The Hearst Elans were a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Junior

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 ...

team from

Hearst, Ontario Hearst is a town in the district of Cochrane, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Mattawishkwia River in Northern Ontario, approximately west of Kapuskasing, approximately east of Thunder Bay along Highway 11. At Hearst, Highway 583 extends ...

. They played in the

North of Superior Junior B Hockey League The North of Superior Junior B Hockey League (NSHL) is a defunct Junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The league used to be a part of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. History The North of Superior Jun ...

. In 1998 and 1999 they competed in the Western Canada Junior B Championships, the

Keystone Cup The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwe ...

, winning Bronze in 1998.

History

The Hearst Elans joined the

in 1997. In their first season, the Elans finished in first place and won the league's playoffs. They moved on to face the

Fort William Hurricanes The Westfort Hurricanes were a Canadian Junior ice hockey club from Fort William, Ontario. The Herks were members of the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League and were Abbott Cup finalists once. History In 1972, the Hurricanes broke away from the ...

for the

William Ryan Trophy The William Ryan Trophy is a Canadian ice hockey series to determine the Northwestern Ontario seed of the Keystone Cup - the Western Canada Junior "B" Hockey championship. Hockey Northwestern Ontario sanctioned league winners play-off for the trophy ...

as Northern Ontario Junior B Champions and were victorious. They moved on to the

, the Western Canadian Championship, in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. The Elans would win the Bronze Medal Game. In 1998-99, the Elans again finished first in the league, and again won their league's playoffs. Again, the Elans would defeat Fort William of the

Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League The Lakehead Junior Hockey League is a Canadian Junior ice hockey league in Northwestern Ontario, sanctioned by Hockey Northwestern Ontario and Hockey Canada. An earlier edition of this league existed in the 1970s. The Thunder Bay-based league h ...

for the William Ryan Trophy. They moved on to the Keystone Cup again in

Thunder Bay, Ontario 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 Elans dropped a 4-3 decision to the

Selkirk Fishermen The Selkirk Fishermen are a junior "B" ice hockey team based in Selkirk, Manitoba. They are members of the Capital Region Junior Hockey League (CRJHL). The franchise was founded in 1917. They are the longest running junior hockey team in Canada. ...

of the Manitoba Junior B Hockey League, lost 6-4 to the

Assiniboia Southern Rebels The Prairie Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Saskatchewan, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. History Originally known as the South Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (1992–2006) the Prairie Junior Hockey League was ...

of the

South Saskatchewan Junior B Hockey League The Prairie Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Saskatchewan, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. History Originally known as the South Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (1992–2006) the Prairie Junior Hockey League was ...

, lost a 5-4 game to Fort William, and an 8-4 loss to the Capital Junior Hockey League's Edmonton Royals, before finally beating the Campbell River Storm in their final game. They finished out of the medal round. The 1999 Keystone Cup would be the end of the Elans, as they did not return for the 1999-00 season.

Season-by-Season Results

External links

NOHA Website
Ice hockey teams in Ontario 1997 establishments in Ontario 1999 disestablishments in Ontario Ice hockey clubs established in 1997 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1999 Cochrane, Ontario {{Ontario-icehockey-team-stub