The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Ontario and Quebec and the state of New York converge. It is the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry and is Ontario's easternmost city. ...

, Canada. The team played in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...

from 1969 to 1981, and the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

from 1981 to 1992. This team shared its name with other Cornwall Royals teams that played in the QSHL, MMJHL, or OHA-B.

History

From 1961 until 1969, the Cornwall Royals were successful members of the

Central Junior A Hockey League The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey Leag ...

(CJHL). As perennial CJHL champions, they represented that league at the playdowns for the

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo is ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...

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

in 1969. The Cornwall Royals were one of the league's premier teams during its tenure in the QMJHL, winning 3

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between ...

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 Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from ...

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 Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron flo ...

Championships

The Cornwall Royals are one of only 7 clubs to win consecutive

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
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
Regular season champions in the QMJHL. *1971–1972 96 points *1980–1981 90 points West Division Trophy
First overall in the West Division. *1973–1974 94 points Lebel Division Trophy
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

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 The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (N ...

. He also coached the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

, the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

, and the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

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

Players

The Cornwall Royals graduated 55 players to the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

. 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

CHL Player of the Year *''1980–1981'' Dale Hawerchuk CHL Defenceman of the Year *''1989–1990'' John Slaney CHL Scholastic Player of the Year *''1991–1992'' Nathan LaFayette

QMJHL awards

Michel Brière Commemorative Trophy
(Most Valuable Player) *''1973–74'' Gary MacGregor *''1974–75'' Mario Viens *''1980–81'' Dale Hawerchuk

Guy Lafleur Trophy The Guy Lafleur Trophy is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. It is named for Hockey Hall of Famer and QMJHL alumnus Guy Lafleur. Winners References External links QMJHL official s ...

(Playoffs MVP) *''1979–80'' Dale Hawerchuk Jean Béliveau Trophy
(Top Scorer) *''1980–81'' Dale Hawerchuk

Instructors Trophy The Michel Bergeron Trophy is awarded annually to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's "Offensive Rookie of the Year." From 1969 to 1980, the trophy was awarded to the QMHL's "Overall Rookie of the Year." The Bergeron trophy's counterpart sinc ...

(Rookie of the Year) *''1970–71'' Bob Murphy *''1971–72'' Bob Murray *''1979–80'' Dale Hawerchuk Emile Bouchard Trophy
(Defenseman of the Year) *''1980–81'' Fred Boimistruck

Jacques Plante Commemorative Trophy The Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the goaltender in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the best goals-against average. It is named for Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0 ...

(Best Goals Against Average) *''1971–72'' Richard Brodeur *''1975–76'' Tim Bernhardt *''1976–77'' Tim Bernhardt *''1977–78'' Tim Bernhardt Mike Bossy Trophy
(Best Professional Prospect) *''1980–81'' Dale Hawerchuk Frank J. Selke Commemorative Trophy
(Most Sportsmanlike Player) *''1971–72'' Gerry Teeple *''1973–74'' Gary MacGregor

OHL awards

Red Tilson Trophy
OHL Most valuable player. *''1982–1983'' Doug Gilmour *''1985–1986'' Ray Sheppard

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the player scoring the most points in the regular season. The trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboros, Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of athlete and ...

OHL Top Point Scorer. *''1982–1983'' Doug Gilmour *''1985–1986'' Ray Sheppard Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
OHL Top Scoring Right Winger. *''1982–1983'' Ian MacInnis *''1985–1986'' Ray Sheppard *''1989–1990'' Owen Nolan Max Kaminsky Trophy
Most Outstanding Defenceman. *''1989–1990'' John Slaney OHL Goaltender of the Year
Voted best goaltender in the OHL. *''1987–1988'' Rick Tabaracci Emms Family Award
Rookie of the year. *''1988–1989'' Owen Nolan Bobby Smith Trophy
Scholastic player of the year. *''1990–1991'' Nathan LaFayette *''1991–1992'' Nathan LaFayette

Hockey Hall of Fame members

Three alumni of the Cornwall Royals have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The first was

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

goalie Billy Smith. Smith was the inaugural goalie for the Royals in the QMJHL during the 1969–70 season. After that season he was drafted by the

, and won four consecutive Stanley Cups (1980–1983) with the Islanders.

Dale Hawerchuk Dale Martin Hawerchuk (April 4, 1963 – August 18, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) f ...

is the second inductee. He led the Royals to two

championships in 1980 and 1981. He was drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. The most recent inductee is

Doug Gilmour Douglas Robert Gilmour (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for seven different teams. Gilmour was a seventh round selection, 134th overall, of the ...

. Gilmour was a big part of the back to back Memorial Cup Titles in '80 and '81, and later won a Stanley Cup with the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey tea ...

in 1989, scoring the Cup winning goal. He also captained the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

from 1993 to 1997.

NHL alumni

Hockey Hall of Fame inductees in bold :QMJHL (1969–1981) * Jeff Allan * Dave Allison * Scott Arniel * Fred Arthur * Reid Bailey * Tim Bernhardt *

Fred Boimistruck Frederick (Fred) Michael Boimistruck, Jr. (born January 14, 1962) is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenceman. He played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Boimistruck grew up in Capreol, Ontario. He played junior ...

* Richard Brodeur *

Eric Calder Eric Calder (born July 26, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played two games in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals. He was originally drafted by the Capitals in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Prior ...

* Alain Chevrier *

Bob Crawford Robert Remi "Bob" Crawford (born April 6, 1959) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played seven seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1987 with the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, N ...

* Lou Crawford * Marc Crawford * Dan Daoust *

Jeff Eatough Jeffrey Eatough (born June 2, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played one game in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, on March 25, 1982 against the Boston Bruins. The rest of his career, which las ...

Dan Frawley Dan Frawley (1882–1967) was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative player. He played his career as a with the Eastern Suburbs club in Sydney and is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of ...

Danny Geoffrion Daniel Jean-Paul "Danny" Geoffrion (born January 24, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 111 games in the National Hockey League and 78 in the World Hockey Association. He played with the original Winnipeg Jets, ...

* Blair MacDonald *

John Markell John Richard Markell (born March 10, 1956) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional player. Markell played 55 games in the National Hockey League and later coached Ohio State University. Born in Cornwall, Ontario, Markell attended ...

* Corrado Micalef * Bob Murray *

Graeme Nicolson Graeme Butte Nicolson (born January 13, 1958 in North Bay, Ontario) is a former NHL defenceman. He played for the Boston Bruins, Colorado Rockies, and New York Rangers. As of 2008, he works in Lakefield, Ontario as a veterinarian. Championshi ...

* Rick Paterson * Ron Scott *

Al Sims Allan Eugene Sims (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian former professional hockey player and head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played ten seasons in the NHL between 1973 and 1983 with the Boston Bruins, Hartford Whalers, Los Angel ...

* Billy Smith * Ron Smith *

John Wensink John Wensink (born April 1, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who played over 400 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), most prominently with the Boston Bruins. Wensink played in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with ...

Rod Willard Rod Stephen Willard (born May 1, 1960) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey left winger who played in one National Hockey League game for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1982–83 NHL season, on November 17, 1982 against the New York ...

:OHL (1981–1992) * Scott Arniel *

Bobby Babcock Robert Babcock may refer to: * Rob Babcock (1953–2019), American basketball executive * Robert H. Babcock (1931–2014), American historian * Robert S. Babcock Robert Shillingford Babcock (July 22, 1915 – September 1, 1985) was an American c ...

Jason Cirone Jason Gerardo Cirone (born February 21, 1971) is a Canadian-born Italian former professional ice hockey centre. He played for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and is the former head coach of the Metro Jets of the North American 3 H ...

Larry Courville Larry P. Courville (born April 2, 1975) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Over the course of his career, Courville spent parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). From 2009 to 2017, he served as head ...

Craig Duncanson Craig Duncanson (born March 17, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He was drafted in the first round, ninth overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He played 38 games in the National Hockey Leagu ...

Jim Kyte James G. Kyte (born March 21, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Kyte made history by being the first (and to date, only) legally deaf National Hockey League (NHL) player, playing 598 games in the NHL. Kyte is the son of ...

* Nathan LaFayette *

Alan Letang Alan Letang (born September 4, 1975) is a Canadian- Croatian former professional ice hockey player. In 2021, he was named the head coach for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. Playing career Letang was drafted by the Montreal Can ...

* Guy Leveque *

Steve Maltais Steve Maltais (born January 25, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was originally selected by the Washington Capitals in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Maltais was born in Arvida, Quebec. As a youth, he pla ...

Owen Nolan Owen Liam Nolan (born 12 February 1972) is a Northern Irish-born, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. During his 18-year NHL career, he played for t ...

Mike Prokopec Mike Prokopec (born May 17, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Biography Prokopec was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As a youth, he played in the 1988 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice ho ...

Rob Ray Robert John Ray (born June 8, 1968) is a Canadian sports broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. He was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy by the National Hockey League in 19 ...

Joe Reekie Joseph James Reekie (born February 22, 1965) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. Reekie was born in Victoria, British Columbia. Career Reekie was originally drafted in 1983 by the Hartford Whalers; however, he never signed with the team an ...

Ken Sabourin Ken R. Sabourin (born April 28, 1966) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played 74 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals between 1989 and 1992. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1 ...

* Mathieu Schneider * Ray Sheppard * John Slaney *

Mike Stapleton Michael Patrick Stapleton (born May 5, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League from 1986 until 2001. Throughout his career Stapleton played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Pit ...

Jeremy Stevenson Jeremy Joseph Stevenson (born July 28, 1974) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who last played for the Kalamazoo Wings of the International Hockey League. Early life Born in San Bernardino, California, ...

* Rick Tabaracci *

Tom Thornbury Thomas Thornbury (born March 17, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 14 games in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thornbury was born in Lindsay, Ontario Lindsay is a community of 22 367 ...

Mike Tomlak Michael Ronald Tomlak (born October 17, 1964 in Thunder Bay, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey centre who played four seasons for the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League. Tomlak was drafted 208th overall by the Toronto Maple ...

* Ryan Vandenbussche * Michael Ware

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Playoffs

:QMJHL (1969–1981) *1969–1970 Lost to Verdun Maple Leafs 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals. *1970–1971 Out of

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

. *1971–1972 Defeated Verdun Maple Leafs 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Shawinigan Bruins 8 points to 2 in semi-finals.
Defeated Quebec Remparts 9 points to 5 in finals. QMJHL CHAMPIONS
Defeated Peterborough Petes 2-1 in Memorial Cup final. ''MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS'' *1972–1973 Defeated Montreal Bleu-Blanc-Rouge 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Sorel Eperviers 4 games to 1 in semi-finals.
Lost to Quebec Remparts 4 games to 3 in finals. *1973–1974 Lost to Laval National 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals. *1974–1975 Lost to Montreal Bleu-Blanc-Rouge 4 games to 0 in quarter-finals. *1975–1976 Defeated Montreal Juniors 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Quebec Remparts 4 games to 0 in semi-finals. *1976–1977 Defeated Trois-Rivières Draveurs 8 points to 4 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Sherbrooke Castors 9 points to 0 in semi-finals. *1977–1978 Defeated Hull Olympiques 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Montreal Juniors 8 points to 2 in semi-finals. *1978–1979 Lost to Verdun Eperviers 8 points to 6 in quarter-finals. *1979–1980 Defeated in Shawinigan Cataractes 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Chicoutimi Saguenéens 4 games to 1 in semi-finals.
Defeated Sherbrooke Castors 4 games to 2 in finals. QMJHL CHAMPIONS
Defeated Peterborough Petes 3-2 in Memorial Cup final. ''MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS'' *1980–1981 Defeated Quebec Remparts 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.
Defeated Sherbrooke Castors 4 games to 3 in semi-finals.
Defeated Trois-Rivières Draveurs 4 games to 1 in finals. QMJHL CHAMPIONS
Defeated Kitchener Rangers 5-2 in Memorial Cup final. ''MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS'' :OHL (1981–1992) *1981–1982 Lost to Toronto Marlboros 6 points to 4 in first round. *1982–1983 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 7 points to 1 in first round.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 8 points to 0 in quarter-finals. *1983–1984 Lost to Peterborough Petes 6 points to 0 in first round. *1984–1985 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 8 points to 2 in first round.
Lost to Belleville Bulls 6 points to 2 in quarter-finals. *1985–1986 Lost to Belleville Bulls 9 points to 3 in first round. *1986–1987 Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 1 in first round. *1987–1988 Defeated Belleville Bulls 4 games to 2 in first round.
Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 1 in quarter-finals. *1988–1989 Defeated Toronto Marlboros 4 games to 2 in first round.
Defeated Ottawa 67's 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 2 in semi-finals. *1989–1990 Lost to Oshawa Generals 4 games to 2 in first round. *1990–1991 Out of playoffs. *1991–1992 Lost to Ottawa 67's 4 games to 2 in first round.

Arenas

The Cornwall Royals played out of the

Water Street Arena Si Miller Arena, formerly known as Water Street Arena, was an indoor arena located at 229 Water Street East in Cornwall, Ontario. It was built in 1936 and hosted the Cornwall Royals between 1969 and 1976, during part of their time in the Quebec M ...

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. 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.Cornwall Civic Complex, The OHL Arena & Travel Guide
/ref>

References

{{Defunct QMJHL 1969 establishments in Ontario 1992 disestablishments in Ontario Defunct Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams Defunct Ontario Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1969 Sports clubs disestablished in 1992