45 years in OHL for Soo, Sudbury


By
May 5, 2016

Neighbours from the north, Soo Greyhounds and Sudbury Wolves will both celebrate their 45th anniversary as members of the Ontario Hockey League effective the 2016-2017 season.

It was the 1972-1973 campaign when the Greyhounds and Wolves both entered the OHL from what was the Northern Ontario Hockey Association Jr. A League.

The Soo had to start from scratch as an OHL expansion team while Sudbury took ownership of the Niagara Falls Flyers franchise.

So, to be sure, the Wolves had a major advantage over the Greyhounds during that inaugural OHL season for Sudbury and the Soo.

The OHL was a 10-team league in ’72-73 and was actually known as the Ontario Hockey Association Major Jr. A Series back in those days.

As part of the 10-team league in ’72-73, the Soo and Sudbury joined the Toronto Marlboros, Peterborough Petes, Ottawa 67’s, London Knights, St. Catharines Blackhawks, Oshawa Generals, Kitchener Rangers and Hamilton Red Wings.

Sudbury would finish seventh and be one of eight teams to make the playoffs while the Soo would finish in last place that ’72-73 season.

Wolves players of note from the ’72-73 team included 60-goal scorer Morris Titanic and 100-point man Eric Vail, who would go on to skate in more than 600 National Hockey League games.

Centre Dale McCourt played on that Wolves team of ’72-73 as an underage, 15-year old hometown kid from the Sudbury area and would become the no. 1 overall pick of the aforementioned Hamilton Red Wings at the 1973 OHL draft.

The venerable Joe Drago, now chairman of the board for Hockey Canada, was the general manager of Sudbury’s first OHL team.

Interestingly, from a combined Sudbury-Soo standpoint, Doug Nowels was the Wolves starting goalie in ’72-73 before being traded to the Greyhounds in ’73-74.

As for the expansion Greyhounds of ’72-73, they featured 15-year old scoring sensation Cary Farelli and two-way centre Paul Woods, who would go on to play in more than 500 NHL games before becoming a long-time radio broadcaster for the Detroit Red Wings.

Also on that Greyhound team of ’72-73 was forward John Simon, whose son Chris Simon would later play in the OHL for Ottawa and the Soo before going on to an NHL career of more than 800 games as a hard-nosed winger.

The best team in the OHL that season was Toronto as the Marlies fashioned a record of 47-7-9 and would go on to win the Memorial Cup.

George (The Chief) Armstrong coached that Marlies team that featured goalie Mike Palmateer, defensemen Mark Howe and Marty Howe and forward Bruce Boudreau.

As for the Greyhounds and Wolves, they have carried on as charter members of an OHL that has grown from 10 to 20 teams since the Soo and Sudbury made their debuts back in 1972.


What you think about “45 years in OHL for Soo, Sudbury”

  1. Great Article another great article RR and let us not forget from the Wolves that 1st year Bobby Russel that now runs his own JR league.

  2. While it has been 44 years since the Wolves moved up in the ranks from the NOHA there has certainly been some exciting times. Having been friends with Joe Drago during High School times it is one I will never regret when asked to be the Wolves statistician to help get things off the ground and then staying around to see what has evolved I am proud to still be working on figures for the Wolves. There have been highs and lows but the pleasure has been in meeting the many people over the years that are involved with the ownership and also the fan base in Sudbury. The Greyhounds have always been my second favourite again due to the number I met from the Soo over they years due to my friendship with the late Harry Wolfe and then fun times on the radio broadcasts. Best of luck to both teams in the upcoming 45th season.

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