Soo Thunderbirds

The Soo Thunderbirds are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
:Soo Thunderbirds 1999 - 2002
:Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds 2002 - 2003
:Soo Thunderbirds 2003 to Present
==History==
Soo Thunderbirds first came into being as a junior hockey program in from 1978 to 1982 through a group started by the late Zoltan Kovacs, Sr. Zoltan, who emigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1956, started the Thunderbirds of the former International Junior B Hockey League to keep more young hockey players at home. Abbie Carricato coached the Thunderbirds during Zoltan's ownership period (1978-1982). The Thunderbirds won three IJHL championships during Zoltan's ownership. The IJHL later folded.
The Soo Thunderbirds announced they would become the Soo Jr. Greyhounds for 2002–03 to establish closer relations with the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. This only lasted one season and became the Soo Thunderbirds once again.
In 2012, the Thunderbirds won the NOJHL League Championship as well as the coveted Dudley Hewitt Cup. They went on to play at the Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Saskatchewan where they lost in the semifinals. The Thunderbirds won NOJHL titles back-to-back in 2014–15 and 2015–16. In 2015, the Thunderbirds would again win the Dudley Hewitt Cup but lose in the finals in 2016.
Following the 2015–16 season and Dudley Hewitt Cup campaign, it was announced that owner, Albert Giommi, had sold the organization to a group called The Tech 921 Ltd., led by former National Hockey League player and Ontario Hockey League coach, Denny Lambert. Following the sale, general manager Jamie Henderson and team president Kevin Cain both resigned. Head coach Jordan Smith was later also assigned the general manager position.
In 2017, the team was struggling financially and the ownership had not committed playing the 2017–18 season. On March 17, local businessman Darren Smyl took over operations of the Thunderbirds in order to keep the team from leaving. However, general manager and head coach Jordan Smith would move on to become the associate coach of the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. Smith would be replaced by John Parco, a local who played most of his professional career in Europe and had been coaching SG Cortina in Italy. The Thunderbirds also changed rinks and moved into the John Rhodes Community Centre after playing at the Essar Centre. With the ownership change, the Thunderbirds updated to a new color scheme and logo in blue, orange, and white.
In 2021, Smyl sold the team to an ownership composed of former NHL player Trevor Daley, longtime professional player Cole Jarrett, and Lee-Anne Jarrett. Cole took over as head coach of the team and Jamie Henderson was brought back as general manager.
==Season-by-season results==
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	GF 	GA 	Pts 	Result 	Playoffs
Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds
1999–00 	40 	22 	15 	3 	— 	184 	145 	47 	3rd NOJHL 	
2000–01 	40 	33 	4 	1 	2 	240 	95 	69 	2nd NOJHL 	Lost final
2001–02 	42 	35 	5 	0 	2 	347 	122 	72 	2nd NOJHL 	Lost final
Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds	Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds
2002–03 	48 	35 	11 	2 	— 	305 	161 	72 	2nd NOJHL 	Lost final
Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds 	Soo Thunderbirds
2003–04 	48 	31 	9 	7 	1 	266 	155 	70 	2nd NOJHL 	Lost final
2004–05 	48 	26 	17 	2 	3 	206 	175 	57 	5th NOJHL 	Lost semi-final
2005–06 	48 	31 	16 	0 	1 	220 	165 	63 	2nd NOJHL 	Lost semi-final
2006–07 	48 	22 	22 	0 	4 	170 	184 	48 	5th NOJHL 	Lost semi-final
2007–08 	50 	33 	9 	— 	8 	206 	145 	101 	1st NOJHL 	Lost final
2008–09 	50 	35 	14 	— 	1 	244 	153 	71 	2nd NOJHL 	Won League
2009–10 	50 	33 	14 	— 	3 	253 	154 	69 	3rd NOJHL 	Lost final
2010–11 	50 	38 	9 	— 	3 	244 	144 	79 	1st NOJHL 	Lost semi-final
2011–12 	50 	38 	7 	1 	6 	245 	156 	83 	1st NOJHL 	Won LeagueWon Dudley Hewitt Cup
2012–13 	48 	33 	9 	3 	3 	223 	123 	72 	2nd NOJHL 	Lost final
2013–14 	56 	48 	5 	1 	2 	245 	102 	99 	1st NOJHL 	Lost final
2014–15 	52 	48 	7 	1 	6 	271 	130 	83 	1st of 4, West1st of 9, NOJHL 	Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Blind River BeaversWon Div. Finals, 4–1 vs. Elliot Lake WildcatsWon League Finals, 4–1 vs. Cochrane CrunchLEAGUE CHAMPIONS
2015–16 	54 	47 	6 	0 	1 	245 	93 	95 	1st of 6, West1st of 12, NOJHL 	Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Soo EaglesWon Div. Finals, 4–1 vs. Elliot Lake WildcatsWon League Finals, 4–0 vs. Kirkland Lake Gold MinersLEAGUE CHAMPIONS
2016–17 	56 	43 	11 	1 	1 	232 	134 	88 	1st of 6, West2nd of 12, NOJHL 	Lost div. semi-finals, 0–4 vs. Soo Eagles
2017–18 	56 	36 	16 	1 	2 	195 	134 	76 	2nd of 6, West3rd of 12, NOJHL 	Won Div. Semifinals, 4–3 vs. Soo EaglesLost Div. Finals, 2–4 vs. Rayside-Balfour Canadians
2018–19 	56 	44 	11 	— 	1 	221 	145 	89 	1st of 6, West1st of 12, NOJHL 	Won Div. Semifinals, 4–2 vs. Blind River BeaversWon Div. Finals, 4–2 vs. Rayside-Balfour CanadiansLost League Finals, 3–4 vs. Hearst Lumberjacks
2019–20 	56 	30 	19 	— 	7 	220 	166 	67 	3rd of 6, West6th of 12, NOJHL 	Postseason cancelled
2020–21 	21 	13 	6 	— 	2 	99 	71 	28 	1st of 5, West2nd of 9, NOJHL 	No playoffs were held
2021–22 	48 	38 	5 	2 	3 	189 	101 	81 	1st of 6, West1st of 12, NOJHL 	Won Div. Semifinals, 4–0 vs. Blind River BeaversWon Div. Finals, 4–0 Soo EaglesWon League Finals, 4-3 vs. Hearst LumberjacksLEAGUE CHAMPIONS
2022–23 	57 	36 	15 	3 	3 	229 	161 	78 	3rd of 6, West5th of 12, NOJHL 	Won Div. Semifinals, 4–1 Blind River BeaversWon Div. Finals, 4–1 Greater Sudbury CubsLost League Finals, 2-4 vs. Timmins Rock
2023–24 	57 	39 	14 	4 	1 	265 	148 	83 	3rd of 6, West4th of 12, NOJHL 	Lost Div. Semifinals, 2-4 Greater Sudbury Cubs
==Dudley Hewitt Cup==
Central Canada Championships
Winners of the NOJHL, OJHL, SIJHL, and Host
Round robin play with 2nd vs 3rd in semi-final to advance against 1st in the finals.
Year	Round Robin 	Record	Standing	Semifinal 	Gold Medal Game
2009	L, Fort William North Stars (SIJHL) 0-2L, Schreiber Diesels (SIJHL/Host) 0-2L, Kingston Voyageurs (OJHL) 0-3	0-0-3 	4th of 4	Did not advance 	Did not advance
2012	OTW, Wisconsin Wilderness (SIJHL) 4-3W, Thunder Bay North Stars (Host) 4-3L, Stouffville Spirit (OJHL) 2-10 	2-1-0 	2nd of 4	W, Thunder Bay North Stars 8-5 	W, Stouffville Spirit 5-3 Dudley Hewitt Cup Champions
2015	W, Dryden Ice Dogs (SIJHL) 8-1 W, Fort Frances Lakers (Host) 6-3OTL, Toronto Patriots (OJHL) 3-4 	2-0-1 	1st of 4	n/a 	W, Fort Frances Lakers 6-3 Dudley Hewitt Cup Champions
2016	L, Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) 2-4 W, Fort Frances Lakers 6-5W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (Host) 3-2 	2-1-0 	2nd of 4	W, Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 4-1	L, Trenton Golden Hawks 0-4
==Royal Bank Cup / Centennial Cup==
CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dudley Hewitt Champions - Central, Fred Page Champions - Eastern, Western Canada Cup Champions - Western, Western Canada Cup - Runners Up and Host
Round robin play with top 4 in semi-final and winners to finals.
Year	Round Robin 	Record	Standing	Semifinal 	Gold Medal Game
2012	W, Penticton Vees 2-12OTL, Portage Terriers 3-4L, Humboldt Broncos 0-3W, Woodstock Slammers 7-4 	2-2 	2nd of 5	L, Penticton Vees 0-3	n/a
2015	L, Carleton Place Canadians 0-4 L, Melfort Mustangs 3-5L, Portage Terriers 2-7L, Penticton Vees 2-5	0-4-0 	5th of 5	Did not advance 	Did not advance
Revised Format 2022 Maritime Junior Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, and Host. The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there is no BC representative.Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion.
Year	Round-robin 	Record 	Standing 	Quarterfinal 	Semifinal 	Championship
2022	L, Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL), 1-6L, Summerside Western Capitals (MarJHL), 1-4L, Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL), 0-4L, Dauphin Kings (ManHL), 1-6	0-0-4-0	5th of 5 Pool B	did not qualified	did not qualified	did not qualified
==References==
==External links==
*Soo Thunderbirds
Category:Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League teams
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Established in 1999