It has been nearly 100 years since Kenora Thistles won the Stanley Cup

News Release
Kenora Thistles Com.

On January 20th, 1907, seven young players from the little town of Kenora capped ten years of dogged pursuit by finally winning the holy grail of hockey, the Stanley Cup.
And on January 20 of 2007, one hundred years to the day since their team won the cup, the City of Kenora will celebrate the event with a challenge game between local Kenora Thistle old-timers and a team of hockey hall-of-fame legends representing the Montreal Wanderers.
Stanley Cup Winners
The Kenora Thistles won the Stanley Cup at a time when a holder of the Stanley Cup could be challenged by the winner of another senior league. Hockey was just emerging as a sport and at the turn of the twentieth century Montreal, Ottawa, and Winnipeg were the hotbeds of hockey.
The Kenora team competed in the Manitoba and Northwest Hockey Association league at that time and won the right to challenge for the Cup three times between 1900 and 1910. They challenged for the Cup as the Rat Portage Thistles in 1903 and 1905 and earned great respect as a speedy, sportsmanlike team, however they lost both times. By 1907 the town of Rat Portage had changed its name to the Town of Kenora and the team challenged again, this time as the Kenora Thistles.
They beat the Montreal Wanderers of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association in 2 straight games and became the only small town to win the Stanley Cup. Since 1894 teams from 9 Canadian, 12 American cities and one small town have won the cup.
(See www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cup for a complete list of winners)
Centennial Events
On January 20, 2007, one hundred years to the day since their team won the cup, the City of Kenora will celebrate the event with a challenge game between local Kenora Thistle old-timers and a team of hockey hall-of-fame legends representing the Montreal Wanderers.

Brian Trottier, a veteran National Hockey League player with no less than seven Stanley Cup championships, will head up the team and will bring ex-NHL hockey greats, Glen Anderson (6 Stanley Cups), Bob Bourne (4 Stanley Cups), Bill Smith (4 Stanley Cups), and other yet-to-be named ex-NHL skaters
The challenge game will be played at 3:00 pm on Sunday, January 21st, 2007 will be the primary feature of a weekend of centennial celebrations
Also planned are a showing of the Stanley Cup, a minor hockey showcase, a Sportsmen’s Dinner, and a museum display of Kenora Thistle memorabilia.