Kenora Thistles (senior)

Kenora Thistles
City	Kenora, Ontario
League	Hockey Northwestern Ontario
Operated	2006-2016
Home arena	Kenora Recreational Centre
Colours	Red, Black, and White

The Kenora Thistles were a Canadian senior ice hockey club from Kenora, Ontario. The club most recently played in the 2015–16 season in the Hockey Northwestern Ontario and were hosts of the 2011 Allan Cup.

Founded in 2006, the Kenora Thistles were one of only two teams in their area, the other being the Thunder Bay Twins. Both the Thistles and Twins played a series of exhibition games against Manitoba and Saskatchewan senior clubs to stay ready during the winter as they have no official league play until the playoffs. In the spring, the Thistles and Thunder Bay traditionally met in a best-of-3 series to determine the Ontario Hockey Association champion for the Renwick Cup.

In the 2007 playoffs, the Thunder Bay Bombers defaulted due to lack of money despite winning the Allan Cup in 2005 and traveling Europe in 2006 to play against professional European clubs. Taking up an old, forgotten tradition of the Allan Cup champion. With no Northern Ontario competition, the Kenora earned the right to compete in the Renwick Cup and as well to host it. But, the Thistles did not book ice time in time and the Town of Kenora would not alter their schedule, so Hockey Canada stripped Kenora of hosting rights and awarded them to the eventual OHA champion, who ended up being the Whitby Dunlops of the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League. Kenora led the first game of the best-of-3 1–0 and 2–1. Whitby stormed back and led 3–2. Kenora tied the game in the third just to have the Dunlops score a late one to take game one 4–3. Kenora was outshot 50–29. In game two, the Dunlops taught the Thistles a lesson, crushing them 11–0 to take the series 2–games-to-none.

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