The Stouffville Spirit are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Whitchurch–Stouffville , Ontario , Canada. The Stouffville Spirit are members of the Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association .
21-634: From 1970 until 1984, the Stouffville Clippers were members of the Central Junior C Hockey League and played at the old Stouffville Arena built in 1949. From 1984 until 1995, the team was on a long hiatus. The Clippers were brought back in 1995 playing at the current Stouffville Arena (built 1985), changed their name to the Spirit a season later, and have been members of the OPJHL ever since. Junior hockey has
42-471: A full season in the Provincial Junior A Hockey League. In mid-season, he sold the franchise to Stouffville businessman Ed Hakonson, who had tried to obtain a junior A franchise for Stouffville earlier in the '90s. Former Stouffville minor official Wally Crowder was named general manager, and Steve Sedore of Georgina head coach. The Spirit struggled on and off the ice over the first three seasons. Sedore
63-558: A long and storied history in Stouffville. In the first half of the 20th Century it had two ice rinks for hockey, Maple Leaf Rink (1901) and Clayton Baker Arena at what is now Memorial Park (1926). The 1947 Stouffville Red Wings, which played at Clayton Baker Arena, won an OHA championship and played until 1949 in the OHA Senior B when it was renamed the Clippers. Baker Arena was dismantled for
84-635: A plethora of major towns in the league: Trenton, Ajax, Bowmanville, Port Hope, Lindsay, Cobourg, and the retirement community-backed Wellington Dukes; the Central Junior B Hockey League absorbed many of these franchises over the course of a couple years in their run to Junior A status—obtained in 1993. Since losing half of their teams, the Central Ontario League has survived with the likes of Georgina, Lakefield, Little Britain, Port Perry, and Uxbridge. A sixth team has failed to stick in most cases, in towns like Bobcaygeon and Madoc. Due to retraction in
105-762: The Central Junior C Hockey League in 1986. They moved up to Metro "B" in 1989 when they took over the Belleville Bobcats franchise, and moved up to Junior "A" in 1991. The Dukes have been in the OPJHL since 1998. In 2003, the Dukes defeated the Aurora Tigers 4-games-to-2 to win the Frank L. Buckland Trophy . At the Dudley Hewitt Cup tournament, the Dukes first beat the Fort Frances Borderland Thunder of
126-781: The Clarence Schmalz Cup . The league is now a division in the Provincial Junior Hockey League . In 1970, the Suburban Junior C Hockey League divided into two leagues. Most of the westerly teams formed the Mid-Ontario Junior B Hockey League , while most of the easterly teams formed the Central Lakeshore Junior C League. In 1972, the Eastern Junior B Hockey League was also divided up, half to
147-648: The Maritime Junior A Hockey League the Dukes prevailed 1–0 in overtime. Their final round robin game, the Dukes defeated the Lennoxville Cougars of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League 5–2 to finish third in the round robin. In the semi-finals, the Dukes squared off against Humboldt again and were defeated 3–2. Humboldt moved on to win the Royal Bank Cup as National Champions. In 2008,
168-865: The Metro Junior B Hockey League and the other half to the Central League. With this, the Eastern Junior C Loop became the Quinte-St. Lawrence Junior C Hockey League , the Central League's main territorial rival until 1986. In 1986, the Quinte-St. Lawrence League folded. The Wellington Dukes fled to the Central League and the Gananoque Islanders joined the Ottawa District Hockey Association 's Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League . With
189-757: The Ontario Junior Hockey League , the Bowmanville Eagles have returned in 2011 in the form of the Clarington Eagles but Ajax remains unserviced after their team left Junior A, both having folded in 2010. Following the 2015-16 seasons the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League amalgamated with the other southern Ontario junior "C" hockey leagues and became a division within the Provincial Junior Hockey League . For
210-809: The Superior International Junior Hockey League by a score of 7–1. They were defeated 2-1 by the North Bay Skyhawks of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League . They then defeated the Thunder Bay Bulldogs of the SIJHL 7–4 to finish second in the round robin. In the semi-final, the Dukes defeated Fort Frances 4–2. In the final, they defeated the North Bay Skyhawks by a convincing score of 4–0 to win
231-679: The Central Canadian Championship. At the Royal Bank Cup 2003 , their National tournament started with a 4–1 loss to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League 's Humboldt Broncos . In the second game, the Dukes were embarrassed by the Alberta Junior Hockey League 's Camrose Kodiaks 7–1. In the third game, the Dukes battled for their lives. In a hard battle with the Charlottetown Abbies of
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#1732855432682252-739: The Dukes joined the semi-autonomous Central Division, that formed the Central Canadian Hockey League in 2009 when the OJHL was dissolved. The Wellington Dukes defeated the hosts Huntsville Otters 5–3 to win the 2011 Dudley-Hewitt Cup. The Dukes travelled west to participate in the Royal Bank Cup in Camrose, Alberta. Wellington returned to the Quinte after a 4–1 loss to the Vernon Vipers. Wellington
273-647: The Dukes merged with the neighbouring Jr. B Belleville Bobcats and took their place in the Metro League. The Dukes have won the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Junior A Champions three times (2003, 2011, 2018). The Dukes also won the Buckland Cup (OJHL Champions) for the third time on April 22, 2018. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the Wellington Dukes were members of the Quinte-St. Lawrence Junior C Hockey League . The league folded in 1986. The Dukes joined
294-606: The Ontario Hockey Association "All-Ontario Jr. "C" Championship", please go to the Clarence Schmalz Cup . Wellington Dukes The Wellington Dukes are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Wellington, Ontario , Canada. They are in the Eastern Division of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League . Originally a Junior C team in the 1970s and 1980s,
315-530: The Spirit in 2002 as an equal partner. Goldberg left the group in 2005. Schmidt retired as GM after the 2000-2001 season. His replacement is Stouffville native Ken Burrows, who in 10 years with the Spirit has been vice-president of hockey, assistant coach and scout. A volunteer board of directors oversees the operation of the Spirit. The Spirit is proud to be affiliated with the Whitchurch-Stouffville Minor Hockey Association and
336-769: The Uxbridge Bruins Junior C Hockey Club. 26 - Randy Johnston (2008) Central Junior C Hockey League The Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League was a junior ice hockey league in Ontario , Canada, sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association . The "Central" played inter-league games with the Empire Junior "C" League. The champion of the Central competed for the All-Ontario Championship and
357-559: The old Stouffville Arena at Memorial Park and reused in Cambray, Ontario . Junior hockey was popular in Stouffville through the 1960s, right into the early 1980s. The Spirit was founded in 1995. George Stavro, who was granted the franchise by the Ontario Hockey Association, was the team's first coach and general manager. Junior hockey hadn't been played in Stouffville since 1984, when the OHA's junior C Stouffville Clippers folded. But Stavro didn't last
378-402: Was associate coach with the successful Newmarket Hurricanes' organization, before accepting promotions in Stouffville. Players have advanced to college and major junior hockey since Year 1 of the Spirit. Hakonson sold shares in the hockey club to Stouffville-area resident Zeev Werek and Larry Goldberg in 1999, then sold the rest of the team to Werek and Goldberg a year later. David Laren joined
399-607: Was chosen to host the 2014 Dudley-Hewitt Cup at their new arena. The Dukes finished no higher than 5th in the North-East conference losing to the Cobourg Cougars in the first round 4 games to 1. The Dukes endured nearly 2 months of a playoff layoff. The Dukes entered the tournament. The Dukes finished the round robin with a 3–0 record, but lost the final to the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots 2–1. The franchise scoring record
420-673: Was replaced as coach by Stouffville minor hockey grad Dan Larmer. Larmer played junior hockey in southern Ontario and college hockey at Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania, before a brief pro career. A move of home games at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Recreation Complex, from Saturday nights to Thursdays, improved attendance. But the Spirit didn't make the playoffs in its first three seasons. A new regime took over Spirit hockey operations in 1998. New Spirit general manager Dieter Schmidt had been manager and head coach Brian Perrin
441-640: Was set by Howie Dowdle in 1988-89 scoring 51 goals, and 73 assists in 39 games played. This feat won Howie the Elleanor Gilliam Memorial Trophy as the Central Ontario Jr. "C" Scoring Champion. Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against MetJHL Years OJHL Years Central Canada Jr. A Championships NOJHL – OJHL – SIJHL – Host Round-robin play with 2nd vs. 3rd in semifinal to advance against 1st in
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