The Fort Frances Royals were a

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

club from Fort Frances,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. The Royals were members of the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

-eligible

Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League (TBJHL) was a Canadian junior ice hockey league that existed from c. 1920 to 1980. The TBJHL operated in Northwestern Ontario, primarily in the Thunder Bay region. The Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League wa ...

History

The Fort Frances Royals were founded in 1963 as members of the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

. After a season playing against all Manitoba opponents, the Royals elected to transfer to the

. They were the first team in decades to play in the TBJHL without existing within what would eventually become the City of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

. The Royals folded mid-season in 1969 after a terrible start to the season. Up to this point, the Royals were a force to reckon with in the TBJHL despite never winning a league title. In 1970-71, the Royals entered the 1971 Centennial Cup playdowns as an independent team. They were defeated 3-games-to-none by the

Thunder Bay Marrs The Port Arthur Marrs were a junior ice hockey team that played in Port Arthur, Ontario (now part of the city of Thunder Bay). They were named for trucking company and sponsor W.H. Marr, Ltd., and contested the 1967 Memorial Cup, which they lost ...

in the Northwestern Ontario final.

Season-by-season standings

Notable alumni

* Danny Johnsonbr>
Ice hockey teams in Ontario Sport in Northern Ontario Fort Frances Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada 1963 establishments in Ontario 1970 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1963 Sports clubs disestablished in 1970 Hockey Northwestern Ontario {{Ontario-icehockey-team-stub