Builders - The NICHOLETTS FAMILY
Inducted in 2007

Tom, Sandy and their kids have been involved with Northwood since about 1992 when sons Mitch and Cody began playing. After a season or two of being a fan, Tom threw his hat in as a coach and has coached every year since then. In 1997 he took our Atom Selects to the final of the Elks Tom Thumb and won our first ever tournament, the inaugural Happy Time. In 1998 he made the leap to the Pee Wee ranks and was responsible for naming the team the Knights. The team was dominant for years, losing in the finals in 1999 but winning the Elks Central Canada Tournament. Finally in the 2003-04 season the Knights brought home his dream, a city championship. He has coached the Knights in 2004-05 and again in 2006-07.

Sandy's history with the league is harder to pin down but she has been on the executive for the last 7 years and is always there to pitch in. She was the driving force behind the entry into the OPP Christmas Parade and our Christmas and Halloween Parties. 

Cody and Mitch ended their playing careers with the Knights before moving on to bantam. They came back to serve as referees and have always been around to lend a hand. Tori played for 6 years and loves to watch the Knights play. They also recruited cousins, the Haglins, the Cavezzas, and recently Austin and Shannon Foresta. 

I'll miss this gang at the rink, miss the coffees they brought and the friendship that I have been shown for some 15 years. I'll miss the 'coaches corner' with Tom as we scouted players that we hoped would become Knights some day. I'll miss standing at his side on the bench. They have been an important part of the league for so long it is hard to imagine the NHL without a Nicholetts on a roster somewhere. - Ron Kresack

Builder - KEN SUTTON
Inducted in 2003

Ken began as most parents do, watching his son Derek play hockey. Like many parents, he found fault with the officiating and was told to 'do better'. Unlike most parents he decided to do just that and began his involvement as Referee In Chief. Two seasons later he was elected president as he had already been doing the bulk of the work of that position as well. He brought a strong hockey background to a recreational league that desperately needed leadership.

In 1993 a group tried to 'take over' the league but their plan fell through and the new president abandoned the league. The executive was very unorganized at this point. Ken had been left in limbo as the constitution(s) left a voting issue unresolved and the position of vice-president which he held was deemed invalid until a new constitution could be drafted. The league called on Ken to retake his office as president and he agreed to do so. He appointed 7 members of the league to draw up the constitution that we now use.

After another two years as president he became the past-president and headed up the development of a new officiating program utilizing our own graduating players, again as Referee In Chief. He spent a great deal of time at the Gardens watching our young crew and helped many of them develop to the point where they were being called to work AA games for other leagues. He held this position for three seasons and finally retired after the 2001-02 season. In all he spent more than 12 years fighting to make this league what it is today. 

Ken lives within walking distance of the Gardens and is still involved in the game. He coaches daughter Katie's team and enjoys watching daughter Lauren on the ice as well.

My years as president went smoothly because I always had Ken to call on. He was always there to bounce ideas off, to help make decisions or just to listen. This past season was the first where I did not have Ken at my side, I missed his help, his opinions and his friendship. -Ron Kresack

Team - 1997 ATOM SELECTS
Inducted in 2003

This team began in chaos. The coach selected to run the team was dismissed before the team was even up and running. Tom Nicholetts and Nick Shimkoff were asked to takeover the team and jumped at the chance. They kept the practices basic, focusing on a breakout scheme.

The Selects went 4-0 in the round robin of the 25th Annual Elk's Atom-Tom Thumb, totally destroying the oposition. We had never been asked for birth certificates before but after the opening game, an 11-0 win, we had to open the file on every player. The Current River coach was not too happy when everything checked out properly.

This group was one of the hardest working teams I have ever seen. The goalies faced almost no shots because of the tenacious backchecking and strong defence. 

The team made the finals of the Elks for the first time but lost in the final 7-3 to the LongLac Timber Wolves, a team with several future AAA players. In the Happy Time they picked up the first tournament win for the league. They helped put the league on the map. 



front row: Brad Mercier, AJ Kresack, Scott MacNeil, Paul Johnson, Adam Lang, Kyle Stewart, Garret Lehto, Chris Cavezza.
back row: Albert Tait, Michael Robinson, Gordon Fraser, Shawn Baker, Luke Cain, Tyler Losier-Banning, Katie Sutton, Richard Taylor, David Morrison.

missing: Coaches Tom Nicholetts, Nick Shimkoff

Player - BYRON ADVENT
Inducted in 2003

'Ping' had a scoring touch from the time he was 6. He just seemed to have the knack of winding his way through the opposition and finding the back of the net. 

He was on three Northwood Championship teams and one Best of the Rest, was a big part of the 1998 Northwood Selects that captured our first Elk's Tom Thumb Atom Championship and was also on the Pee Wee Knights that won our first Pee Wee tournament, the Elk's Central Canada. He took home 7 MVP awards, 3 scoring titles, rookie of the year and most improved. He has won two city championship since graduating from the league.

But there was more to Byron than scoring goals. When we had a team in need of a scorer, he agreed to move from his first place team to the last place team. It is always easy to make the trade from the weak team to the strong team, but few of these 'trades' ever happen because parents and players refuse to make this move. Byron and his parents, Murray and Bea, have always been strong supporters of the league and the values we try to uphold.

He was skilled but never bragged. At times he could score at will but knew when to hold back against weaker opposition. He always played with 100% effort but could find that extra 10% in a tough game.

Byron could have made the move to AA hockey but chose to remain with the league and the friends he had here. A Pee Wee championship eluded Byron by mere inches, he hit the cross bar on a breakaway with less than a minute to play in a 1-0 final game, earning him the nickname 'Ping'. He was a player that we wish there were more of. Hew played with style and his sportsmanship was always on display.

1993-94 V. B. Cook, Northwood Championship 
Awarded: Most Improved

1994-95 V. B. Cook, Best of The Rest
Awarded: Top Scorer - First Line, MVP - First Line 

1995-96 Beavers 
Awarded: MVP - Second Line

l996-l997 Dave Wilson Sports, Northwood Champions 
Awarded: Top Scorer, MVP - playoffs 

l997-98 Shoppers Drug Mart 
Awarded: MVP - Third Line

l998-99   Moose Lodge, Northwood Champions
Awarded: MVP - play-offs 

l998-99   Northwood Selects, Elks Tournament Championship, Happy Time Tour Champions 

l999-2000 Pee Wee Knights, Regular Season Champs
Awarded: Top Scorer, Rookie of the Year

2000-2001 Pee Wee Knights 
Awarded: Most Valuable Player, Top Scorer
Pee Wee stats (2 seasons), 80 goals, 41 assists, +114

Since leaving the Northwood league
2001-2002 V. P. Bearcats, City Championship, Regular Season Champs, Elk River Tournament Champions 

Awarded: MVP of all star game, Teams Most Improved Player 
                                           
2002-2003 V.P. Bearcats, City Champions, Emo Tournament Champions

Northwood Hockey League - Thunder Bay