Soo Indians to return in 2008-2009?

Soo Indians in play against the North Bay Skyhawks last season. Could the 2006-2007 champs make a return to the NOJHL this fall? Photo by Chris Dawson.

BY RANDY RUSSON
RR Media Service

More than 30 years ago, circa 1975, Paul Theriault started his coaching career behind the bench of the Michigan Soo Indians of the International Jr. Hockey League.

Now a venerable coach who has had subsequent stops in the Ontario Hockey League (Soo Greyhounds, Oshawa Generals and Erie Otters), the National Hockey League (Buffalo Sabres) and gigs that have taken him to Germany, Italy and Japan, Theriault hopes to again be where it all started for him.

Across the International Bridge as the coach of a Michigan Soo junior hockey team.

The 57-year old Theriault is spearheading a bid to return a Michigan Soo franchise to the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League for the '08-09 season. The Michigan Soo Indians won the NOJHL title in '06-07 with Kevin Cain as coach but the franchise was revoked from erstwhile owner Charles Perdicaro last summer and mothballed for the '07-08 campaign.

Enter Theriault, who has been busy this winter trying to gather the financial backing to revive the franchise for the '08-09 NOJHL season.

"We've got an out of state investor with ties to the (Michigan Soo) community in place as well as commitments from local investors," said Theriault.

But the Canadian Soo native, who has maintained a Michigan Soo area residence with his wife Janice for more than 30 years, said he wants to have more investors on board.

"We are trying to avoid what happened with previous ownerships," said Theriault, referring to when Perdicaro, who resides in East Rockway, N.Y., owned the Indians and when the franchise, known as the Northern Michigan Black Bears, was controlled by partners from outside the Upper Peninsula.

"We don't want this to be a one-or-two-year thing. We want to re-establish a junior hockey franchise (in the Michigan Soo) for the long term."


Theriault, who said he is "very confident" of a Michigan Soo return to the NOJHL for '08-09, said the team would play its home games downtown at historic Pullar Stadium. Both the former Indians and Black Bears played their games at Big Bear Arena on the outskirts of town.

"We need to draw from the downtown area and the Pullar, with its location and rich history, is the place for us to be," Theriault emphasized.

The ancient Pullar will be undergoing renovations over the next while after getting approval from Michigan Soo's City Commission last week.

Theriault, who plans on coaching the revived Michigan Soo entry should it be a part of the NOJHL in '08-09, said he only wants student-athletes on the team, preferably from the area,

"It will be a criteria for all of our players to be post-secondary school students at either Lake Superior State University, Algoma University or Sault College," Theriault added. "We don't want high school-aged players...we don't want to disrupt the area high school hockey programs."

Theriault, who has had discussions with NOJHL commissioner Mark Seidel about a return of the Michigan Soo for '08-09, said he hopes to meet with league governors "sooner than later." Should the NOJHL grant the return at its Annual General Meeting in June, the franchise would also need the approval of USA Hockey in order to play in the Northern League.

It's not a given that if a Michigan Soo franchise returns to the NOJHL that it would be called the Indians though, according to Theriault.

"It's a different generation, maybe it's time for a name change, I don't know. We'll let the community decide that," said Theriault.

Al Jones, general manager and part owner of the Soo Thunderbirds, is ferevently hoping for the return of a crossriver Michigan Soo franchise.

"From our standpoint, it would not only cut down on our travel but re-establish the longstanding Twin Soo rivalry," said Jones.

And Abitibi Eskimos' president Scott Marshall noted that: "We're certainly hopeful that Paul Theriault can pull this off. We're looking to expand and we'd like to get back into Michigan."

But Seidel, the NOJHL's first-year commissioner, was a bit cautious about the possible return of the Michigan Soo.

"We are most hopeful that Mr. Theriault can put everything together for an expansion team for the '08-09 season," said Seidel, "but there are still some challenges out there with regard to USA Hockey. We do look forward to working with Paul to get these hurdles overcome."

Seidel added that if all goes well, Gaylord, Mich. would also be part of NOJHL expansion for the '08-09 season. Gaylord is about 100 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie on Interstate 75.