Sarnia Sting


The Sarnia Sting are a junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They are one of the 20 teams that make up the Ontario Hockey League. They play out of the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
On January 22, 2015, now retired NHL forward David Legwand, who played for the Ottawa Senators at the time, and retired NHL defenseman Derian Hatcher entered an agreement to purchase the Sarnia Sting. The transfer of ownership was approved by the OHL Board of Governors and completed on March 4, 2015.

History

The franchise was granted in 1969 as one of the inaugural teams of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. At the time, the team was located in Cornwall, Ontario and known as the Cornwall Royals. During the team's tenure in the QMJHL the Royals won the Memorial Cup in 1972, 1980, and in 1981.
For the 1981–82 season, the team transferred to the Ontario Hockey League. In 1992, the franchise moved again to Newmarket, Ontario to play as the Newmarket Royals.
In 1994, the team was bought by the Ciccarelli brothers and moved to Sarnia, Ontario. Robert Ciccarelli, voted OHL Executive of the Year in 1999–2000, was the team's president and governor until January 2015, when the team was sold to its current owners, former NHL defenseman Derian Hatcher and former NHL forward David Legwand.
In 2018, Dan Carcillo made accusations of hazing during the 2002–03 OHL season. League commissioner David Branch responded with sanctions against the Sting. The club implemented changes in its routines to avoid further incidents.

Championships

The Sarnia Sting are in quest of their first J. Ross Robertson Cup and first Memorial Cup. The 1996–97 season was the closest the team came to the OHL Championship, but lost in the quarter-finals to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 3. The lone title so far came in the 2003–04 season, when the team won the OHL West Division, winning the Bumbacco Trophy, but were later eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Sarnia Sting won their second West Division title in 2016. They beat the Guelph Storm 7-1 to clinch the division. That was their first division title in 12 years. On Saturday March 19, 2016 the Sarnia Sting broke a franchise record from 2002-2003 capturing 41 wins and 91 points to end the 2015-2016 OHL season.

Coaches

;List of Coaches
Multiple seasons in parentheses.

Players

Award winners

Retired numbers

On January 12, 2018, the Sarnia Sting officially retired the first number in franchise history, Steven Stamkos' number 91. There are also banners in honour of Shawn Burr and Kerry Fraser. Banners that were once hung, but have since been taken down, include the ones of Aaron Brand and Peter Sarno who both won OHL scoring titles, Trevor Letowski, who all participated at IIHF World U20 Championships in 1997, and Danny Fritsche who won gold with the United States men's national junior ice hockey team in 2004.

NHL alumni

Regular season

Legend: OT = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss
SeasonGamesWonLostTiedOTSLPointsPct %Goals
For		Goals
Against		Standing
1994–956624375--530.4022502923rd Western
1995–966639234--820.6213302762nd Western
1996–976635247--770.5832862512nd Western
1997–9866322113--770.5832532273rd Western
1998–996837256--800.5882792162nd West
1999–20006833278--740.5442111893rd West
2000–0168283172-650.4632352443rd West
2001–0268272957-660.4342362604th West
2002–0368411971-900.6542342232nd West
2003–0468372344-820.5742202101st West
2004–0568164165-430.3161562285th West
2005–06681746-23390.2871972955th West
2006–07683424-55780.5742702414th West
2007–08683729-20760.5592512293rd West
2008–09683526-43770.5662162104th West
2009–10681746-32390.2871842955th West
2010–11682536-52570.4192433214th West
2011–12683427-25750.5512432352nd West
2012–13683528-14750.5512472543rd West
2013–14681744-25410.3012113415th West
2014–15682932-43650.4782322633rd West
2015–16684219-52910.6692541921st West
2016–17683130-61690.5072572774th West
2017–18684617-41970.7132992132nd West
2018–19682833-52630.4632713003rd West
2019–20622234-51500.4032442995th West
Total2 Division Titles

Playoffs

Lost to Peterborough Petes 4 games to 2 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 3 in quarter-finals.
Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.
Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.
The original Sarnia Sting jersey showed a bee playing hockey with its stinger poised. The team's colours were black, white and silver. An alternate jersey had a yellow background and a bee holding a stick about the Sarnia name on the chest.
The current jerseys include a white jersey with a bee in the centre and a black jersey with a bee in the centre. The team got new jerseys during the 2019-20 season. During the first half of the season, the team wears the white uniform at home while during the second half of the season they wear the black uniform at home.
During the 2012 offseason the team held a contest to design the team's alternate jersey for the season. The is yellow with black and white stripes down the arm. The logo is round and includes a picture of the Blue Water Bridge in the background with a bee in the centre. Around the bridges and the bee it is inscribed "Sarnia Sting" on top and "Hockey Club" on the bottom.

Arenas

Relocation from Newmarket, Ontario in 1994 was made on the promise that a new arena would be built in Sarnia. In the meantime the team played their first four seasons at Sarnia Arena located in the downtown area.
In 1998–99 the Sting played their first season at their new home, The Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre. It's a more modern facility with private boxes and many other amenities. The new building also hosted the Ontario Hockey League All Star Game in 1999, and the RE/Max Canada-Russia Challenge in 2004.