Kingston Raiders

Kingston Raiders
CityKingston, Ontario
LeagueOntario Hockey League
ConferenceLeyden
DivisionEast
Operated1988–89
Home arenaKingston Memorial Centre
ColoursBlack, white and silver
Head coachLarry Mavety
Franchise history
1972–1973Kingston Frontenacs Jr.A.
1973–1988Kingston Canadians
1988–1989Kingston Raiders
1989–presentKingston Frontenacs

The Kingston Raiders were a junior ice hockey team based in Kingston, Ontario, playing in the Ontario Hockey League for the 1988–89 season. The team played out of the Kingston Memorial Centre.

History

When the Kingston Canadians were sold in 1988, the club's new owner, Lou Kazowski, sought suggestions to rebrand the team for a fresh start.[1] The name Kingston Raiders was chosen, with Larry Mavety named as the coach and the general manager, who previously coached their geographic rivals, the Belleville Bulls.[2] Mavety signed a four-year contract, was also named vice-president of hockey operations, and was previously a teammate of Kazowski while playing defence on the Port Huron Flags in the International Hockey League from 1964 to 1966.[3]

The Raiders' colours were black, silver and white. Their logo featured a player holding a stick and wearing an eye patch, with a letter R in black in the background inside a silver and white circle.[4]

The Raiders played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre.[5] Attempting to gain concessions from the city in an arena lease, team owner Lou Kazowski threatened to relocate the team to Barrie, Ontario.[6] Despite receiving a new arena agreement in December 1988, Kazowski threatened to relocate the team to Owen Sound at the end of the season, leaving him unpopular with the team's supporters who felt betrayed.[7] In their only season of existence, the Raiders finished seventh in the Leyden division and did not qualify for the playoffs.[8]

The Ontario Hockey League intervened to keep the team in Kingston, stating that it was a good community for hockey, and that proposed relocations to Owen Sound or Port Huron, Michigan, would create imbalanced divisions.[9] Seeking approval to relocate to Owen Sound, the league's board of governors voted 14–1 against the move.[10]

Kazowski received an offer from Compuware based in Detroit, to buy the Raiders and keep the team in Kingston, but instead sold the Raiders to Bob Attersley, the mayor of Whitby, Ontario, and a former Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) player in Kingston who committed to keeping the team in the city and bring local businessmen onboard.[11] Owen Sound instead received the relocated Guelph Platers team.[12]

The team was renamed the Kingston Frontenacs after the EPHL team for Attersley had played, and returned to the black and gold colour scheme.[13] The operating partnership of the Frontenacs was expanded to include Wren Blair and other local businessmen, and the team saw its season ticket holder base double from 500 to 1,000.[14]

1988–89 season results

1988–89 season results:[8]

Season Games Won Lost Tied Points Pct % Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing Playoffs
1988–89 66 25 36 5 55 0.417 278 313 7th in Leyden did not qualify

Players

The Kingston Raiders had the first overall pick in the draft that year and chose Drake Berehowsky, who received the Jack Ferguson Award as the top draft pick.[15]

Jeff Wilson won the F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy, for the best goals against average for a rookie goaltender in the 1988–89 season.[16]

List of National Hockey League alumni:[17]

References

  1. ^ Fitsell, Bill (April 20, 1988). "New name for Canadians? How about Lakers? Gulls?". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 38.
  2. ^ Gordanier, Tim (April 28, 1988). "Larry Mavety to be named tonight as GM-coach of the Kingston Raiders". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 15.
  3. ^ Gordanier, Tim (April 29, 1988). "Mavety's move to Kingston unique". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 15.
  4. ^ Creamer, Chris. "Kingston Raiders Logos History". Sports Logos. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  5. ^ Jordan, Kevin (December 4, 2019). "Kingston Memorial Centre, Kingston Frontenacs". The OHL Arena Guide. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  6. ^ Hall, David (December 17, 1988). "Winds of change fan junior hockey". Windsor Star. p. 22.
  7. ^ Kennedy, Patrick (March 18, 1989). "Fans upset because we believed Kazowki". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 16.
  8. ^ a b "Kingston Raiders Statistics and History". HockeyDB. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  9. ^ MacAlpine, Ian; Lupton, Gary (March 21, 1989). "League negotiating to keep Raiders in Kingston". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 1.; MacAlpine, Ian; Lupton, Gary (March 21, 1989). "Raiders (Continued from Page 1)". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 1.
  10. ^ Scilley, Claude (April 28, 1989). "Raiders' picture still a puzzle as Kazowski meets OHL board". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 10.
  11. ^ Outhit, Jeff (April 29, 1989). "City needs hockey club, new Raiders owner says". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 1.; Outhit, Jeff (April 29, 1989). "Raiders (Continued from Page 1)". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 2.
  12. ^ "Owen Sound gets Platers". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian Press. June 29, 1989. p. 8.
  13. ^ Kennedy, Patrick (May 4, 1989). "Raiders rechristened 'Kingston Frontenacs'". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 1.
  14. ^ Kennedy, Patrick (June 29, 1989). "Developer John Lovelace joins hockey partnership with Frontenacs's owners". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 8.
  15. ^ Kalchman, Lois (May 29, 1988). "No surprises for top pick in midget draft". Toronto Star. p. G5.
  16. ^ Kennedy, Patrick (May 27, 1989). "Frontenacs' goalie glad he didn't quit". The Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario. p. 14.
  17. ^ "Kingston Raiders all-time player list". HockeyDB. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.