Smiths Falls Bears
The Smiths Falls Bears are a Junior A ice hockey team based in Smiths Falls. The Bears compete in the Central Canada Hockey League as a member of the West Division. The team has been in existence since 1961, making them the oldest CCHL team.
The Bears are one of the "Original Five" CCHL teams, along with the Brockville Braves, Nepean Raiders, Pembroke Lumber Kings, and Rockland Nationals. They have won four Bogart Cup championships, between 1964 and 1975. The Bears have also won the Fred Page Cup twice in a row in 1974 and 1975.
The first facility to host the Bears was the original Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre, the league's former oldest facility. They played at the Memorial Community Centre beginning in 1948 and concluding in 2010, when they moved to the new Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre.
History
The origins of the Smiths Falls Bears trace back to when the Central [Junior Hockey League] was formed in 1961 under the direction of the Montreal Canadiens. The Bears are one of the oldest franchises in Canadian Junior A hockey, despite a 9-year leave of absence from 1976 to 1985. From 2000 to 2002 the team was known as the Lanark Thunder and played out of Perth, Ontario before the franchise was suspended. As a result, the Smiths Falls Bears were re-admitted to the league as an expansion team for 2002-03 and held an expansion draft.The Bears inaugural season saw members wear maroon and white - identical colours of the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears. In 1985, the Bears returned to the league wearing the colours black, gold, and white - identical to the Pittsburgh Penguins uniforms in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, the Bears went back to their original colours of maroon and white, but with grey. In 1998, the Bears changed their colours to teal and black, which being such a departure from earlier styles, confused CJHL supporters around the league.
The Bears won their first Art Bogart Cup in 1965 as Central Junior Hockey League champions. The Bears won back-to-back CJHL championships in 1974 and 1975. In 1976, the Bears took a leave of absence from the league, returning in 1985.
In February 2000, a dressing room fire at Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre destroyed almost all of the team's equipment. The equipment was replaced through donations and charities and Bears were able to finish the 1999-00 season. The following summer, the Bears announced their relocation to nearby Lanark, Ontario. Assuming the name of the Lanark Thunder, the owner promised to draw attendance at the Perth Community Arena for the 2000-01 season. While the inaugural season of the Thunder drew satisfactory attendance, it dropped dramatically during the following season and nearly being unable to participate in the playoffs at the conclusion of the 2001-02 season and having to give up their playoff spot to the second-last team. The Thunder played the Nepean Raiders in the first round and lost the series 4-0. Immediately afterwards, the team was suspended allowing the original franchise to be re-admitted as an expansion team.
The Bears missed the playoffs in their first three years returning from Lanark. In December 2004, a new head coach Bill Bowker was assigned to turn the team around. The Bears had won just a single game before January 2005, which resulted in heavy criticism by fans and media alike. But the coaching change paid off as the Bears made the playoffs for the next four years. Their best post-Lanark Thunder season was 2007-08, when the Bears appeared in the CJHL finals after knocking off the Brockville Braves in 6 games to compete against the Pembroke Lumber Kings. The Lumber Kings won the finals in 5 games. In July 2008, three Bears were chosen in the NHL Draft. Mike Bergin ; Nicholas Tremblay ; and Mark Borowiecki. They became the first trio of players from the same CJHL club to be chosen in the NHL Draft. Mark Borowiecki left Clarkson University after the 2010-11 season as he signed a 2-year minor league contract with the Ottawa Senators minor league affiliate the Binghamton Senators.
On February 27, 2010, Smiths Falls played their final game at the old Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre. During the off-season, the arena was torn down and replaced with a new one on exactly the same premises. After the 2010-11 season the Bears released their longtime head coach and manager Bill Bowker. Bowker was replaced with Ottawa 67's former assistant coach Mark Grady.
During the 2013–14 playoffs, the Smiths Falls Bears made it to the Bogart Cup Finals but have lost in five games against fierce rivals Carleton Place Canadians. The Bears attracted 8,773 fans in 8 playoff home games for an average of 1,097 per game, including two sellouts crowds during Game 2 and Game 4 of the Bogart Cup Finals.
In 2016, the Bears and the Town of Smiths Falls was awarded the 2018 Fred Page Cup. The Bears have the newest and most-suitable facility in the league.
In the 2023–24 season, the Bears qualified to the playoffs and made it all the way to the Bogart Cup Finals, but have lost 3 games to 2 in the decisive Game 7 against the Navan Grads. The 2023–24 season was also notable for the Bears, drawing 6,922 fans in nine playoff home games.