The North Bay Centennials were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who played from 1982âÂÂ2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. The Centenials placed first overall during the 1993âÂÂ94 OHL season, winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy, and won that's season playoffs for the J. Ross Robertson Cup. Competing at the 1994 Memorial Cup, the Centennial placed fourth. At the end of the 2001âÂÂ02 OHL season, the team relocated to Michigan becoming the Saginaw Spirit.
The Niagara Falls Flyers relocated in 1982, to play home games at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. The team displaced the North Bay Trappers who played in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The Centennials were named for the 100th anniversary of the railroad in North Bay. The team traces its roots back to St. Catharines, Ontario, where it played from 1943âÂÂ1976, as the Falcons, Teepees and Black Hawks, winning the Memorial Cup in 1954 and 1960.
The Centennials wore a white, black and gold colour scheme. The team logo from 1982 to 1998 featured the Centennials name and four wheels to form the shape of a locomotive engine. Shoulder patches featured a front view of a locomotive on tracks. The Centennials were originally owned by Reg Quinn. The team played its first home game in North Bay on September 23, 1982, defeating the Kingston Canadians by a 7âÂÂ4 score. During the summer of 1986, Quinn sold the team to local automotive dealer John Hopper.
The Centennials won back-to-back Emms division titles in 1986 and 1987. In 1987 the OHL organized a Super Series for the right to host the Memorial Cup tournament between the Leyden Division champions Oshawa Generals, and the Emms Division champions North Bay Centennials. The super series was played while both teams had a first-round playoffs bye. North Bay came within one game of hosting the national junior championship, losing game seven to the Oshawa Generals. In the OHL championship series that year the Centennials and Generals faced off again with the same result, Oshawa defeating North Bay 4 games to 3.
Determined to return to the Memorial Cup, coach and general manager Bert Templeton began building his team for another championship run. In 1991âÂÂ92 North Bay returned to the OHL finals, losing to their northern counterparts, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in seven games. Templeton was awarded the OHL Executive of the Year for the 1991âÂÂ92 season.
Two years later in 1994, North Bay was on top of the league winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy. They entered the playoffs as the top-ranked junior team in Canada. The Centennials prevailed in the finals by defeating the Detroit Junior Red Wings in seven games, winning the final game on an overtime goal by Jason Campeau. Injuries began to take their toll on the team as they headed to the 1994 Memorial Cup, played in Laval, Quebec. North Bay dropped all three games on the round-robin; losing 5-4 to the Laval Titan, 3-1 to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, and 5-1 to the Kamloops Blazers.
In the summer of 1994, Ted Thomson bought a 50 percent share of the team from John Hopper. In 1998, Thomson bought the remaining 50 per cent share of the team from Hopper, then later brought in Bill Finnis as a minority partner. An updated team logo was used from 1998 to 2002, which featured an angry-looking railroad engineer holding a hockey stick. In December 2001, Thomson and Finnish sold the team to Michigan businessman Richard Garber. At the end of the 2001-02 OHL season, the Centennials relocated to Michigan becoming the Saginaw Spirit.
In twenty years of operation, the North Bay Centennials had four coaches. Bert Templeton carried over from Niagara Falls and guided the team for its first twelve years. He later became the team's general manager in addition to coaching. He was awarded the OHL Executive of the Year for the 1991âÂÂ92 season. When the Centennials won the championship in 1994, Templeton was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHL Coach of the Year, and the CHL Coach of the Year Award. Templton had worked the 1993âÂÂ94 season without a contact, and resigned as coach and general manager in August 1994, stating a desire to relocate to Toronto and spend more time with family. Team owner John Hopper declined Templeton's offer to remain as only as general manager.
Shane Parker took over for two and a half seasons, replaced by Greg Bignell for a year and a half. Mike Kelly became the coached and general manager after leading the University of New Brunswick Reds to a national championship.
Forty-six alumni of the Centennials played in the National Hockey League (NHL):
Regular season and playoffs results: