Soo Thunderbirds
| Soo Thunderbirds | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League |
| Division | Western |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Home arena | John Rhodes Community Centre |
| Colours |
Black, Red, and White |
| Owner(s) | Darren Smyl |
| General manager | Jordan Smith |
| Head coach | Jordan Smith |
| Affiliates | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1999–2002 | Soo Thunderbirds |
| 2002–2003 | Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds |
| 2003–Present | Soo Thunderbirds |
The Soo Thunderbirds are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).
Soo Thunderbirds first came into being as a junior hockey program in from 1978 to 1982 through a group started by the late Zoltan Kovacs, Sr. Zoltan, who emigrated to Canada from Hungary in 1956, started the Thunderbirds of the former International Junior B Hockey League to keep more young hockey players at home. Abbie Carricato coached the Thunderbirds during Zoltan's ownership period (1978-1982). The Thunderbirds won three IJHL championships during Zoltan's ownership. The IJHL later folded.
The Soo Thunderbirds announced they would become the Soo Jr. Greyhounds for 2002–03 to establish closer relations with the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. This only lasted one season and became the Soo Thunderbirds once again.
In 2012, the Thunderbirds won the NOJHL League Championship as well as the coveted Dudley Hewitt Cup. They went on to play at the Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Saskatchewan where they lost in the semifinals. The Thunderbirds wonn NOJHL titles back-to-back in 2014–15 and 2015–16. In 2015, the Thunderbirds would again win the Dudley Hewitt Cup but lose in the finals in 2016.
Following the 2015–16 season and Dudley Hewitt Cup campaign, it was announced that owner, Albert Giommi, had sold the organization to a group called The Tech 921 Ltd., led by former National Hockey League player and Ontario Hockey League coach, Denny Lambert. Following the sale, general manager Jamie Henderson and team president Kevin Cain both resigned. Head coach Jordan Smith was later also assigned the general manager position.
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