Pembroke Lumber Kings

Hockey team
team = Pembroke Lumber Kings

logosize = 125px
city = Pembroke, Ontario
league = Central Junior A Hockey League
division = Yzerman
founded = 1961
arena = Pembroke Memorial Centre
colours = Red and White
coach = Sheldon Keefe
GM = Sheldon KeefeThe Pembroke Lumber Kings are a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Junior A Hockey League and are the longest running and winningest team in CJHL history. Some notable graduates of the Lumber Kings include: Dainius Zubrus of the Washington Capitals, Mike Eastwood - a former member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Doug Harvey - a former member of the Montreal Canadiens, and Peter White - a former member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

History

David Frost/Mike Danton controversy

The Lumber Kings were at one point at the center of the David Frost/Mike Danton controversy. At the time of the infamous murder-for-hire allegations, the Kings were owned by both Sheldon Keefe and Mike Danton, who are a part of Frost's "stable". After the murder-for-hire plot, Frost continued to be an active member of the team as a team scout. In 2004, he was banned from the Central Junior A Hockey League as a result of an altercation with a referee after a game, however after the threat of legal action the suspension was lifted. After Pembroke's elimination from the playoffs in the league semi-finals against the Nepean Raiders during the 2006 playoffs, Frost announced he would no longer be an active part of the team. Sheldon Keefe is still an owner of the team. On June 6, 2006, Keefe became the Lumber Kings' head coach and general manager.cite news|first=Tina|last=Peplinskie|title=Abrams leaves Lumber Kings, Sheldon Keefe will coach team|date=June 07, 2006|publisher=Pembroke Daily Observer|url=http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=63289&catname=Local+News&classif=]

2005-06 season

Prior to the 2005-06 CJHL season, the Pembroke Lumber Kings were awarded the 2006 Fred Page Cup. The Lumber Kings started the season strong and in the middle of the season, they were at the top of the Canadian Junior "A" Hockey League's top 15 and were a strong contender to win the Art Bogart Cup as CJHL champions, the Fred Page Cup as Eastern Canadian champions, and the Royal Bank Cup as National Junior "A" champions. In the 2006 Yzerman Division semi-finals, the Lumber Kings swept the Smiths Falls Bears 4-0, and took on one of their division rivals, the Nepean Raiders. The Lumber Kings had a hold on the series with a 3-1 lead and had a chance to close the series in five games and punch their ticket to the championships finals, where the defending CJHL champs Hawkesbury Hawks awaited the Lumber Kings. The Nepean Raiders ended up winning 2 games to send the series to a deciding game seven in Pembroke. The Nepean Raiders would win the deciding game 5-1. The Pembroke Lumber Kings were already qualified for the Fred Page Cup.

2006-07 season

The Pembroke Lumber Kings had a strong cast of returning players. Head coach Kevin Abrams was appointed league commissioner over the summer of 2006. Owner and assistant coach and former NHLer Sheldon Keefe was appointed head coach. The Lumber Kings started off strong and held on to top spot in the CJHL till the end of the season. The Lumber Kings started the 2007 playoffs against the Kanata Stallions, which the Lumber Kings taking the series in an easy four-game sweep. In the semi-finals, the Lumber Kings met up with Hawkesbury Hawks and the Lumber Kings taking that series in 6 games, and the final was against their division rivals, the Nepean Raiders. With Pembroke up 3-0 in the series and needing a win on April 15, 2007 in Nepean to take the series. But the Nepean Raiders came up with a 2-1 win forcing a game 5 in Pembroke, but however, the Lumber Kings wanted to win it at home and that's exactly what they did on the night of April 17, 2007 with a 3-1 win and capturing their first CJHL championship since 1989. The Lumber Kings travelled to St-Jerome, Quebec and started the Fred Page Cup in their quest for the Royal Bank Cup. The Lumber Kings opened the Fred Page Cup with a 2-1 overtime win over the St-Jerome Pantheres. The second game saw the defending Fred Page Cup champions Joliette Action take on the Pembroke Lumber Kings, but this time on Quebec ice. The Lumber Kings came up with a 4-1 win to take a bye to the finals. The Pembroke Lumber Kings lost the final round robin game to the Truro Bearcats 4-2, but the Bearcats still failed to qualify for the semi-finals. The Pembroke Lumber Kings awaited the semi-final winner, and the St-Jerome Panthers knocked off Joliette 3-1. The Pembroke Lumber Kings continued their road to the Royal Bank Cup defeating St-Jerome 5-2 in the finals to claim the 2007 Fred Page Cup. The Lumber Kings travelled across Canada to Prince George, British Columbia for the 2007 Royal Bank Cup at the CN Centre, which is home to the WHL's Prince George Cougars and BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings. The opening game for the Lumber Kings at the National Jr. A Championship was against the hosts Prince George Spruce Kings, but lost 5-2. The second matchup, the Lumber Kings managed to beat the stronger houses Aurora Tigers 5-3 of the OPJHL. The Lumber Kings fell 3-0 to the also powerhouses Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL. With a 1-3 record, the Lumber Kings desperate for a birth in the semi-finals got a win over the Selkirk Steelers of the MJHL 2-1. The Pembroke Lumber Kings had a chance to appear on TSN's broadcast of the National Jr. A Championship final with a semi-final match against the Aurora Tigers. The game tied 2-2 going into overtime, less than 3 minutes in the extra period, Darren Michalsky of the Aurora Tigers scored the winner setting up the 2007 championship final against the Prince George Spruce Kings and Pembroke road to the Royal Bank Cup ended. Since 1997, six different teams from the CJHL competing in the Royal Bank Cup lost the semi-finals and never appeared in the finals.

eason-by-season record

"Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against"

Championships

:CJHL Bogart Cup Championships: 1973, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2007, 2008:Central Canadian Dudley Hewitt Cup Championships: 1987:Eastern Canadian Fred Page Cup Championships: 2007:CJAHL Royal Bank Cup Championships: None

References

External links

* [http://www.pembrokelumberkings.com/ Pembroke Lumber Kings Webpage]