Smiths Falls Bears The Smiths Falls Bears are a Junior " A " ice hockey team from Smiths Falls , Ontario , Canada . They are a part of the Central Junior A Hockey League . They were original members , but then left Smiths Falls in 1976 . The current team rejoined the league in 1985 , with a short two - year stint in Lanark . History . The Smiths Falls Bears trace back to when the Central Junior Hockey League was formed in 1961 under the act of the Montreal Canadiens . The Bears are one of the oldest franchises in Canadian Junior A hockey , despite a 9 - year leave of absence from 1976 to 1985 , and a 2 - year absence from Smiths Falls as part of a re - location to Perth , and being known as the Lanark Thunder from 2000 - 2002 . When the Bears first surfaced , the team wore maroon and white - identical colours of the American Hockey League ' s Hershey Bears . The Bears won their first Art Bogart Cup in 1965 as Central Junior Hockey League champions . The Bears won back - to - back CJHL championships in 1974 and 1975 . In 1976 , the Bears took a leave of absence from the league . In 1985 , the Bears returned to the league wearing the colours black , gold , and white - identical to the Pittsburgh Penguins uniforms in the 1980 ' s . In the early 1990 ' s , the Bears went back to their original colours of maroon and white , but with grey . In 1998 , the Bears changed their colours to teal and black , which confused CJHL supporters around the league . In February 2000 , the Smiths Falls Bears lost all their equipment in a dressing room fire at the Smiths Falls Memorial Centre . The equipment was replaced through donations and charities and the Bears finished off the 1999 - 00 season . In the summer , the Bears announced to relocate to nearby Perth , Ontario and became the Lanark Thunder . The new owner promised to draw attendance at the Perth & District Community Centre for the 2000 - 01 season . The Thunder drew a decent attendance , but attendance dropped in their second season causing financial trouble . The Lanark Thunder folded after the 2002 playoffs . The Smiths Falls Bears returned as an expansion team for 2002 - 03 , because the Lanark Thunder ceased operations . Most of the Lanark players went on to play for the Bears , while other players were recruited through the expansion draft . The Smiths Falls Bears missed the playoffs in their first three years back . In December 2004 , a new head coach Bill Bowker was assigned to turn the team around . The Bears won just 1 game before January 2005 , and fans were criticizing the team ' s performance and asked what was wrong with the team and how long they would be in Smiths Falls . The coaching change paid off as the Bears made the playoffs four - consecutive years . Their best post - Lanark Thunder season was 2007 - 08 , when the Bears made the CJHL finals after knowing off arch - rivals [ Brockville Brave ] ] in 6 games to compete against the other arch - rivals Pembroke Lumber Kings . The Lumber Kings won the finals in 5 games . In July 2008 , three Bears were chosen in the NHL Draft . Mike Bergin ( Dallas Stars ) ; Nicholas Tremblay ( Boston Bruins ) ; and Mark Borowiecki ( Ottawa Senators ) became the first trio of players from the same CJHL club to be chosen in the NHL Draft . On February 27 , 2010 , the Smiths Falls Bears played their final game at the Smiths Falls Memorial Centre as the Bears will move to a new arena that is currently near - completion . Season - by - Season record . " Note : GP = Games Played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , OTL = Overtime Losses , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against " External links . < br clear = right >