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Cornwall Royals
CityCornwall, Ontario
LeagueQMJHL (1969–1981)
OHL (1981–92)
Operated1969 to 1992
Home arenaCornwall Civic Complex
ColoursBlue, white and red
Franchise history
1969–1992Cornwall Royals
1992–1994Newmarket Royals
1994–presentSarnia Sting
Championships
Playoff championships1972, 1980, & 1981 Memorial Cup Champions

The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1969 to 1981, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 1992. This team shared its name with other Cornwall Royals teams that played in the QSHL, MMJHL, or OHA-B.

History

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 3 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

Memorial Cups

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 who came back to coach. He would win the Stanley Cup coaching the Colorado Avalanche. He also coached the Vancouver Canucks, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Dallas Stars.

List of Coaches

(Multiple years in parentheses)

*1982–83 coaches Bob Kilger, Bill Murphy, Gord Woods, Jocelyn Guevremont

Players

The Cornwall Royals graduated 55 players to the National Hockey League. From these alumni, 31 played for the Royals in the QMJHL, and 29 played for the Royals in the OHL, and 5 played for the Royals in both leagues.

CHL awards

QMJHL awards

OHL awards

Hockey Hall of Fame members

Three alumni of the Cornwall Royals have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, including Billy Smith, Dale Hawerchuk, and Doug Gilmour.[citation needed]

NHL alumni

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (1969–1981)
Ontario Hockey League (1981–1992)

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Season League Games Won Lost Tied Points Pct % Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing
1969–70 QMJHL 56 24 31 1 49 0.438 223 255 2nd West
1970–71 QMJHL 62 22 40 0 44 0.355 260 326 10th QMJHL
1971–72 QMJHL 62 47 13 2 96 0.774 361 182 1st QMJHL
1972–73 QMJHL 64 43 19 2 88 0.688 365 253 2nd QMJHL
1973–74 QMJHL 70 46 22 2 94 0.671 438 328 1st West
1974–75 QMJHL 72 36 24 12 84 0.583 322 296 3rd West
1975–76 QMJHL 72 39 24 9 87 0.604 349 270 2nd West
1976–77 QMJHL 72 38 24 10 86 0.597 345 281 2nd Lebel
1977–78 QMJHL 72 46 18 8 100 0.694 404 258 1st Lebel
1978–79 QMJHL 72 29 36 7 65 0.451 361 397 3rd Lebel
1979–80 QMJHL 72 41 25 6 88 0.611 388 333 1st Lebel
1980–81 QMJHL 72 44 26 2 90 0.625 403 311 1st Lebel
1981–82 OHL 68 28 35 5 61 0.449 303 327 6th Leyden
1982–83 OHL 70 36 33 1 73 0.521 370 335 5th Leyden
1983–84 OHL 70 33 37 0 66 0.471 348 375 6th Leyden
1984–85 OHL 66 34 30 2 70 0.530 355 344 4th Leyden
1985–86 OHL 66 28 36 2 58 0.439 307 356 5th Leyden
1986–87 OHL 66 23 40 3 49 0.371 261 369 6th Leyden
1987–88 OHL 66 35 24 7 77 0.583 333 255 3rd Leyden
1988–89 OHL 66 31 30 5 67 0.508 350 308 4th Leyden
1989–90 OHL 66 24 38 4 52 0.394 309 361 6th Leyden
1990–91 OHL 66 23 42 1 47 0.356 281 335 7th Leyden
1991–92 OHL 66 38 22 6 82 0.621 328 289 3rd Leyden

Playoffs

QMJHL (1969–1981)
OHL (1981–1992)

Arenas

The Cornwall Royals played out of the Water Street Arena from 1969 to 1976, while in the QMJHL. The Arena, renamed in honour of Si Miller, the city's Director of Parks and Recreation for more than 30 years, was torn down in 2012.[1]

From 1976 to 1992, the Royals played out for the Cornwall Civic Complex, located across the road from their previous arena. The arena hosted the 1990 Chrysler Challenge Cup, the annual All-Star game between the OHL and the QMJHL, which the OHL won by a score of 3 to 0.[2]

References

  1. ^ Water Street Arena, The OHL Arena & Travel Guide
  2. ^ Cornwall Civic Complex, The OHL Arena & Travel Guide
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