St. Thomas Stars
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The St. Thomas Stars are a Canadian
junior ice 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 ...
team based in
St. Thomas, Ontario St. Thomas is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It gained its city charter on March 4, 1881. The city is also the seat for Elgin County, although it is independent of the county. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population of the city w ...
, Canada. The team plays in the Western division of the
Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association, Ontario Hockey Federation, and Hockey Canada. The league is c ...
.


History

Junior ice 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 ...
in St. Thomas began in 1961 with the St. Thomas Barons in the Western Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League. The league was replaced by the
Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League The Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League was a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey that lasted from the late 1960s until 1977 in Southern Ontario, Canada. The league was swallowed by what is now called the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League ...
in 1970, and the Barons switched to the new league and changed their name to the Elgins. The Elgins folded in 1973, and were merged into the St. Thomas Colonels in the Central Junior C Hockey League. The team moved into the Southwestern Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League in 1976, and then into the Western Ontario Junior Hockey League in 1978. The Colonels changed their name to the Pests in 1980, and then to the Stars in 1984.


1968–69 season

The Barons won the league championship during the 1968–69 season, then played against the
Flin Flon Bombers The Flin Flon Bombers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in Flin Flon, a city located on the Manitoba–Saskatchewan provincial border. The Bombers are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), which is a member of the Canadia ...
from the
Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921–22 WCHL season, 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926. ...
(WCHL) for the Canadian Hockey Association east-west final, and for the Father Athol Murray Trophy. The series was a best-of-seven format which began in St. Thomas. It was the first Canadian national
junior ice 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 ...
championship played which was not under the jurisdiction of the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; ) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, ...
. The Barons withdrew from the championship series during the fourth game, played at the
Whitney Forum The Whitney Forum is an ice hockey arena located in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. It is home to the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Whitney Forum opened in 1958 and has seating capacity for 1,650 spectators. Like ma ...
in
Flin Flon Flin Flon (pop. 5,185 in 2016 census; 4,982 in Manitoba and 203 in Saskatchewan) is a mining city, located on a correction line on the border of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the majority of the city located withi ...
on May 5. The team left after an on-ice brawl during the second period. The referee defaulted the game to the Bombers, who were leading by a 4–0 score at the time. The Bombers led the series three games to one after the default win. Game five was scheduled in Flin Flon on May 7, and games six and seven would have been in St. Thomas if necessary. The Barons were escorted from the arena to their hotel by the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
due to fear of violence.
The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a privately-held company, pr ...
described the Barons as being over-matched in the series and were not up to the calibre of the WCHL. The Barons abandoned the series in the interest of player safety, and departed for home on May 6, despite a scheduled game on May 7 in Flin Flon. The team paid its own expenses to get home, with assistance from some of its fans who made the road trip to Manitoba. Canadian Hockey Association president
Ron Butlin Ron Butlin (born 1949 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish poet and novelist who was Edinburgh Makar (Poet Laureate) from 2008 to 2014. Education Butlin was educated at the University of Edinburgh. He later became writer in residence in 1982 and 1984 a ...
awarded the series to Flin Flon, and suspended the St. Thomas Barons from the association. Barons' coach Keith Kewly said the decision was his to abandon the series.


Season-by-season results


Barons/Elgins season-by-season results


Playoffs

*1969 ''Won League, lost CHA Championship'' :St. Thomas Barons defeated
Chatham Maroons The Chatham Maroons are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). The Maroons were the 1970 Western Ontari ...
''4-games-to-2'' :St. Thomas Barons defeated Brantford Foresters ''4-games-to-none'' WOJAHL CHAMPIONS :
Flin Flon Bombers The Flin Flon Bombers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in Flin Flon, a city located on the Manitoba–Saskatchewan provincial border. The Bombers are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), which is a member of the Canadia ...
( WCHL) defeated St. Thomas Barons ''2-games-to-1 and series default'' *1970 ''Lost semi-final'' :
Chatham Maroons The Chatham Maroons are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). The Maroons were the 1970 Western Ontari ...
defeated St. Thomas Barons ''4-games-to-none'' *1971 ''DNQ'' *1972 ''Lost semi-final'' :
Guelph CMC's The Guelph Platers were a junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Ontario Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They were originally known as the CMC's un ...
defeated St. Thomas Barons ''4-games-to-none'' *1973 ''DNQ''


Sutherland Cup appearances

:''1962'':
Waterloo Siskins The Waterloo Siskins are a junior ice hockey team based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. History Founded in 1934, the Siskins are one of the longest running Junior tea ...
defeated St. Thomas Barons ''4-games-to-1'' :''1987'': St. Thomas Stars defeated
Niagara Falls Canucks The Niagara Falls Canucks are a junior 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. ...
''4-games-to-none'' :''1995'':
Stratford Cullitons The Stratford Warriors are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Stratford, Ontario, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. The team was originally named the Warrio ...
defeated St. Thomas Stars ''4-games-to-none'' :''1996'':
Niagara Falls Canucks The Niagara Falls Canucks are a junior 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. ...
defeated St. Thomas Stars ''4-games-to-2''


Notable alumni

* Gregory Campbell *
Dan Cloutier Daniel Cloutier (born April 22, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, who has recently taken on an Executive position with the Ontario Hockey League , OHL Guelph Storm, the team he completed his Junior Career. In his 10- ...
*
Logan Couture Logan Couture (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the San Jose Sharks, who selected him ninth overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft, and where he ...
*
John Cullen Barry John Cullen (born August 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey for the Boston University Terriers, where he was a standout play ...
* Rick Foley *
Bo Horvat Bowie William Horvat (born April 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains, alternate captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was se ...
* Ken Murray * Danny Schock *
Joe Thornton Joseph Eric Thornton (born July 2, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre. He played for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). H ...
*
Brian Willsie Brian R. Willsie (born March 16, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. Willsie was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the 6th round (146th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft and played almost 400 games in the Natio ...


References


External links


Stars WebpageGOJHL Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Thomas Stars Western Junior B Hockey League teams St. Thomas, Ontario Ice hockey teams in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1961 1961 establishments in Ontario