By: Colton Phibbs, OHA Media
Photos: Jim Brown, Penetang Kings

Jr. C hockey in Ontario has an abundance of history; dating back to the first Ontario Hockey Association Jr. C Championship in 1938 won by Orangeville. In the early 1980’s the Championship trophy was renamed the Clarence Schmalz Cup after longtime hockey administrator Clarence (Tubby) Schmalz (1915-1981). The Penetang Kings of the Provincial Junior Hockey League have had their name engraved on the Clarence Schmalz Cup three times over their storied history.

Founded in 1977, the Kings are celebrating their 40th anniversary. The journey to this milestone has been filled with its highs and lows, but the town of Penetanguishene has always remained the home of the Kings.

In their inaugural season, 1977-78, the Kings won the Georgian Bay Jr C Hockey League championship. With head coach Paul Henry and John St. Amant, the league leader in points, leading the way for Penetang, the Kings went on to compete for a chance at the All-Ontario Championship. Although they were knocked out by the Alliston Hornets, it was a successful first season for Penetang. 

One of the most notable parts of the Kings’ history came in the 1981-82 season, when they battled Alliston for a trip to the All-Ontario tournament. Game one in Alliston resulted in a 9-1 blowout of the Kings. Looking for a bounce back game in game two, the Penetang crowd filled the rink over the capacity by almost 500 fans. Headlined by the famous “Zoo Crew” – a group of fans who would constantly heckle the opponents’ goaltenders. The Kings went on to win game two, sending the series back to Alliston where again they were handled easily, losing 13-1. 

Back in Penetang, the Kings took the next two games, and although losing again in game six, they fought back one more time to win the series in seven games and move on to the final tournament in Bracebridge – where the Kings took home the bronze medal. (This was the first and only time that the OHA’s Jr. C Championship was decided in a tournament format.)

In the 1983-84 season, with the seven-game series OHA playoff format reinstated, the Kings won the Georgian Bay title once again, and were up against the Bowmanville Eagles in the semi-final. Bowmanville had a very strong team, “they would sit outside the Oshawa Generals dressing room and wait for their cuts” said Waxy Gregoire, a sportswriter in Penetanguishene. The two teams battled hard for seven straight games, with Penetang finally coming out on top and moving on to the final series against the Woodstock Navy Vets. The Kings didn’t look back from there, sweeping the Navy Vets for their first Clarence Schmalz Cup.

Following the Championship, the Kings fell on tough times. Much of their core, such as Brian and Blair McReynolds, moved on to other teams and the Kings saw far less success. Attendance at games saw a significant decrease as well, and financially the team became very hard to sustain. Fundraisers were run by the many volunteers, and the board of directors worked hard to keep the team functioning. The team on the ice saw its worst season in 1988-89, where during the regular season they won only two games (which came in their last four games). 

Through most of the 90s and the early 2000s, playoff success and even playoff appearances were hard to come by, but the Kings eventually got back to their winning ways and placed first in the new Georgian Mid-Ontario Jr C Hockey League in 2005-06. Penetang faced no adversity in the league playoffs, only losing one game in the three series on route to their first Championship in the newly formed league. The Kings moved on to their first All-Ontario Championship in 22 years, the last time being the victory in 1984. 

The Kings played the Kincardine Bulldogs and the Port Perry MoJacks in the quarter-final and semi-final, taking both series in six games to move on to the final series. In the championships, the Kings faced off with the Essex 73’s of the Great Lakes Jr C Hockey League. The 73’s had swept their semi-final matchup, but the Kings were up to the task and handled Essex with three 1-0 victories on their way to their second ever Clarence Schmalz Cup, four games to one.

Going for back-to-back championships in 2006-07, Penetang would finish the regular season second place in the league. They matched up with the first place Fergus Devils in the league championship, and incredibly won games one, two, five, and six all in overtime to defeat the Devils 4-2 in the series. In the quarter-finals of the All-Ontario championships, Kincardine had a three games to one lead on Penetang, but the Kings mounted a comeback. Penetang won the next two games to force game seven, where they carried their momentum and beat the Bulldogs 5-0. The momentum proved to be theirs through the semi-final, where they swept the Lakefield Chiefs to set up a championship rematch with Essex. Besides a tight loss in game one, the Kings kept rolling, as Penetang won the next four games for their second straight Clarence Schmalz Cup. 

Individually, the Kings have seen a few of their alumni succeed at the professional level. Brian McReynolds was drafted by the New York Rangers, and saw time with the Winnipeg Jets and Las Angeles Kings of the NHL as well. Andre Benoit, who played the 1999-00 season with Penetang, has spent time with Ottawa, Buffalo, Colorado, St. Louis, and currently Columbus. Patrick DesRochers of the 1993-94 Kings was drafted by Phoenix in the first round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, and Richard Scott of the 1996-97 team played in ten games with the New York Rangers.  

With the many changes that have taken place in Ontario’s hockey landscape, 40 seasons is something to be recognized, especially considering the work that goes in to keeping a hockey team on the ice. Whether it be the work on the ice or off of it, the Penetang Kings should be proud of all 40 seasons, and look forward to the next 40.

Special thanks to Waxy Gregoire, Gary Ronald, Karie St. Amant, and Frank Hall for their time and help with the history.

Colton Phibbs is a second year student at Western University and an aspiring hockey writer.