Notre Dame Hounds

Notre Dame Hounds
City	Wilcox, Saskatchewan
League	SJHL
Division	Sherwood
Founded	1933 (1933)
Home arena	Duncan McNeill Arena
Colors	Red and white
Championships	SJHL Champions: 1 (1987–88) Anavet Cup: 1 (1988) Centennial Cup: 1 (1988)
Website notredame.ca/hockey
Franchise history
1970–1976	SJHL (Junior A)
1976–1987	Midget AAA (U-18)
1987–2025	SJHL

The Notre Dame Hounds were a Canadian Junior A ice hockey team based in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. The team was affiliated with Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a private boarding school established in 1920 and later renamed after Athol Murray, who directed the school and founded its hockey program. The Hounds were members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and played their home games in Duncan McNeill Arena. The team became national champions in 1988, representing Western Canada and winning the Centennial Cup. The Hounds have also operated successful Minor AAA teams over the course of their history. The Hounds hockey program was notable for producing a number of players who have gone on to National Hockey League careers. The Hounds were relocated to Warman, Saskatchewan in 2025, becoming the Warman Wolverines.

History

Establishment

The Notre Dame Hounds were founded by Athol Murray out of the College of Notre Dame, which was renamed after Murray in 1981. Murray moved to Regina from Toronto in 1922, where he had earlier established the Argos sports club, and he brought many students with him to Saskatchewan and founded the Regina Argos program. Murray was assigned to Wilcox in 1933 and began teaching at St. Augustine School, which had been established in 1920 by the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis, where he would found the College of Notre Dame in 1933. He brought his love of hockey with him—Murray was known to say, "I love God, Canada, and hockey—not always in that order." Murray coached the team until 1947.

Minor hockey

The Hounds hockey team joined the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) in 1970, although the team struggled to compete and the arrangement last only until 1976. After that, the team operated only as a AAA minor hockey team for more than a decade. In 1980, the team won the national championship, the Air Canada Cup, defeating the Ste. Foy Governors in the final by a score of 5–1. The team returned to the final in 1984, and won the tournament for a second time in 1986, defeating the Toronto Red Wings by a score of 8–5. In 1987, the Hounds returned to the final for a fourth time. Despite losing the final, the organization decided to move up a level, returning to Junior A hockey, and the Hounds were promoted back to the SJHL in 1987. After the promotion, the Hounds continued to operate their AAA team, which has gone on to further success, including back-to-back national titles in 2009 and 2010, and a record fifth national championship in 2018.

Since the 1990s, the Hounds have also operated a successful AAA girls' team. The team played in the national championships in 2010 and 2011, finishing second in 2010 and winning the 2011 Esso Cup as national champions. In 2022, both the boys' and girls' Hounds squads advanced to their respective national championships in the same season for the first time since 2010.

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

The Hounds' first season back in the SJHL, 1987–88, would prove to be the most successful in club history, despite most of the players still being under-18s. Coached by Barry MacKenzie and boasting future National Hockey League (NHL) stars Rod Brind'Amour and Curtis Joseph, the team won 53 out of 60 games and defeated the Yorkton Terriers for the SJHL title. The team then swept the Winnipeg South Blues for the right to contest the Western Canadian Abbott Cup title, in which they faced the Calgary Canucks. Despite falling behind three games to one, the Hounds defeated the Canucks in seven games—which included Joseph saving a penalty shot with two seconds remaining in game seven—to win the Abbott Cup and proceed to the Centennial Cup national championship. The Hounds, newly promoted to the Junior A ranks, were the youngest team in the history of the tournament. The Hounds advanced to the tournament final, where they defeated the Halifax Lions by a score of 3–2, with Dwayne Norris scoring the game-winning goal in the third period to secure the national championship. Brind'Amour led the tournament in scoring and was named its most valuable player. In 2013, the 1987–88 Hounds squad was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Although the Hounds topped the SJHL standings the following season, they fell short of defending their title. The team's most successful season since 1988 came in 2014–15, when they returned to the league final, losing to the Melfort Mustangs.

The Hounds have been noted for producing a large number of NHL alumni over many decades, such as Brind'Amour, Joseph, Wendel Clark, Vincent Lecavalier, and Morgan Rielly. More than one hundred former Hounds have been drafted to the NHL. During the 1985–86 NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs iced three former Hounds on one line, with the forward grouping of Clark, Gary Leeman, and Russ Courtnall being christened the "Hound Line". As it happened, the three had never played on a line with the Hounds, as Clark played defence until joining the Maple Leafs. The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning featured four Hounds alumni in Lightning coach Jon Cooper and defenceman Braydon Coburn and Blackhawks players Scott Darling and Brad Richards. In addition to NHL draft picks, many Hounds have gone on to play in the American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); nineteen members of the 1987–88 team—nearly the entire roster—were given NCAA scholarships.

On February 18, 2025, the SJHL conditionally approved the relocation of the Junior A Hounds to Warman for the 2025-26 hockey season.

Abuse allegations

Since 2021, the Hounds organization has been the subject of allegations of physical and sexual abuse by players who attended Notre Dame College and played hockey there in the 1980s. Todd Tisdale, whose brother Tim had starred for the Hounds in 1986, made the first public allegations in late 2021. Tisdale has described a culture of hazing at the College, and accused officials there of ignoring and enabling physical and sexual violence. Tisdale pursued an apology from the school in the 1990s and in 2018 filed a statement of claim against the school; he re-filed in 2022, adding a second student to the claim. Other students who participated in the program in the 1980s followed suit with public allegations, including Kenny Wray and Jason Duckworth.

Season-by-season record (SJHL)

GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, P = Points

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	P	Results	Playoffs
1970–71	35	3	32	0	-	102	251	6	7th SJHL	Did not qualify
1971–72	38	16	22	0	-	162	223	28	8th SJHL	Lost quarterfinal, 0–4 (Olympics)
1972–73	48	18	30	0	-	255	327	16	5th SJHL South	DNQ
1973–74	50	19	29	2	-	207	244	40	5th SJHL South	DNQ
1974–75	57	20	36	1	-	256	332	41	5th SJHL South	DNQ
1975–76	58	7	50	1	-	131	390	15	6th SJHL South	DNQ
1987–88	60	53	5	2	-	321	160	108	1st SJHL	Won League Won ANAVET Cup Won Abbott Cup Won Centennial Cup
1988–89	64	44	16	4	-	338	223	92	1st SJHL	Won quarterfinal, 4–2 (Americans) Lost semifinal, 2–4 (Hawks)
1989–90	68	24	43	1	-	253	331	49	6th SJHL South	DNQ
1990–91	68	31	34	3	-	265	266	65	4th SJHL North	Lost quarterfinal, 0–4 (Terriers)
1991–92	64	32	24	8	-	259	251	72	5th SJHL South	DNQ
1992–93	64	25	31	8	-	266	259	58	5th SJHL South	DNQ
1993–94	68	25	36	7	-	277	280	57	5th SJHL South	Lost quarterfinal, 1–4 (Red Wings)
1994–95	64	24	36	4	-	270	275	52	7th SJHL South	DNQ
1995–96	64	18	37	9	-	215	264	45	5th SJHL South	Lost quarterfinal, 0–4 (Terriers)
1996–97	64	29	35	0	-	223	264	58	3rd SJHL South	Lost quarterfinal, 2–4 (Eagles)
1997–98	64	27	31	6	-	205	203	60	4th SJHL South	Lost quarterfinal, 2–4 (Eagles)
1998–99	66	40	20	6	-	228	179	86	3rd SJHL South	Won quarterfinal, 4–3 (Terriers) Lost semifinal, 1–4 (Bruins)
1999–00	60	23	28	9	-	150	181	55	4th SJHL South	Lost quarterfinal, 2–4 (Red Wings)
2000–01	62	23	34	4	1	173	228	51	4th SJHL Sherwood	Lost quarterfinal, 0–4 (Red Wings)
2001–02	64	38	16	7	3	245	166	86	1st SJHL	Won quarterfinal, 4–2 (Red Wings) Lost semifinal, 1–4 (Broncos)
2002–03	60	31	19	6	4	203	186	72	1st SJHL Sherwood	Lost quarterfinal, 2–4 (Millionaires)
2003–04	60	25	26	6	3	202	193	59	2nd SJHL Sherwood	Lost quarterfinal, 1–4 (Red Wings)
2004–05	55	31	17	7	0	185	138	69	3rd SJHL Sherwood	Lost quarterfinal, 0–4 (Terriers)
2005–06	55	31	17	5	2	192	162	69	2nd SJHL Sherwood	Won quarterfinal, 4–0 (Millionaires) Lost semifinal, 0–4 (Terriers)
2006–07	58	24	23	0	11	202	234	59	4th SJHL Sherwood	Lost preliminary, 1–4 (Red Wings)
2007–08	58	20	35	-	3	176	258	43	11th SJHL	DNQ
2008–09	56	23	33	-	0	192	239	46	10th SJHL	DNQ
2009–10	58	32	20	-	6	178	180	70	4th SJHL	Lost quarterfinal, 0–4 (Klippers)
2010–11	58	21	30	-	7	158	196	49	11th SJHL	DNQ
2011–12	58	22	33	-	3	172	233	47	5th Sherwood Div 10th SJHL	Lost preliminary round, 0–3 (Bruins)
2012–13	54	21	27	-	6	164	173	48	3rd Sherwood Div 6th SJHL	Lost quarterfinals, 3–4 (Millionaires)
2013–14	56	22	27	-	7	136	175	51	4th Kramer Div 9th SJHL	Lost quarterfinals, 1–4 (Terriers)
2014–15	56	37	14	1	4	165	133	79	2nd of 4 Kramer Div 3rd of 12 SJHL	Won quarterfinals, 4–3 (Bombers) Won semifinals, 4–2 (Klippers) Lost final, 0–4 (Mustangs)
2015–16	58	22	29	4	3	163	218	51	3rd of 4 Finning Div 9th of 12 SJHL	Lost wildcard, 1–3 (Klippers)
2016–17	58	26	23	7	2	174	167	51	3rd of 4 Finning Div 7th of 12 SJHL	Won wildcard, 3–1 (Mustangs) Lost quarterfinal, 1–4 (Bombers)
2017–18	58	29	24	1	4	192	174	63	4th of 4 Global Ag Div 8th of 12 SJHL	Lost wildcard, 1–2 (Bombers)
2018–19	58	25	23	5	5	182	186	60	4th of 4 Nutrien Div 9th of 12 SJHL	Lost wildcard, 1–2 (Terriers)
2019–20	58	18	32	5	3	135	192	44	4th of 4 Nutrien Div 10th of 12 SJHL	DNQ
2020–21	5	1	3	0	1	13	22	3	SJHL season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22	58	26	27	3	2	193	229	44	3rd of 4 Nutrien Div 8th of 12 SJHL	Lost quarterfinal, 1–4 (Bruins)
2022–23	58	22	28	4	2	176	219	50	3rd of 4 Nutrien Div 9th of 12 SJHL	DNQ
2023–24	56	15	39	2	0	152	262	32	4th of 4 Nutrien Div 12th of 12 SJHL	DNQ
2024–25	56	12	40	2	2	137	256	28	4th of 4 Nutrien Div 12th of 12 SJHL	DNQ

1987–88 championship playoffs

• 1988 Won SJHL, ANAVET Cup, Abbott Cup, and Centennial Cup

Hounds defeated Weyburn Red Wings, 4-games-to-0

Hounds defeated Nipawin Hawks, 4-games-to-0

Hounds defeated Yorkton Terriers, 4-games-to-2 (SJHL Champions)

Hounds defeated Winnipeg South Blues (MJHL), 4-games-to-0 (ANAVET CUP Champions)

Hounds defeated Calgary Canucks (AJHL), 4-games-to-3 (Abbott Cup Champions)

Second in 1988 Centennial Cup round robin (2–1)

Hounds defeated Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL), 7–3 in semifinal

Hounds defeated Halifax Lions (MVJHL), 3–2 in final (Centennial Cup Champions)

NHL alumni

Over 215 Hounds alumni have been signed or drafted by an NHL team.

• Rod Brind'Amour (player & coach)
• Wendel Clark
• Braydon Coburn
• Jon Cooper (coach)
• Scott Daniels
• Cale Fleury
• Haydn Fleury
• Jason Herter
• Curtis Joseph
• Vincent Lecavalier
• Brooks Macek
• Stefan Matteau
• Curtis McElhinney
• Joby Messier
• Mitch Messier
• Scott Munroe
• Tyler Myers
• Dwayne Norris
• Myles O'Connor
• Scott Pellerin
• Teddy Purcell
• Brad Richards
• Jaden Schwartz
• Barry Trotz (coach)

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan
• Ice hockey in Saskatchewan

External links

• Notre Dame Hounds Website

Preceded by Richmond Sockeyes

Centennial Cup Champions 1988

Succeeded by Thunder Bay Flyers