The Penetang Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada.[1] They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) in the Carruthers division in the Ontario Hockey Association.[4]

Penetang Kings
CityPenetanguishene, Ontario[1]
LeagueProvincial Junior Hockey League
ConferenceNorth
DivisionCarruthers
Founded1977 (1977)[1]
Home arenaPenetanguishene Memorial Community Centre
ColoursPurple, Black, and White[2]
General managerKyle Burns
Head coachScott Simon
Franchise history
1973–1975[3]Penetang Hurons[3]
1977–present[1]Penetang Kings[1]

History

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The first chapter of current Penetanguishene junior hockey history came in 1973. The Penetang Hurons joined up with the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League, a league recently promoted from the Junior D level. The Hurons lasted only two seasons before folding.[3]

In 1977, two years after the demise of the Hurons. The Penetang Kings were created as members of the Georgian Bay Junior C Hockey League.[1]

In 1983-84, the Penetang won the Georgian Bay league championship to move into the All-Ontario playdowns. They made it all the way to the Clarence Schmalz Cup finals, where they played against the Niagara Junior C Hockey League champions, the Woodstock Navy-Vets. The Kings brushed them off with a 4-game-sweep to clinch their first ever provincial championship.[5] The Kings were led to the Cup by local player and future National Hockey Leaguer Brian McReynolds, who the next year won the Manitoba Centennial Cup National Junior A Championship with the Orillia Travelways of the OHA Junior A Hockey League.[6]

In 1994, the Georgian Bay league merged with the Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League to create the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League.[1] Although the Kings were rather competitive in the league, success has not come until recently.

The 2005-06 season saw the Kings finish the regular season in first place. In the league quarter-finals, the Kings were placed against the eighth place Midland Flyers and swept them 4-games-to-none. The semi-final was against the sixth seeded Stayner Siskins. The Kings dispatched them 4-games-to-1 to move on to the Georgian Mid-Ontario finals. The Kings were up against the powerhouse Fergus Devils, but it in surprising fashion swept the second seeded Devils 4-games-to-none to win their first ever Georgian Mid-Ontario championship. The Kings found themselves in the All-Ontario playdowns for the first time possibly twenty-two years. Their quarter-final match up was against the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Western Junior C Hockey League. In their hardest challenge yet, they bested the Bulldogs 4-games-to-2. In the semi-finals, the Kings ran into the Central Junior C Hockey League's Port Perry Mojacks. The Kings dispatched the Mojacks 4-games-to-2 to reach their first Clarence Schmalz Cup final in twenty-two years. The Kings were up against a heavily favoured Essex 73's squad. The 73's had torn up the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League and swept the Niagara Junior C Hockey League's Simcoe Storm to reach the final. Penetang's goalie, Dan Earles, took over and post three 1-0 shutouts in a 4-games-to-1 series victory over the 73's.[7]

The 2006-07 season was more of a challenge than ever. After coming in second place in the regular season to the Fergus Devils, the Kings again had to face the Midland Flyers in the quarter-finals and again swept them 4-games-to-none. In the semi-final, the Kings were challenged by a tough Alliston Hornets squad. After going up 3-games-to-none in the series, the Hornets battled back to make the series 3-games-to-2 before the Kings finally won a tight game 6 and kill the Hornet surge thanks to 2 late game points. This set up a rematch of the 2006-07 GMO Final. Fergus came out tough, but were beaten in the first two games both in double overtime, both times by a 3-2 score. The Devils came back and won game 3 and game 4 just to have the Kings win game 5 and then game 6 4-3 in overtime. Four of the six games played in the Final were finished in overtime. In the semi-final, the Kings again ran into the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Western Junior C Hockey League. By game 4, the Bulldogs had the Kings against the wall with a 3-games-to-1 series lead. To the Bulldogs dismay, the Kings won game 5 2-1, game 6 3-1, and then game 7 with a crushing 5-0 victory. In the semi-final, the Kings drew the Central Junior C Hockey League's Lakefield Chiefs and in an extremely close series, swept the Chiefs 4-games-to-none to reach the All-Ontario Final for the second straight year. Again, their opponent was the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League's Essex 73's. In the Final, the 73's got the one-up on the Kings in game 1, taking it 4-3. From that point on, with again excellent backstopping from Dan Earles, the Kings dismantled the 73's. They won the next 4 games straight to win the series 4-games-to-1 and clinch their second straight Clarence Schmalz Cup.[8]

Season-by-season standings

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Season GP W L T OTL GF GA P Results Playoffs
1973-74 30 9 17 4 - 138 176 22 6th CJCHL Lost MO Semi-final
1974-75 31 4 25 2 - 84 191 10 7th CJCHL Lost MO Semi-final
1975-77 Did Not Participate
1977-78 32 21 8 3 - 262 170 45 1st GBJCHL Won League, lost CSC QF
1978-79 35 31 3 1 - 255 144 63 1st GBJCHL Won League, lost CSC SF
1979-80 30 23 7 0 - -- -- 46 1st GBJCHL Won League, lost CSC QF
1980-81 32 19 9 4 - 211 149 42 4th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1981-82 40 26 11 3 - -- -- 55 2nd GBJCHL Won League, Bronze in OHA
1982-83 34 20 10 4 - -- -- 44 4th GBJCHL Won League, lost CSC SF
1983-84 32 24 6 2 - -- -- 50 1st GBJCHL Won League, won CSC
1984-85 32 19 8 5 - 185 136 43 1st GBJCHL Lost semi-final
1985-86 32 16 16 0 0 204 175 32 5th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1986-87 32 11 18 2 1 166 221 25 6th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1987-88 30 12 18 0 0 143 159 24 4th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1988-89 36 2 32 2 0 131 259 6 7th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1989-90 36 9 26 1 0 121 219 19 5th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1990-91 30 15 12 2 1 146 124 33 4th GBJCHL Lost final
1991-92 36 21 14 1 0 -- -- 43 4th GBJCHL Lost quarter-final
1992-93 35 14 20 0 1 -- -- 29 5th GBJCHL Lost semi-final
1993-94 38 17 19 0 2 -- -- 36 3rd GBJCHL Lost semi-final
1994-95 36 27 8 1 - -- -- 55 1st GMOHL Lost final
1995-96 44 23 20 1 - 217 204 47 5th GMOHL
1996-97 35 17 17 1 - 164 149 35 6th GMOHL
1997-98 36 17 18 1 - 158 177 35 5th GMOHL
1998-99 36 16 18 2 - 178 173 34 5th GMOHL
1999-00 36 13 21 2 - 172 184 28 6th GMOHL
2000-01 36 20 14 1 1 155 138 41 4th GMOHL
2001-02 36 14 19 1 2 144 160 31 7th GMOHL
2002-03 36 17 17 1 1 157 146 36 5th GMOHL Lost semi-final
2003-04 36 19 11 5 1 159 127 44 4th GMOHL
2004-05 40 23 9 6 2 157 124 54 3rd GMOHL
2005-06 42 28 8 4 2 170 109 62 1st GMOHL Won League, won CSC
2006-07 42 27 9 3 3 190 127 60 2nd GMOHL Won League, won CSC
2007-08 42 35 6 0 1 222 91 71 2nd GMOHL Lost final
2008-09 42 30 10 - 2 194 121 62 2nd GMOHL
2009-10 42 32 8 - 2 206 104 66 2nd GMOHL Lost final
2010-11 40 21 12 - 7 168 146 49 5th GMOHL
2011-12 40 21 18 - 1 168 152 43 4th GMOHL Won quarters - 4-0 - (Cougars)
Lost semi's - 2-4 - (Hornets)
2012-13 40 21 15 - 4 200 181 46 4th GMOHL Won quarters - 4-1 - (Shamrocks)
Lost semi's - 1-4 - (Hornets)
2013-14 40 30 6 - 4 217 133 64 1st GMOHL Won quarters - 4-0 - (Flyers)
Won semi's - 4-2 - (Cougars)
Won League - 4-2 - (Hornets)
Lost CSC QF - 2-4 - (Wingham)
2014-15 40 20 15 - 5 141 147 45 4th GMOHL Won quarters - 4-0 - (Golden Hawks)
Lost semi's - 0-4 - (Cougars)
2015-16 40 17 23 2 - 143 164 36 6th of 9 GMOHL Won quarters - 4-1 - (Flyers)
Won semifinals - 4-3 - (Golden Hawks)
Lost finals, 0-4 (Hornets)
2016-17 42 17 21 2 - 159 213 36 6th of 8-PJHL
Carruthers Div
Won Div Quarters - 4-3 - (Terriers)
Lost div semi-final, 1-4 (Hornets)
2017-18 42 21 18 3 - 185 166 45 4th of 8-PJHL
Carruthers Div
Won Div Quarters - 4-2 - (Flyers)
Lost div semi-final, 2.4 (Siskins)
2018-19 42 20 19 1 2 168 170 43 4th of 8-PJHL
Carruthers Div
Won Div Quarters - 4-2 - (Terriers)
Won Div Semifinal, 4-0 (Siskins)
Lost Div. Finals 0-4 (Hornets)
2019-20 42 20 21 0 1 184 181 41 4th of 8-PJHL
Carruthers Div
Won Div Quarters - 4-0 (Golden Hawks)
Lost div semi-final, 3-4 (Hornets)
2020-21 Season Lost due too COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22 42 20 19 1 2 168 170 43 4th of 8-PJHL
Carruthers Div
LOST Div Quarters - 0-4 (Hornets)
2022-23 40 8 26 4 2 110 209 22 9th of 9-PJHL
Carruthers Div
Lost Div Quarters - 0-4 (Siskins)
2023-24 42 18 20 1 3 145 167 40 5th of 9-PJHL
Carruthers Div
Lost Div Quarters - 0-4 (Cougars)

(*) Standings Incomplete.

Clarence Schmalz Cup appearances

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1984: Penetang Kings defeated Woodstock Navy-Vets 4-games-to-none[5]
2006: Penetang Kings defeated Essex 73's 4-games-to-1[5]
2007: Penetang Kings defeated Essex 73's 4-games-to-1[11]

Notable alumni

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References

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