Kenora Thistles (senior)
Encyclopedia
The Kenora Thistles are a Canadian
Senior ice hockey club from Kenora, Ontario
. They are eligible to compete for the Allan Cup
and were hosts of the 2011 Allan Cup
.
and Saskatchewan
senior clubs to stay ready during the winter as they have no official league play until the playoffs. In the spring, the Thistles and Thunder Bay traditionally play off in a best-of-3 series to determine who will play against the Ontario Hockey Association
champion for the Renwick Cup
.
In the 2007 playoffs, the Thunder Bay Bombers
defaulted due to lack of money despite winning the Allan Cup
in 2005 and travelling Europe in 2006 to play against professional European clubs. Taking up an old, forgotten tradition of the Allan Cup champion. With no Northern Ontario
competition, the Kenora earned the right to compete in the Renwick Cup and as well to host it. But, the Thistles did not book ice time in time and the Town of Kenora would not alter their schedule, so Hockey Canada
stripped Kenora of hosting rights and awarded them to the eventual OHA champion, who ended up being the Whitby Dunlops
of the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League
. Kenora led the first game of the best-of-3 1-0 and 2-1. Whitby stormed back and led 3-2. Kenora tied the game in the third just to have the Dunlops score a late one to take game one 4-3. Kenora was outshot 50-29. In game two, the Dunlops taught the Thistles a lesson, crushing them 11-0 to take the series 2-games-to-none.
In 2008, the Thistles returned for more playoff action after an extensive exhibition schedule. Thunder Bay was back under the name Thunder Bay Hawks HC. The Hawks won both games of the Northern final: 7-4 and 5-1 to advance to the Renwick Cup.
The 2008-09 season was spent with a short exhibition schedule against other Senior teams in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. These games included a pair against Theoren Fleury
's Steinbach North Stars
, hosts of the 2009 Allan Cup
. The playoffs began for the Thistles on March 13 against the Thunder Bay Twins. Two victories would take the Thistles directly to the 2009 Allan Cup
round robin for the first time ever. Playing in Thunder Bay
, the Thistles struck first with a 5-4 double-overtime victory. The next evening the Twins struck back, taking Game 2 by a 7-2 score. The Thistles dominated early and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. Late in the game the Twins tied the score at 3 and forced overtime. In the second overtime period, the Twins scored to win 4-3 and ended the Thistles third season of play.
From March 11 to 14, 2010, the Thistles hosted the HNO Gary Cook Cup senior hockey championship. The Thistles tied their first game against the Fort Frances Thunderhawks
3-3, a result that would later be overturned and awarded to the Thistles. Their second game was a 5-1 drubbing of their rival Thunder Bay K&A Twins. Due to the same protest that changed the result of their game against the Thunderhawks, the Thistles met the Twins again in the tournament final. The Thistles were victorious, taking the Twins 3-1. The will move on to the Renwick Cup
in April against the winners of Major League Hockey
.
The Thistles and the City of Kenora hosted the 2011 Allan Cup
on behalf of Hockey Northwestern Ontario
. They lost the Quarter-final to the Fort Frances Thunderhawks
. The Thunderhawks were awarded the branch championship Gary Cook Cup for the victory. In June 2011, the team officially folded, but were resurrected by a new owner before the month was out.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Senior ice hockey club from Kenora, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. They are eligible to compete for the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
and were hosts of the 2011 Allan Cup
2011 Allan Cup
The 2011 Allan Cup was the 2011 Canadian Grand National Championship of Senior ice hockey. This was the 103rd year the trophy was awarded. The 2011 Allan Cup was be contended in Kenora, Ontario, hosted by the Kenora Thistles of Hockey Northwestern Ontario from April 11 to April 16,...
.
History
Founded in 2006, the Kenora Thistles are one of only two teams in their area, the other being the Thunder Bay Twins. Both the Thistles and Twins play a series of exhibition games against ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
senior clubs to stay ready during the winter as they have no official league play until the playoffs. In the spring, the Thistles and Thunder Bay traditionally play off in a best-of-3 series to determine who will play against the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
champion for the Renwick Cup
Renwick Cup
The Gordon Renwick Cup is the Senior "AAA" Central Canada ice hockey championship. The winning of this trophy earns the champion the right to compete in the Allan Cup, the National Senior Championship. The winner of Ontario would play the winner of Quebec for this trophy...
.
In the 2007 playoffs, the Thunder Bay Bombers
Thunder Bay Bombers
The Thunder Bay Twins are a Canadian Senior ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario. They play an independent schedule under the supervision of Hockey Northwestern Ontario...
defaulted due to lack of money despite winning the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
in 2005 and travelling Europe in 2006 to play against professional European clubs. Taking up an old, forgotten tradition of the Allan Cup champion. With no Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
competition, the Kenora earned the right to compete in the Renwick Cup and as well to host it. But, the Thistles did not book ice time in time and the Town of Kenora would not alter their schedule, so Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
stripped Kenora of hosting rights and awarded them to the eventual OHA champion, who ended up being the Whitby Dunlops
Whitby Dunlops
The Whitby Dunlops are a team in Major League Hockey. Two previous teams have also played as the Whitby Dunlops. The first was an OHA Senior team from 1954 to 1960. The second was a junior team from 1962 to 1963....
of the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League
Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League
The Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League, or EOSHL, was a top Senior ice hockey league in Eastern Ontario. The league was governed by the Ontario Hockey Association, but was merged into the Major Hockey League in 2008.-History:...
. Kenora led the first game of the best-of-3 1-0 and 2-1. Whitby stormed back and led 3-2. Kenora tied the game in the third just to have the Dunlops score a late one to take game one 4-3. Kenora was outshot 50-29. In game two, the Dunlops taught the Thistles a lesson, crushing them 11-0 to take the series 2-games-to-none.
In 2008, the Thistles returned for more playoff action after an extensive exhibition schedule. Thunder Bay was back under the name Thunder Bay Hawks HC. The Hawks won both games of the Northern final: 7-4 and 5-1 to advance to the Renwick Cup.
The 2008-09 season was spent with a short exhibition schedule against other Senior teams in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. These games included a pair against Theoren Fleury
Theoren Fleury
Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...
's Steinbach North Stars
Steinbach North Stars
The Île-des-Chênes North Stars are a Canadian Senior ice hockey team from Ile des Chenes, Manitoba...
, hosts of the 2009 Allan Cup
2009 Allan Cup
The 2009 Allan Cup was the 2009 edition of the Canadian National Championship of Senior ice hockey. This tournament marked the 101st year that the Allan Cup has been awarded. The 2009 tournament was hosted by the City of Steinbach, Manitoba and the Steinbach North Stars...
. The playoffs began for the Thistles on March 13 against the Thunder Bay Twins. Two victories would take the Thistles directly to the 2009 Allan Cup
2009 Allan Cup
The 2009 Allan Cup was the 2009 edition of the Canadian National Championship of Senior ice hockey. This tournament marked the 101st year that the Allan Cup has been awarded. The 2009 tournament was hosted by the City of Steinbach, Manitoba and the Steinbach North Stars...
round robin for the first time ever. Playing in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, the Thistles struck first with a 5-4 double-overtime victory. The next evening the Twins struck back, taking Game 2 by a 7-2 score. The Thistles dominated early and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. Late in the game the Twins tied the score at 3 and forced overtime. In the second overtime period, the Twins scored to win 4-3 and ended the Thistles third season of play.
From March 11 to 14, 2010, the Thistles hosted the HNO Gary Cook Cup senior hockey championship. The Thistles tied their first game against the Fort Frances Thunderhawks
Fort Frances Thunderhawks
The Fort Frances Thunderhawks are a Canadian Senior ice hockey club from Fort Frances, Ontario. They are eligible to compete for the Allan Cup.-History:...
3-3, a result that would later be overturned and awarded to the Thistles. Their second game was a 5-1 drubbing of their rival Thunder Bay K&A Twins. Due to the same protest that changed the result of their game against the Thunderhawks, the Thistles met the Twins again in the tournament final. The Thistles were victorious, taking the Twins 3-1. The will move on to the Renwick Cup
Renwick Cup
The Gordon Renwick Cup is the Senior "AAA" Central Canada ice hockey championship. The winning of this trophy earns the champion the right to compete in the Allan Cup, the National Senior Championship. The winner of Ontario would play the winner of Quebec for this trophy...
in April against the winners of Major League Hockey
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
.
The Thistles and the City of Kenora hosted the 2011 Allan Cup
2011 Allan Cup
The 2011 Allan Cup was the 2011 Canadian Grand National Championship of Senior ice hockey. This was the 103rd year the trophy was awarded. The 2011 Allan Cup was be contended in Kenora, Ontario, hosted by the Kenora Thistles of Hockey Northwestern Ontario from April 11 to April 16,...
on behalf of Hockey Northwestern Ontario
Hockey Northwestern Ontario
Hockey Northwestern Ontario is the governing body of all ice hockey in Northern Ontario, Canada. Hockey Northwestern Ontario is a branch of Hockey Canada.-Jurisdiction:...
. They lost the Quarter-final to the Fort Frances Thunderhawks
Fort Frances Thunderhawks
The Fort Frances Thunderhawks are a Canadian Senior ice hockey club from Fort Frances, Ontario. They are eligible to compete for the Allan Cup.-History:...
. The Thunderhawks were awarded the branch championship Gary Cook Cup for the victory. In June 2011, the team officially folded, but were resurrected by a new owner before the month was out.
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2009-10 | 10 | 6 | 3 | |||||||
| 1 | 47 | 29 | 13 | 1st HNO | Won Gary Cook Cup | |||||
| 2010-11 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||||||
| 0 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 1st HNO | Lost AC 2011 Allan Cup The 2011 Allan Cup was the 2011 Canadian Grand National Championship of Senior ice hockey. This was the 103rd year the trophy was awarded. The 2011 Allan Cup was be contended in Kenora, Ontario, hosted by the Kenora Thistles of Hockey Northwestern Ontario from April 11 to April 16,... Quarter-final |