MOST local hockey aficionados are well aware that much of the success earned by the plethora of championship clubs the city boasted over the years, had the fingerprints of Gary Cook and Bill McDonald all over them.
One such team was the 1987-88 Thunder Bay Twins, who 35 years ago garnered Allan Cup laurels as Canadian senior title holders.
Put together by Cook, the squad’s general manager, and guided by McDonald, its head coach, you knew great things were a distinct possibility.
Competing in the Central Amateur Senior Hockey League, the Twins pretty much had control of the four-team loop from the onset, finishing first overall with a 28-6-2 record and ending up 19 points clear of the rival St. Boniface Mohawks, who ended up second.
Dousing the St. James Flames with a three-game semifinal sweep, next-up awaited a date with St. Boniface to see who would hoist the Pattison Cup as CASH League champions.
While the Mohawks did manage to win once, they were no match for Thunder Bay, who took the best-of-seven affair in five.
From there, the Twins began the Patton Cup western playdowns by taking on the Moose Jaw Generals.
Buoyed by a Tom Gibson hat trick, and a pair from Peter King, along with a 40-save effort by netminder Rod Sachs, Thunder Bay cracked Moose Jaw 7-3 at the Fort William Gardens in Game 1.
After the Generals regrouped and evened the series with a 6-3 triumph, the home side took control to take the next two contests by a pair of 7-3 scores to win the series 3-1.
The finale featured a three-goal outburst in 32 seconds, early in the middle frame, with Wally Presenger, Kerry Goulet and Don Porter all connecting to secure the result.
Moving on to meet the Bassano Hawks of Alberta in the Patton Cup, the two teams split the opening two contests.
It was all Thunder Bay from there though, beginning with a Sachs 6-0 shutout in Game 3.
They then saw the smooth-skating and highly-skilled Jamie McDonald notch a hat trick in a 6-1 Game 4 romp, that also saw Mark Backor tally twice and former NHLer Marc Chorney find the back of the net.
Finishing off Bassano, they clipped the Hawks 8-2 to claim the western crown and punch their ticket to the Allan Cup final against the Charlottetown Islanders.
Once again home ice proved pivotal as the Twins would host the event at the Gardens.
The East Coast Islanders came to the Lakehead for the best-of-seven affair following some controversy in the eastern final vs. the Dundas Real McCoys.
Dundas had looked to have taken a 3-1 series lead, but a Charlottetown protest that the McCoys had broke the rules by dressing only one goaltender in Game 4, resulted in a forfeit and evened things up at 2-2.
The Islanders then won the next two outings over a dismayed Dundas contingent to advance.
However, they would prove to be no match for the talent-laden Twins squad put together by Cook, that also featured a familiar physical brand of play, instilled by Bill McDonald and assistant coach Ralph Stewart behind the bench.
Following a 7-4 result in the opener, they saw King, Chorney and Porter all score twice in a 10-2 romp in Game 2.
After a 9-3 rout to take a commanding lead in the series, paced by a three-goal effort from Chorney, and two off the stick of Jamie McDonald, the Twins brought out the broom and completed the four-game sweep with a 7-1 win, much to the delight of the hometown faithful, who joined in on the celebrations of the fourth Allan Cup title for the team.
Jamie McDonald’s dazzling play on the ice earned him Most Valuable Player laurels.
While it’s been three and a half decades since that national title, the memories of yet another tremendous Thunder Bay team remain.
Members of that 1988 Allan Cup-winning Thunder Bay Twins side included: Rick Adduono; Mark Backor; Gerald Bolduc; Rory Cava; Marc Chorney; Gerry Cizmar; Andy Clark; Rob DeGagne; Keith Gibson; Tom Gibson; Kerry Goulet; Lynn Jorgenson; Cliff Judd; Jim Keyes; Peter King; Tony Kolic; Steve Letwin; Scott Masters; Jamie McDonald; Dave Menard; Laurie Nordstrom; Don Porter; Wally Presenger; Rod Sachs; Jim Sambray; Larry Wintoneak; Bill McDonald (head coach); Ralph Stewart (assistant coach); Gary Cook (general manager); Bill Campbell (trainer); Darrell Clarke; (assistant trainer); Wilf (Beaver) Gaune (trainer), Gary (Skinny) Linquist (Trainer); Bob Reid (Trainer).
Photo: Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.