| Kemptville 73's | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Division | Robinson |
| Founded | 1969 |
| History | Kemptville Comets 1969–1973 Kemptville 73's 1973–present |
| Home arena | North Grenville Municipal Centre |
| City | Kemptville, Ontario |
| Team colors | Red, black, white |
| Media | FloSports |
| Owner(s) | Paul LeBreux Joe Jefferies Jason York Craig Whitten |
| General manager | Terry Nichols |
| Head coach | Shawn Fensel |
| Official website | www |
The Kemptville 73's are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Kemptville, Ontario. [1] The 73's compete in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) as a member of the Robinson Division, which is the west division in the league. The club was founded as the Kemptville Comets in 1969 as part of the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League (EOJBHL). The Comets changed their name to the 73's in 1973 to coincide with that year. [2] For their first 36 seasons in Kemptville, the 73's were based at the now-demolished North Grenville Municipal Arena. Before the 2005–06 season, the team moved to the new North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville. The 73's are owned by Paul LeBreux, Joe Jefferies, Jason York and Craig Whitten, and are coached by Shawn Fensel since 2023.
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The franchise was poor to mediocre in the first eight years in the CCHL as they failed to make the Bogart Cup playoffs six times in eight seasons and never finished higher than fifth in their division, in which contained six teams. Their fortunes began to turn around following the hiring of the president and general manager Terry Nichols in 2012. [3] When they were part of the EOJBHL, the team has reached the finals multiple times including two championship victories in 1997 and 1999. [4]
The 73's have a geographical rivalry with the Smiths Falls Bears, as well as a rivalry with the Carleton Place Canadians. The rivalry between Carleton Place and Kemptville has been present since the 1969–70 season when they were both part of the EOJBHL, and have faced each other in the playoffs multiple times in their history. The Kemptville 73's have always been the only sports team located in the Municipality of North Grenville, billing themselves as solely representing the North Grenville township in any sport. [5]
