st Leyden||bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won quarterfinals (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) 9–5 Won semifinals (Ottawa 67's) 8–2 Lost OMJHL finals (Hamilton Fincups) 8–2

|1976–77||66||38||24|| 4||–||–|| 80||0.606||385||290||2nd Leyden||Lost quarterfinals (Kingston Canadians) 4–1–1

|1977–78||68||16||42||10||–||–|| 42||0.309||255||377||6th Leyden||Did not qualify

|1978–79||68||40||27|| 1||–||–|| 81||0.596||397||361||2nd Leyden||Won quarterfinals (Oshawa Generals) 8–2 Lost semifinals (Peterborough Petes) 8–2

|1979–80||68||33||33|| 2||–||–|| 68||0.500||299||309||5th Leyden||Won division quarterfinals (Kingston Canadians) 3–0 Lost quarterfinals (Peterborough Petes) 4–3

|1980–81||68||20||45|| 3||–||–|| 43||0.316||284||380||6th Leyden||Did not qualify

|1981–82||68||19||48|| 1||–||–|| 39||0.287||274||401||7th Emms||Did not qualify

|1982–83||70||15||55|| 0||–||–|| 30||0.214||269||422||7th Emms||Did not qualify

|1983–84||70||19||50|| 1||–||–|| 39||0.279||287||427||8th Emms||Did not qualify

|1984–85||66||17||46|| 3||–||–|| 37||0.280||224||348||8th Emms||Did not qualify

|1985–86||66||29||33|| 4||–||–|| 62||0.470||293||330||5th Emms||Lost division quarterfinals (Guelph Platers) 8–0

|1986–87||66||20||44|| 2||–||–|| 42||0.318||285||377||8th Emms||Did not qualify

|1987–88||66||17||48|| 1||–||–|| 35||0.265||208||339||8th Emms||Did not qualify

|1988–89||66||23||36|| 7||–||–|| 53||0.402||262||334||7th Emms||Did not qualify

|1989–90||66||36||23|| 7||–||–|| 79||0.598||295||267||3rd Emms||Lost division quarterfinals (Owen Sound Platers) 4–3

|1990–91||66||33||28|| 5||–||–|| 71||0.538||288||265||6th Leyden||Lost division quarterfinals (Oshawa Generals) 4–1

|1991–92||66||33||27|| 6||–||–|| 72||0.545||331||320||4th Leyden||Won division quarterfinals (Oshawa Generals) 4–3 Lost quarterfinals (North Bay Centennials) 4–0

|1992–93||66||31||30|| 5||–||–|| 67||0.508||291||300||4th Leyden||Won division quarterfinals (Newmarket Royals) 4–3 Lost quarterfinals (Peterborough Petes) 4–3

|1993–94||66||34||26|| 6||–||–|| 74||0.561||299||275||3rd Leyden||Won division quarterfinals (Oshawa Generals) 4–1 Lost division semifinals (Ottawa 67's) 4–2

|1994–95||66||43||17|| 6||–||–|| 92||0.697||314||208||2nd Central||Won division quarterfinals (Kitchener Rangers) 4–1 Won quarterfinals (Windsor Spitfires) 4–2 Lost semifinals (Detroit Junior Red Wings) 4–3

|1995–96||66||27||36|| 3||–||–|| 57||0.432||262||288||6th Central||Did not qualify

|1996–97||66||21||37|| 8||–||–|| 50||0.379||251||302||6th Central||Did not qualify

|1997–98||66||25||34|| 7||–||–|| 57||0.432||257||268||5th Central||Won division quarterfinals (Barrie Colts) 4–2 Lost quarterfinals (Guelph Storm) 4–0

|1998–99||68||25||35|| 8||–||–|| 58||0.426||261||288||2nd Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Belleville Bulls) 4–0

|1999–2000||68||39||23|| 5|| 1||–|| 84||0.610||262||221||2nd Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Kingston Frontenacs) 4–1 Lost conference semifinals (Barrie Colts) 4–3

|2000–01||68||35||22|| 8|| 3||–|| 81||0.574||237||196||1st Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Barrie Colts) 4–1 Lost conference semifinals (Toronto St. Michael's Majors) 4–3

|2001–02||68||25||33|| 5|| 5||–|| 60||0.404||171||216||3rd Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Barrie Colts) 4–1

|2002–03||68||16||46|| 4|| 2||–|| 38||0.265||175||273||5th Central||Did not qualify

|2003–04||68||25||32|| 6|| 5||–|| 61||0.412||185||220||5th Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Toronto St. Michael's Majors) 4–3

|2004–05||68||32||23|| 6|| 7||–|| 77||0.515||201||185||4th Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Brampton Battalion) 4–2 Lost conference semifinals (Ottawa 67's) 4–2

|2005–06||68||34||28||–|| 1|| 5|| 74||0.544||227||222||3rd Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Kingston Frontenacs) 4–2 Lost conference semifinals (Peterborough Petes) 4–0

|2006–07||68||29||30||–|| 3|| 6|| 67||0.486||225||241||3rd Central||bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Won conference quarterfinals (Mississauga IceDogs) 4–1 Won conference semifinals (Barrie Colts) 4–0 Won conference finals (Belleville Bulls) 4–2 Lost OHL finals (Plymouth Whalers) 4–2

|2007–08||68||17||46||–|| 2|| 3|| 39||0.287||175||292||5th Central||Did not qualify

|2008–09||68||26||35||–|| 3|| 4|| 59||0.434||227||282||5th Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Belleville Bulls) 4–2

|2009–10||68||26||35||–|| 4|| 3|| 59||0.434||193||267||5th Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Barrie Colts) 4–0

|2010–11||68||29||35||–|| 2|| 2|| 62||0.456||235||276||4th Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Ottawa 67's) 4–0 Lost conference semifinals (Mississauga St. Michael's Majors) 4–0

|2011–12||68||36||26||–|| 4|| 2|| 78||0.574||242||240||4th Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Brampton Battalion) 4–0

|2012–13||68||29||27||–|| 5|| 7|| 70||0.515||214||234||3rd Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Brampton Battalion) 4–1 Lost conference semifinals (Belleville Bulls) 4–0

|2013–14||68||33||24||–|| 3|| 8|| 77||0.566||219||228||3rd Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Barrie Colts) 4–1

|2014–15||68||12||54||–|| 1|| 1|| 26||0.191||149||323||5th Central||Did not qualify

|2015–16||68||16||46||–|| 5|| 1|| 38||0.279||183||328||5th Central||Did not qualify

|2016–17||68||27||34||–|| 7|| 0|| 61||0.449||207||263||2nd Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Oshawa Generals) 4–2

|2017–18||68||17||42||–|| 9|| 0|| 43||0.316||197||291||5th Central||Did not qualify

|2018–19||68||43||20||–|| 3|| 2|| 91||0.669||254||206||2nd Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Mississauga Steelheads) 4–0 Lost conference semifinals (Ottawa 67's) 4–0

|2019–20||63||34||27||–|| 1|| 1|| 70||0.556||259||240||1st Central||bgcolor="#CCCCCC"|Playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

|2020–21 || colspan="12" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"|Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

|2021–22||68||23||38||–|| 3|| 4|| 53||0.390||223||297||4th Central||Did not qualify

|2022–23||68||31||28||–|| 6|| 3|| 71||0.522||272||260||3rd Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Peterborough Petes) 4–0

|2023–24||68||38||23||–|| 4|| 3|| 83||0.610||328||272||3rd Central||Won conference quarterfinals (Mississauga Steelheads) 4–1 Lost conference semifinals (North Bay Battalion) 4–0

|2024–25||68||32||31||–|| 5|| 0|| 69||0.507||245||269||3rd Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Kingston Frontenacs) 4–0

|2025–26||68||27||39||–|| 2|| 0|| 56||0.412||211||262||4th Central||Lost conference quarterfinals (Brantford Bulldogs) 4–0

Uniforms and logos

right|100px

From 1972 to 1988, the Sudbury Wolves' colours were green, white and gold. The tradition of Sudbury teams wearing green jerseys dates back to the mid-1910s. In 1988–89, Ken Burgess - who famously asked "Who ever heard of a green wolf?" - changed the team's colours to blue, white and grey, which happened to be the corporate colours of the business that bore his name. These have been the Wolves' colours ever since, though the team has occasionally donned throwback green jerseys. The iconic blood-toothed, wily wolf-head logo has subtly evolved since the current franchise's inception, but overall has remained relatively unchanged and today is one of the most recognizable logos in the CHL. The team unveiled several special edition jerseys during the 2022-23 season, including a fiftieth anniversary jersey, as well as a limited edition Shoresy Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs themed jersey.

thumb|right|upright|Jake Cardwell of the Wolves wearing the 2009 version of the away jersey

Arena

The Sudbury Wolves play their home games at the downtown Sudbury Community Arena, which was constructed in 1951. The City of Greater Sudbury and the Wolves have upgraded the facility over the years, but since the mid-2010s there have been intensified debates about the building of a new arena.

Every time the Wolves score a goal, a taxidermic wolf rolls out on a pulley system from the rafters of the Sudbury Arena in the direction of the opposing team's bench. This tradition began in the 1950s when The Sudbury Star donated a stuffed wolf to the local Wolves team as a token of appreciation. As of 2018, Wolves games are broadcast on CKLU-FM.

References

External links

Sudbury Wolves