Elliot Lake Vikings
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The Elliot Lake Vikings were a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team that originally began playing in the International Junior B Hockey League in 1965. In 1981, the team moved to the Tier II Junior A
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) is a Junior ice hockey league with eleven teams in Northeastern Ontario and Upper Michigan. The league is a constituent member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and is governed by the ...
. The team was located in
Elliot Lake Elliot Lake is a city in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is north of Lake Huron, midway between the cities of Greater Sudbury, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie in the Northern Ontario region. Once dubbed the "uranium ca ...
, Ontario, Canada.


History

The Elliot Lake Vikings
junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...
team was founded and first played in the International Junior B Hockey League in 1965 under the
Northern Ontario Hockey Association The Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) is an ice hockey governing body for minor, junior and senior ice hockey. The NOHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The major league run by the NOHA is the Northe ...
(NOHA) jurisdiction. The league also consisted of the
Blind River Beavers The Blind River Beavers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Blind River, Ontario Blind River is a town situated on the North Channel (Ontario), North Channel of Lake Huron in the Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. The town, named after the n ...
, Thessalon Flyers, Sault Ste Marie Thunderbirds (1976), Sault Ste Marie (Michigan) Indians, Wawa Travellers, Chapleau Huskies, and the Marquette Americans (1977). Peter Svela was the original catalyst for starting the Elliot Lake Vikings. The team was fairly competitive until 1970 under the coaching of Barry Johnston, at a time when from 1966 to 1971 the dominant teams in the league were the Chapleau Huskies, the Blind River Beavers, and the Soo Michigan Indians. From 1971 to 1973, the team was poorly managed, was not competitive, and was on the verge of bankruptcy. The original charter for the team was set up as a non-profit organization and relied on various fundraising activities to meet its financial requirements. Prior to the 1974 season, a new executive was elected, holding over several of the previous board of directors members, and John Berthelot Sr. was appointed as the new president and head coach. Through the generosity and assistance of two of the major creditors of the club, and with the work of the executive, the team started rebuilding the club's finances. In 1974 the club had great difficulties in acquiring not just enough talented players, but often weren't even able to ice a full roster for games. During this time, the Blind River Beavers, the Soo Thunderbirds and the Soo Michigan Indians were the dominant teams. Starting in 1975, both Rio Algom Mines and
Denison Mines Denison Mines Corp. is a Canadian uranium exploration, development, and production company. Founded by Stephen B. Roman, and best known for its uranium mining in Blind River and Elliot Lake, it later diversified into coal, potash, and other pro ...
assisted the club by way of sponsorship, but more importantly they agreed and enabled the team to properly recruit talent. A decision which proved to be controversial at the time, made by Mr. Berthelot and the executive of the club, was to stop the practice of bringing under-age players up from the Elliot Lake Minor Hockey System until they were of proper age to play Junior hockey. Many players came up to the Vikings back then at the age of 14 and 15. Some of these players were very talented and their personal hockey careers may have gone further had they been given the opportunity to hone their skills within their appropriate age groups, rather than having been thrust into playing against 20-year-olds before they were ready. By 1976 the Vikings were a competitive team, ranking in the upper tier of teams in the league and eventually lost a dramatic overtime loss in the final game of the League semi-finals against the Thessalon Flyers who would eventually lose out to the Soo Thunderbirds in the finals. During the rebuilding of the team's finances and competitiveness, another important footnote in Canadian Amateur Hockey history occurred. With the poor on ice performance and finances of the club there were few volunteers during the rebuilding years. In 1974, Mrs. Arlene Berthelot became the first woman to hold the position of manager (later to be referred to as a general manager) of a junior hockey club in Canada. She signed the NOHA card and acted as the manager, trainer (later joining Hockey Ontario in the Hockey Trainers Certification Program as one of the first Certified Hockey Trainers in the NOHA in 1979), team mother, and any did all other tasks as required to help the team succeed. In 1979 a new executive was elected, with Gord Ouimet becoming the team's president. From 1976 until the team joined the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) in 1981, the team never finished lower than 3rd place in the league standings. During this time the team played in front of the largest crowds in the league. In their inaugural season in the NOJHL, the Vikings lost in the league finals to the Onaping Falls Huskies. The 1982–83 season proved to be the Vikings' most successful season ever, finishing second in the league standings, winning the NOJHL championship. They became the first NOJHL team to ever win a game against an
Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...
team, beating the
North York Rangers The North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team located in the North York district of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the South Division of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and were previously a part of the M ...
in
Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, where the game was played due to arena scheduling conflicts with the Rangers home rink and later in Elliot Lake in front of crowds so big that the
fire marshal A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a state, provincial or territorial government, but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually include ...
was limiting fans to the building due to the size of the crowds. The Vikings did lose the series 3-games-to-2 to the Rangers. The team was made up of talent that had been developed in the local Elliot Lake organizations with one exception. The Vikings did so with players who benefited from Mr. Berthelot's controversial decision from 1975 as referenced above. Included on the roster in the late 1980’s were Matthew Alpajaro, Robin Tessier, and Dean Bowles, three certified beauties. The one exception and only import player on the team was a highly skilled defenceman named Shannon Hope, who was acquired in a trade late in the season from the Capreol Hawks. The Vikings survived from 1981 through to 1997, and were renamed the Ice in the summer of 1997. Their stretch in the league started off promising. They won the league in their second year and 6 of their first 9 seasons had above .500 records. In the 1982–83 season, the Vikings, as NOJHL Champions, took on the
Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...
Champions, the
North York Rangers The North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team located in the North York district of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the South Division of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and were previously a part of the M ...
, for the
Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...
championship and the right to play the
Thunder Bay Flyers The Thunder Bay Flyers were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. History On July 6, 1980, the Degagne Buccaneers and Thunder Bay North Stars were informed by the TBAHA that they would not be permitted to field teams i ...
for the
Dudley Hewitt Cup The Dudley-Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy awarded to the Central Canadian Junior A champion. The trophy is currently decided by round robin tournament format, at the conclusion of the playoffs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League ...
. Elliot Lake lost the series 3-games-to-2. When the team was at its peak in the 1980s, fans either packed Centennial Arena or listened to Bobby Alexander calling the game on CKNR radio. Seemingly in 1990–91, the floor fell out from beneath them when the mines shut down. They would not see another winning season until 1998–99, their last season in the league. A low point in the team's history was the 1991–92 season. The team only had one victory in 48 games and averaged a 14.75 goals against per game. Players who have played for the organization include
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
prospec
Chris Thorburn
Past greats includ
Doug McEwen
who went on to become the all-time leading scorer for the
Cardiff Devils The Cardiff Devils () are a Welsh professional ice hockey team who play in the UK-based Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). The team plays at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay, currently known as ''Vindico Arena'' for sponsorship reasons. Cardiff' ...
in the British Hockey League and Shannon Hope who also had a lengthy career with Cardiff. For the 1997–98 season, the Vikings were renamed the Ice. In 1999 the team's owner, Ian Mills, abruptly left the city and moved the franchise to
Nickel Centre Nickel Centre (1996 census population 13,017) was a town in Ontario, Canada, which existed from 1973 to 2000. It was created as part of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury. On January 1, 2001, the town and the Regional Municipality were dissolv ...
, where the franchise became the Nickel Centre Barons. After a year in Nickel Centre, they moved to Blind River as the Blind River Barons. They were renamed the Beavers for the 2001–02 NOJHL season.


Season-by-season results


Player league records

Most Shorthanded Goals, One Game: 3 - Denis Castonguay, Rayside Balfour, 1983–84 3 - Rob Demers, Elliot Lake, 1983–84 Fastest Goal, Start of a Game: 6 sec. - Michael Gingras, Rayside Balfour, 1980–81 6 sec. - Rob Lebedick, Elliot Lake, 1989–90 Fastest Goal, Start of Second Period: 5 sec. - Paul Berthelot, Elliot Lake, 1990–91 Most Power Play Goals, One Season: 28 - Shawn Dubois, Elliot Lake, 1988–89 28 - Steve Sullivan, Timmins, 1991–92 Most Hat-tricks, One Season: 15 - Shawn Dubois, Elliot Lake, 1988–89 Most Penalty Minutes, Career: 919 - Dean Bowles, Elliot Lake, 1986–91 ''(Source: http://www.nojhl.com)''


Team Records (League)

Most Goals Against Allowed, One Season: 708 - Elliot Lake, 1991–92 Most Power Play Goals Against, One Season: 136 - Haileybury, 1989–90 136 - Elliot Lake, 1991–92 Most Shorthanded Goals Against, One Season: 23 - Elliot Lake, 1990–91 ''(Source: http://www.nojhl.com)''


Uniforms


NHL alumni

*
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, St ...
(
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
,
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
,
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
,
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
) *
Chris Thorburn Chris Thorburn (born June 3, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Thorburn was known for his physical play and capabilities as a fighter. Early life Thorbu ...
(
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
,
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
,
Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...
)


Coaches

* Barry Johnston * Bob Whitehead * John Berthelot Sr. * Norm Moore * Al Hammerlick * Mark Watson * Ed Godon * Todd Stencill * Gord Ouimet * Mark Capeless * Ian Mills * Frank Porco * Dave Berthelot * Gill Saumure * John Becanic (5-34-1)


References


External links


NOJHL Elliot Lake Vikings Statistics and History at HockeyDB.com
{{NOJHL Defunct ice hockey teams in Ontario Elliot Lake Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League teams 1965 establishments in Ontario 1999 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1965 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1999