Cornwall Royals

The Cornwall Royals were a junior team.

They started out in the early 1960's as a local junior B team. They won the Ottawa District title in 1961-62 and 1962-63.

The Royals then joined the Ottawa-Hull & District Junior League in 1963. This league became the Central Junior A Hockey League the next year. Cornwall won the league title in 1965-66, 1966-67, and 1967-68.

With three league titles under their belt, the Royals looked for new worlds to conquer, They tried to get into the Ontario Hockey Association's junior A league in 1968 but were turned down. Instead they joined the Metropolitan Montreal Junior League. This league became part of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 1969.

The Royals played in that league from 1969-70 through 1980-81. They won three Memorial Cups in that time, including a very rare back-to-back cups in 1980 & 1981.

They transferred to the Ontario Hockey League in 1981 as part of the rationalization of the junior leagues - a team played in its own provincial league. The move was not a financial success. The Royals had depended on a fan base from nearby areas of Quebec that had left the team when it switched leagues. They were moved to Newmarket in 1992.

Coaches
Orval Tessier guided the Cornwall Royals to the Memorial Cup championship in 1972. Doug Carpenter coached the 1980 Royals, and Bob Kilger in 1981.

Marc Crawford was a former Cornwall Royals player who come back to coach. He would win the Stanley Cup coaching the Colorado Avalanche. He also coached the Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings, and is currently the head coach of the Dallas Stars.

(Multiple years in parentheses)
 * List of Coaches

* 1982–83 coaches Bob Kilger, Bill Murphy, Gord Woods, Jocelyn Guevremont

Players
The Cornwall Royals graduated 55 players to the National Hockey League. From these alumni, 31 played for the Royals in the QMJHL, and 29 played for the Royals in the OHL, and 5 played for the Royals in both leagues.

Hockey Hall of Fame members
Two alumni of the Cornwall Royals have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The first was New York Islanders goalie Billy Smith. Smith was the inaugural goalie for the Royals in the QMJHL during the 1969–70 season. After this season he was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings.

Dale Hawerchuk is the second inductee. He led the Royals to two Memorial Cup championships in 1980 and 1981. He was drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft

NHL alumni

 * QMJHL (1969–1981)


 * OHL (1981–1992)

Season-by-Season Results

 * 1961-62  Won Ottawa District Junior B Title  &   Lost Ottawa District Junior Final
 * 1962-63 Won Ottawa District Junior B Title  &   Lost Ottawa District Junior Final