The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975–76 season. An unrelated Windsor Spitfires team, founded in 1946, moved to become the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in 1953, and later became the Erie Otters in 1996.
The Jim Rutherford Trophy is given to the best goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League, as voted by coaches and general managers. The winner is also nominated for the CHL Goaltender of the Year award.
The 2000–01 OHL season was the 21st season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Guelph Storm moved from the Guelph Memorial Gardens to the Guelph Sports and Entertainment Centre at the start of the season. The Owen Sound Platers were renamed to the Owen Sound Attack Twenty teams each played 68 games. The Ottawa 67's won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Plymouth Whalers.
The 2007–08 OHL season was the 28th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the schedule, that started on September 19, 2007, and concluded on March 16, 2008. The Mississauga IceDogs relocated to the Gatorade Garden City Complex in downtown St. Catharines after getting approval of the team's sale to Bill Burke by the Board of Governors on June 5, 2007. The team was renamed the Niagara IceDogs. The Toronto St. Michael's Majors replaced the IceDogs in the Hershey Centre, renaming themselves, the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. The Kingston Frontenacs moved late-season from the Kingston Memorial Centre to the new K-Rock Centre, which opened on February 22, 2008. On the afternoon of February 18, 2008, Windsor Spitfires team captain Mickey Renaud died after collapsing at his home, at age 19, of the rare heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The playoffs began March 20, with the Kitchener Rangers winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions. The Rangers were also chosen before the start of the season to host the 2008 Memorial Cup tournament.
Denis Joseph Smith is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and current assistant coach of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators for five seasons from 2019 to 2023. As a player, Smith played 45 NHL games with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. As a coach, Smith won the Memorial Cup in 2015 and spent four years as an assistant with the Maple Leafs before joining Ottawa.
Calahan O'Reilly is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL). O'Reilly's younger brother Ryan is a forward for the Admirals' NHL affiliate, the Nashville Predators.
Jordan Julien Caron is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, by the Boston Bruins in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
The 2009–10 OHL season was the 30th season of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010. On September 9, 2009, all 20 teams in the OHL unveiled their new Reebok Edge jerseys, which have been used in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2007 until 2017. The playoffs began on March 18, 2010, and ended on May 4, 2010, with the Windsor Spitfires winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the second consecutive year, which they followed up by winning the 2010 Memorial Cup, hosted by the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL in Brandon, Manitoba.
Ben Scrivens is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He is the current team manager of the University of Denver Pioneers. Scrivens has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and Montreal Canadiens.
Jack Campbell is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to his professional career, Campbell played for the Windsor Spitfires and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. He was selected in the first round by the Dallas Stars in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut in 2013. After spending several years in the minors, Campbell was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, serving as the team's backup before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, where he emerged as an effective starting netminder and was named an NHL All-Star in 2022. He left Toronto after the 2021–22 season to sign with the Edmonton Oilers. Performing poorly with the Oilers, he was waived by the team in November 2023 and assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Condors, before being bought out at the end of the season.
Eric Wellwood is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. He played parts of three National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. He is the younger brother of Kyle Wellwood.
Mark Anthony Cundari is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. As a junior, Cundari was a member of two Memorial Cup championship teams with the Windsor Spitfires before turning professional in 2010. An undrafted player, he spent the majority of three seasons in the St. Louis Blues organization before being traded to the Calgary Flames in 2013.
Josh Unice is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Sam Carrick is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round, 144th overall, in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He also previously played with the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers.
Philipp Grubauer is a German professional ice hockey goaltender for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round, 112th overall, at the 2010 NHL entry draft.
Darren Archibald is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He played major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Barrie Colts and Niagara IceDogs. Undrafted out of junior, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent and played at multiple levels within the organization.
Scott Valentine is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing for HC Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). Valentine was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He was born in Metcalfe, Ontario.
The 2015–16 OHL season was the 36th season of the Ontario Hockey League, in which twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 2015 to March 2016. The Plymouth Whalers relocated to Flint and became the Flint Firebirds, playing at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center. The Belleville Bulls relocated to Hamilton and became the Hamilton Bulldogs, playing at FirstOntario Centre. The London Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the fourth time in franchise history, as they defeated the Niagara IceDogs in four games in the final round of the playoffs. The Knights qualified for the 2016 Memorial Cup held at the ENMAX Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta. London defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3-2 in overtime in the final game, winning the Memorial Cup for the second time in franchise history.
Garret Sparks is an American professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played under contract for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). Sparks was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round, 190th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. As of 2021, he is one of only 26 goaltenders in league history, and the third most recent, to record a shutout in his NHL debut; Sparks was also the third Maple Leafs goaltender to do so. In 2018, Sparks was awarded the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as the AHL goaltender with the lowest goals against average, which helped lead the Toronto Marlies to their first Calder Cup.
Michael DiPietro is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 64th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
