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 RBC Centre (formerly the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre).

This 2014-2015 campaign marks the 20th anniversary of the Sarnia Sting. The Sting have done many different things this season as to reminiscing on the past 20 years. They had fans vote to whom they thought to be the best Sting player of all time. They organized a constructed bracket like the NCAA March Madness look and had 64 players go head to head until it dwindled down to Steven Stamkos and Alex Galchenyuk in the finals. In the end, Stamkos was voted on by the fans as the greatest Sarnia Sting player to wear the sweater.

In January 2015, Ottawa Senators forward David Legwand and former NHL defenseman Derian Hatcher entered an agreement to purchase the Sarnia Sting.

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 were 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 is the team's current president and governor. In 1999–2000 he was voted OHL Executive of the Year.

The move of the OHL franchise also forced the Junior "B" Sarnia Bees to change their name to the Sarnia Steeplejacks.

Championships
The Sarnia Sting are in quest of their first J. Ross Robertson Cup and first Memorial Cup. In 1996–97 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.

Coaches
Multiple seasons in parentheses.
 * List of Coaches
 * 1994–95 D.Boyd, R.Brown, M.Hunter
 * 1995–96 Mark Hunter (5)
 * 1996–97 Joe Canale
 * 1997–99 Mark Hunter (5)
 * 1999–2000 Mark Hunter, Rich Brown (3)
 * 2000–01 Rich Brown, Jeff Perry
 * 2001–03 Jeff Perry (4)
 * 2003–04 Jeff Perry, Greg Walters
 * 2004–06 Shawn Camp (2)
 * 2006–2010 Dave MacQueen (4)
 * 2010–2011 Dave MacQueen, Trevor Letowski
 * 2011–2013 Jacques Beaulieu
 * 2013–2015 Trevor Letowski(2)
 * 2015–present Derian Hatcher

Award winners
Bobby Smith Trophy Scholastic player of the year.
 * 2004–05 Richard Clune
 * 2006–07 Steven Stamkos

CHL Rookie of the Year CHL Rookie of the Year.
 * 2010–11 Nail Yakupov

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy OHL Top Point Scorer.
 * 1995–96 Aaron Brand
 * 1998–99 Peter Sarno

Emms Family Award OHL Rookie of the Year. F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy Best rookie goalie GAA.
 * 2010–11 Nail Yakupov
 * 1999–00 Andrew Sim
 * 2002–03 Ryan Munce

Ivan Tennant Memorial Award Top academic high school player.
 * 2004–05 Matt Pelech

Jack Ferguson Award First overall draft pick.
 * 1994 Jeff Brown
 * 2006 Steven Stamkos
 * 2010 Alex Galchenyuk
 * 2014 Jakob Chychrun

Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy Top scoring Right Winger.
 * 2008-09 Justin DiBenedetto

Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy Overage player of the year.
 * 1995–96 Aaron Brand
 * 2008–09 Justin DiBenedetto
 * 2012–13 Charlie Sarault

OHL Executive of the Year Top executive in the OHL.
 * 1999–00 Robert Ciccarelli

Retired numbers
None to date. There are currently no retired numbers; however there are 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, Danny Fritsche who won gold with the United States men's national junior ice hockey team in 2004 and Steven Stamkos who paticipated in 2008

NHL alumni

 * Jamie Arniel
 * Reid Boucher
 * Eric Boulton
 * Sean Brown
 * Daniel Carcillo
 * Richard Clune
 * Larry Courville
 * Mike Danton
 * Andy Delmore
 * Patrick DesRochers
 * Justin DiBenedetto
 * Jamie Fraser
 * Dan Fritsche
 * Alex Galchenyuk
 * Trevor Gillies
 * Nikolay Goldobin
 * Micheal Haley
 * Jeff Heerema
 * Mark Katic
 * Drew Larman
 * Alan Letang
 * Trevor Letowski
 * Matt Martin
 * Sean McMorrow
 * Connor Murphy
 * David Nemirovsky
 * Kris Newbury
 * Ivan Novoseltsev
 * Matt Pelech
 * Marek Posmyk
 * Dalton Prout
 * Peter Sarno
 * Jon Sim
 * Ryan Spooner
 * Steven Stamkos
 * Joey Tenute
 * Mike Van Ryn
 * Ryan Wilson
 * Nail Yakupov
 * Pavel Zacha
 * Jeff Zehr

Regular season
Legend: OT = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

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 semi-finals. Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.
 * 1994–95 Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 0 in division quarter-finals.
 * 1995–96 Defeated S.S. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in division quarter-finals.
 * 1996–97 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
 * 1997–98 Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
 * 1998–99 Lost to London Knights 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 1999–00 Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2000–01 Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2001–02 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2002–03 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2003–04 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2004–05 DNQ
 * 2005–06 DNQ
 * 2006–07 Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2007–08 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2008–09 Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2009-10 DNQ
 * 2010-11 DNQ
 * 2011–12 Lost to Saginaw Spirit 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2012–13 Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2013-14 DNQ
 * 2014–15 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2015-16 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2016-17 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to none in conference quarter-finals
 * 2017–18 Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2018-19 Lost to Saginaw Spirit 4 games to none in conference quarter-finals.
 * 2019-20 Did not qualify but playoffs cancelled
 * 2020-21 Season cancelled

Jerseys and Logos
The original Sarnia Sting jersey (worn from 1994/95 - 1998/99) showed a bee playing hockey with its stinger poised. The team's colours were black, white and silver. An alternate jersey (worn from 1997/98 - 1998/99) 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 center and a black jersey with "Sarnia" written across the front. 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 new jersey design is yellow with black and white stripes down the arm. The logo is round and includes a picture of the Bluewater Bridges in the background with a bee in the center. 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 three seasons at Sarnia Arena located in the downtown area.
 * Sarnia Arena - The OHL Arena & Travel Guide

In 1997–98 the Sting played their first season at their new home; The Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre (now known as the RBC 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.
 * RBC Centre - The OHL Arena & Travel Guide