Niagara Falls became home to its third OHL franchise in 1988 upon the relocation of the Hamilton Steelhawks. The new team was named the Niagara Falls Thunder. The team filled the void left behind when the Niagara Falls Flyers departed for North Bay in 1982.
The Thunder picked up on the winning note of the Steelhawks' last season in Hamilton. Coach Bill LaForge returned with a strong core of players that lead the team to a second-place finish in 1988–89. Niagara Falls reached the OHL finals the first year in their new home city, losing to the Peterborough Petes.
Many players graduated from the OHL after that season and the Thunder began to rebuild for 1989–90. Shortly into the season, growing tensions between team owner Rick Gay and coach Bill LaForge led to the coach being fired. LaForge was never forgiven by the fans for perhaps costing the team a chance of the Memorial Cup in 1989.
The Thunder hired the younger and up-and-coming Oshawa Generals' assistant coach George Burnett to take over. The team rallied from out of the playoffs to 6th place. Niagara Falls continued its momentum into the third round of the playoffs knocking off the first place London Knights before losing to the Kitchener Rangers.
The Thunder finished the next two seasons in second place, and made it to the third round of the playoffs both years, a feat they managed four years in a row. Coach Burnett was voted Coach of the Year for 1990–91 and 1991–92. Both years their playoff nemesis, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, eliminated them in the semi-finals.
Many players graduated in 1992 for professional careers, and Coach Burnett was promoted to the Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL. He won the Calder Cup with the team in 1992–93.
The team never regained its strength of the first four seasons. After three poor seasons on the ice from 1992–93 to 1994–95, game attendance was dropping. This, combined with rescheduling of Sunday games to Saturday nights, and an aging arena with no new arena deal in sight, resulted in the Thunder moving to Erie, Pennsylvania, to play as the Otters.
Coaches
George Burnett was voted the OHL Coach of the Year in the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons, winning the Matt Leyden Trophy in only his first and second full seasons as a head coach in the OHL.
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.
The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey teams based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, since 1919.
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 Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982.
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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 until 1972, the Biltmore Mad Hatters until 1975, and then took on the name Platers. The Platers were promoted to the Ontario Hockey League in 1982 and moved to Owen Sound in 1989. The franchise played in the Guelph Memorial Gardens.
The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
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The Hamilton Steelhawks were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1984 to 1988. The team was based in Hamilton, Ontario, and played at Copps Coliseum.
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I and Tier II. In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate independently of the OHA. Finally in 1980, the OMJHL became the Ontario Hockey League.
The 1992–93 OHL season was the 13th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Cornwall Royals become the Newmarket Royals. The Detroit Compuware Ambassadors are renamed the Detroit Junior Red Wings. The inaugural OHL Humanitarian of the Year is awarded. Sixteen teams each played 66 games. The Peterborough Petes won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
The 1988–89 OHL season was the ninth season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Hamilton Steelhawks move to Niagara Falls becoming the Niagara Falls Thunder. The Kingston Canadians rename themselves to the Kingston Raiders. The OHL awards the inaugural Bill Long Award for distinguished service to the OHL. Fifteen teams each played 66 games. The Peterborough Petes won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Niagara Falls Thunder.
George Burnett is the general manager of the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. Burnett previously played in the OHL with the London Knights, and later became a two-time OHL Coach of the Year and won an OHL championship in his first tour of duty with the Guelph Storm. Burnett was head coach and general manager of the Belleville Bulls for 11 seasons, and drafted all three Subban brothers into the OHL; P. K. Subban, Malcolm Subban and Jordan Subban.
The Niagara IceDogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and founded in 1996. The team was relocated to St. Catharines and played its inaugural season in the Niagara region during the 2007–08 OHL season after nine seasons in Mississauga. In 2022 the team was acquired by majority owner Darren DeDobbelaer and minority owner Wayne Gretzky.
The 1994–95 OHL season was the 15th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Newmarket Royals relocated, and became the Sarnia Sting. The OHL realigned from two divisions, creating the east, central, and west divisions. The Bumbacco Trophy is inaugurated to be awarded to the first place team in the west division, during the regular season. The Leyden Trophy is reallocated to the east division, and the Emms Trophy to the central division. Sixteen teams each played 66 games. The Detroit Junior Red Wings won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm.
The 1995–96 OHL season was the 16th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The league expanded as the Barrie Colts entered into the central division. The Detroit Junior Red Wings become the Detroit Whalers. Seventeen teams each played 66 games. The Peterborough Petes won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm.
The 1996–97 OHL season was the 17th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Niagara Falls Thunder move to Erie becoming the Erie Otters. Seventeen teams each played 66 games. The Oshawa Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's.
Stanley W. Drulia is an American former professional right winger and a scout for the Nashville Predators of the NHL as of December, 2018.
Bill LaForge was a Canadian ice hockey head coach. LaForge briefly coached the Vancouver Canucks in National Hockey League, but enjoyed more success in junior ice hockey with Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League teams. LaForge was known for his controversial coaching style, intimidation tactics, on-ice brawls, suspensions and fines. Teams he coached were known for physical play, and high scoring. Notable players coached by LaForge in junior ice hockey include; Shayne Corson, Keith Primeau, Dean Evason, Gary Leeman, Tony Tanti, Brad May, Ken Daneyko, Doug Bodger, Garth Butcher, and Rob Brown. LaForge died June 19, 2005, after an apparent heart attack.
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