Here are our top 10 local sports stories from 2016. We'll be presenting our Year in Review feature between now and Jan. 1.
1. Matt Murray started the 2015-16 NHL season in the minors, but by June he had won the starting job and led the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup win over the San Jose Sharks. Along the way Murray tied an NHL record, winning 15 playoff games. He was also named to Team North America for the World Cup of Hockey and then in October signed a three-year, $11.25-million contract extension to stay with the Penguins.
2. Krista McCarville, Ashley Sippala, Sarah Potts and Kendra Lilly stunned the curling world with a trip to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final, where they lost a nail-biter to Alberta’s Chelsea Carey in the final. McCarville had taken the previous season off to spend with her family.
3. The Port Arthur Nationals became the first Thunder Bay team in more than three decades to win their way to the Canadian Little League Championship, using home-field advantage at George Burke Park to knock off Toronto’s High Park Braves 9-4 in the provincial championship.
4. The St. Ignatius Falcons junior football team continued its gridiron dominance, winning a fifth straight Superior Secondary School Athletics title while stretching the Falcons incredible winning streak to 31. The senior team won its third straight, downing Westgate in a snowy final. The senior team captured a provincial championship, winning the Simcoe Bowl.
5. The Trevor Bonot rink capped a remarkable week in Yarmouth, N.S., capturing the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship. The foursome included lead Megan Carr, second Kory Carr and third Jackie McCormick.
6. It was a season to forget for hockey’s Lakehead Thunderwolves, who for the first time in 15 seasons since returning to the university ranks missed the OUA playoffs. A slow start bore most of the blame for the Wolves, who saw attendance dwindle. They're back in the playoff hunt in 2016-17.
7. The Thunder Bay Border Cats changed ownership, Brad Jorgenson handing over the reins to a Florida group headed by Kyle Smith and charter franchise owner John Wendel. Attendance was up under the guidance of new GM, Thunder Bay’s Dan Grant, though the team struggled out of the gate, dropping 15 straight to open the season.
8. It was a summer of movement for local NHLers, notably Eric Staal and Carter Hutton. Staal, the long-time captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, was dealt to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, then signed with the nearby Minnesota Wild as a free agent. Hutton left the Nashville Predators after two seasons to become the back-up in St. Louis. Former NHLer Tom Pyatt returned to the fold after two seasons in Europe, signing with the Ottawa Senators.
9. American Taylor Moore captured the third edition of the Staal Foundation Open, edging Canadians Corey Connors and Austin Connelly with an 18-under 270 at Whitewater Golf Club.
10. The Thunder Bay Chill were back in the Premier Development League playoffs, but were eliminated in one game, falling 3-0 to the host Michigan Bucks, who went on to win their third league title.
