Kincardine Bulldogs | |
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City | Kincardine, Ontario |
League | Provincial Junior Hockey League |
Conference | North |
Division | Pollock |
Founded | 1994 |
Home arena | Davidson Centre Arena |
Colours | Blue, Red, and White |
General manager | Doug Kennedy |
Head coach | Shawn Burrows (2016-17) |
Previous franchise history | |
1975-1986 | Kincardine Kinucks |
1994 - present | Kincardine Bulldogs |
The Kincardine Bulldogs are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Kincardine, Ontario. They play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League which is an amalgamation of all former junior C leagues in Southern Ontario including the Bulldogs former Western Junior C Hockey League.
From 1975 until 1986, the Kincardine Kinucks played in the Central Junior "C" and Grey-Bruce Junior "C" Hockey League. They won the league title in 1979. They made it all the way to the Clarence Schmalz Cup All-Ontario Final where they lost to the Bowmanville Eagles in a four-game sweep. The team folded in 1986.
In 1994, Kincardine came back to the Junior "C" loop, now called the Western Junior "C" Hockey League. After taking three seasons to find their niche in the league, the Bulldogs won the league championship five of the next six seasons. In 1998, the Bulldogs made it all the way to the All-Ontario Championship but lost out to the Glanbrook Rangers 4-games-to-1. The Bulldogs were 2006 and 2007 Western Junior "C" Champions. Since 1995, the Bulldogs have yet to suffer a losing season.
In 2004-05, the Bulldogs finished the regular season in second place. Their semi-final match up was against the third seeded Hanover Barons. The Bulldogs defeated the Barons 4-games-to-1. In the league final, the Bulldogs were up against the first seeded Wingham Ironmen. The Ironmen defeated the Bulldogs 4-games-to-3 to win the Western Junior C championship.
The 2005-06 season saw the Bulldogs finish off second in the regular season standings and have a bye through the league quarter-finals. In the semi-final, the Bulldogs locked horns with the third seeded Hanover Barons. The Barons did not prove much of a challenge as the Bulldogs walked through them 4-games-to-none. In the final, the Bulldogs were up against the first seeded Wingham Ironmen. The Bulldogs, despite being the lower seed managed to knock off the Ironmen in 5 games, 4-games-to-1, to win the league and enter into the All-Ontario playdowns for the Clarence Schmalz Cup. In the All-Ontario quarter-final, the Bulldogs ran into the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League's Penetang Kings. Despite a valiant effort by the Bulldogs, the Kings ended their season 4-games-to-2.