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{{Multiple issues|
{{One source|date=August 2018}}
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{{Infobox Pro hockey team
| bg_color   = black 
| text_color = red 
| team       = South Muskoka Shield
| logo       = South Muskoka Shield.png
| logosize   = 160px
| city       = [[Gravenhurst, Ontario]], Canada
| league     = [[Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League]]
| division   = 
| founded    = 2006
| folded    = 2023
| arena      = Graeme Murray Arena
| colours    = Red, black, and white<br/>{{color box|red}} {{color box|black}} {{color box|white}}
| gm         = Troy Kahler
| coach      = Troy Kahler
| owner      = Troy Kahler & Erika Rendon-Kahler
| media      = [[TVCogeco]] <br/>[http://www.moosefm.com/cfbg/ 99.5 Moose FM] <br/>[http://www.gravenhurstbanner.com/ Gravenhurst Banner]
}}

The '''Muskoka Shield''' were a Canadian [[Junior ice hockey|junior]] [[ice hockey]] team based in [[Gravenhurst, Ontario]]. The Shield were members of the [[Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League]] (GMHL).

==History==
The Shield are a community-based team with a number of corporate sponsors helping the team to be a viable club. Originally playing in [[Gravenhurst, Ontario]], the Shield followed the Gravenhurst Indians and the Gravenhurst Cubs who played in the [[Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League]] from 1980 to 1987 and 1994 to 2000, respectively.
[[File:Muskoka Shield Goalie.jpg|left|thumbnail|250px|The South Muskoka Shield Goaltender in action (2006)]]
The Shield's first game was on September 9, 2006, against the [[Deseronto Thunder]] in [[Deseronto, Ontario]], and an 8–1 loss. The Shield's first goal was scored by Dustin Curran. Their first home game at the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre took place on September 15, 2006, against the eventual league, playoff, and Alliance Cup champion [[Bradford Rattlers]]. The result was a 10–1 blowout loss. The Shield's first win came on October 13, 2006, against the struggling [[Toronto Canada Moose]] by a score of 9–6.

On November 21, 2006, Shield left winger and captain Garrett Hamel was heavily injured in a head-on collision. He was flown to [[Sunnybrook Hospital]] in [[Toronto]] and required surgery to repair his broken [[Talus bone|talus]], [[knee cap]], [[femur]], [[radius]], [[pinky finger]], and a [[shattered pelvis]]. The next game, on November 22 against the [[Nipissing Alouettes]], was cancelled out of respect of the [[Hanmer, Ontario]], native. After extensive rehab, Garrett rejoined the team in November 2007. On January 11, 2008, Garrett returned to the ice against the [[Nipissing Alouettes]] and scored a goal in a 9–5 victory for the Shield.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bracebridgeexaminer.com/MuskokaNews/article/59613|title=Muskoka Region Breaking News - Muskoka Region's Online Newspaper - MuskokaRegion.com|website=MuskokaRegion.com|accessdate=14 August 2018}}</ref>

The Shield finished their inaugural season in dead last with a 4–34–0–4 record.  Seventh place out of seven teams, the Shield were forced to face the fourth-place [[Deseronto Thunder]] in the league quarter-final.  In game one, the Thunder blew out the Shield 7–1, but in game two the Shield took the Thunder to overtime but still lost 5–4.  Game three saw the Shield lead after the first period 3–1 and the second 5–3.  In the third, the Shield fell apart and the Thunder outscored them in the third 6–1.  The game was called early due to violence breaking out at the game with both the Shield bench and the crowd involved; final score 9–6 Thunder.  Game four was another overtime showdown, which the again Shield lost 5–4 in overtime, to complete the four-game sweep for the Deseronto Thunder.

On January 3, 2008, the Shield hosted the Moscow Selects All-star team in an exhibition game.  The Selects won the game by a score of 5–1.  This was the fifth game of seven that the Moscow team played against different GMHL clubs.

The 2007–08 season saw an improved South Muskoka Shield take the ice.  At times, the Shield were ranked among the top of the GMHL, but faltered slightly late in the season to drop to a record of 19 wins, 18 losses, and 5 losses in overtime.  The Shield had the best season-to-season record improvement of any of the seven clubs that also participated in the 2006–07 season.  The Shield elected to take a bye in the first round of the playoffs and found themselves in the quarter-finals with the defending champions [[Bradford Rattlers]].  The Shield, who managed to be one of the few teams to defeat the Rattlers over the course of the last two seasons, fought a tough series.  They kept each game rather tight, but ended up being eliminated 4-games-to-1.

On December 29, 2008, the South Muskoka Shield played an exhibition game against [[Kazakhstan]]'s [[Torpedo UST-Kamenogorsk]] Under-18 squad.  The Shield won the game 5–4 despite a late rally by the Torpedo.  The Shield finished the 2008–09 season with a record of 38 wins, 4 losses, and 1 overtime loss, to finish first in the league and win the John Klinck Award.

On April 2, 2011, the South Muskoka Shield lost the Russell Cup championship in game seven to the [[Elliot Lake Bobcats]], 8–5.

On September 20, 2013, in [[Rosseau, Ontario]], the Shield organization was awarded the 2013 Muskoka Community Award for its contributions to local community and for its work with and donations to the non-for-profit A Child's Voice Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://virtual.muskokamagazine.com/doc/muskoka-magazine/muskoka_awards_2013/2013092401/7.html |title=The Muskoka Awards 2013 - 0007 |access-date=2013-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005000155/http://virtual.muskokamagazine.com/doc/muskoka-magazine/muskoka_awards_2013/2013092401/7.html#6 |archive-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

For the 2018–19 season, the Shield management had been unhappy with the Gravenhurst officials pushing back their Friday evening start times to 8:30pm at Graeme Murray Arena in the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre. After slow communication with the city officials, the team decided to play its home games at Port Carling Arena in [[Port Carling, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.muskokaregion.com/community-story/8605013-miscommunication-between-town-and-the-shield-causes-teams-departure/ |title=Miscommunication between town and the Shield causes teams departure |website=MuskokaRegion.com |date=12 May 2018}}</ref> The team was replaced in Gravenhurst by the Muskoka Anglers of the [[Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.muskokaregion.com/community-story/8624048-new-hockey-team-seeks-council-approval-to-play-at-graeme-murray-arena/ |title=New hockey team seeks council approval to play at Graeme Murray Arena |website=MuskokaRegion.com |date=23 May 2018}}</ref> The Shield played one season in Port Carling before relocating to Bracebridge Memorial Arena in [[Bracebridge, Ontario]], for 2019–20.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gmhl.net/article.php?article_id=57386 |title=South Muskoka Shield to Call Bracebridge Home this Season |website=GMHL |date=18 June 2019}}</ref> In 2020, the Shield returned to Graeme Murray Arena in Gravenhurst.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gmhl.net/news/coming-home-shield-return-to-gravenhurst/57593 |title=Coming Home: Shield Return to Gravenhurst |website=GMHL |date=20 April 2020}}</ref>

Before the 2023–24 season, the club was suspended by the league management.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cooper |first1=Brent |title=League suspends Muskoka Shield junior hockey team for 2023/24 season|url=https://www.muskokaregion.com/news/league-suspends-muskoka-shield-junior-hockey-team-for-2023-24-season/article_025054c3-ea74-56a9-b99f-32f8185084e2.html  |publisher=Muskoka Region.com|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=The Death Pool – GMHL Kills Off South Muskoka Shield For 2023-2024 |url=https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/the-death-pool-gmhl-kills-off-south-muskoka-shield-for-2023-2024/  |publisher=The Junior Hockey News|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=No South Muskoka Shield Hockey For The 23/24 Season |url=https://muskoka411.com/no-south-muskoka-shield-hockey-for-the-23-24-season/amp/  |publisher=Muskoka 411|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>

==Season-by-season standings==
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Season !! GP !! W !! L !! T !! OTL !! GF !! GA !! Pts !! Regular season finish !! Playoffs
|-
|[[2006–07 GMHL season|2006–07]] || 42 || 4 || 34 ||—|| 4 || 110 || 299 || 12 || 7th GMHL ||<small>Lost quarter-finals, 0–4 ([[Deseronto Thunder|Thunder]])</small>
|-
|[[2007–08 GMHL season|2007–08]] || 42 || 19 || 18 ||—|| 5 || 207 || 207 || 43 || 7th GMHL ||<small>Lost quarter-finals, 1–4 ([[Bradford Rattlers|Rattlers]])</small>
|-
|[[2008–09 GMHL season|2008–09]] || 43 || 38 || 4 ||—|| 1 || 303 || 128 || 77 ||'''1st of 15, GMHL''' ||<small>Won Div. Quarter-finals, 3–0 ([[Brock Bucks|Bucks]])<br/>Won Div. Semi-finals, 3–0 ([[Nipissing Alouettes|Alouettes]])<br/>Won Div. Finals, 4–1 ([[Elliot Lake Bobcats|Bobcats]])<br/>'''Won League Finals, 4–2 ([[Deseronto Storm|Storm]])'''</small>
|-
|[[2009–10 GMHL season|2009–10]] || 42 || 35 || 5 ||—|| 2 || 228 || 121 || 72 || 2nd of 12, GMHL ||<small>Won quarter-finals, 3–0 ([[King Wild|Wild]])<br/>Won semi-finals, 4–1 ([[Bradford Rattlers|Rattlers]])<br/>Lost finals, 3–4 ([[Deseronto Storm|Storm]])</small>
|-
|[[2010–11 GMHL season|2010–11]] || 42 || 36 || 5 ||—|| 1 || 280 || 151 || 73 || 2nd of 13, GMHL ||<small>Won quarter-finals, 3–0 ([[Oro-Medonte 77's|77's]])<br/>Won semi-finals, 4–3 ([[Bradford Rattlers|Rattlers]])<br/>Lost finals, 3–4 ([[Elliot Lake Bobcats|Bobcats]])</small>
|-
|[[2011–12 GMHL season|2011–12]] || 42 || 29 || 9 ||—|| 4 || 255 || 126 || 62 || 4th of 13, GMHL ||<small>Won Bye Round, 3–0 ([[Algoma Avalanche|Avalanche]])<br/>Won quarter-finals, 3–1 ([[Elliot Lake Bobcats|Bobcats]])<br/>Lost semi-finals, 0–4 ([[Temiscaming Titans|Titans]])</small>
|-
|[[2012–13 GMHL season|2012–13]] || 42 || 27 || 13 || 0 || 2 || 219 || 168 || 56 || 4th of 15, GMHL ||<small>Won Div. Quarter-finals, 3–0 ([[Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks|Lumberjacks]])<br/>Lost div. semi-finals, 0–3 ([[Bracebridge Phantoms|Phantoms]])</small>
|-
|[[2013–14 GMHL season|2013–14]] || 42 || 33 || 6 ||—|| 3 || 324 || 152 || 69 || 3rd of 20, GMHL ||<small>Won Div. Quarter-finals, 3–0 ([[Parry Sound Islanders|Eagles]])<br/>Lost div. semi-finals, 2–3 ([[Temiscaming Titans|Titans]])</small>
|-
|[[2014–15 GMHL season|2014–15]] || 42 || 35 || 6 ||—|| 1 || 302 || 149 || 71 ||'''1st of 10, North Div.'''<br/>3rd of 22, GMHL ||<small>Won Div. Semi-finals, 3–0 ([[Knights of Meaford|Knights]])<br/>Lost Div. Finals, 1–3 ([[Seguin Huskies|Huskies]])</small>
|-
|[[2015–16 GMHL season|2015–16]] || 42 || 36 || 5 || 0 || 1 || 277 || 117 || 73 ||'''1st of 10, North Div.'''<br/>3rd of 30, GMHL ||<small>Won Div. Quarter-finals, 3–0 ([[Coldwater Falcons|Falcons]])<br/>Won Div. Semi-finals, 3–2 ([[Parry Sound Islanders|Islanders]])<br/>Lost Div. Finals, 2–4 ([[Almaguin Spartans|Spartans]])</small>
|-
|[[2016–17 GMHL season|2016–17]] || 42 || 26 || 10 || 0 || 6 || 248 || 142 || 58 || 3rd of 10, North Div.<br/>7th of 21, GMHL ||<small>Won Div. Quarter-finals, 3–2 ([[Almaguin Spartans|Spartans]])<br/>Lost div. semi-finals, 1–3 ([[Parry Sound Islanders|Islanders]])</small>
|-
|[[2017–18 GMHL season|2017–18]] || 42 || 14 || 24 || 0 || 4 || 143 || 173 || 32 || 8th of 9, North Div.<br/>15th of 21, GMHL ||<small>Won 8th Pl. Qualifying Game, 6–5 OT ([[Seguin Huskies|Huskies]])<br/>Lost div. quarter-finals, 0–2 ([[Almaguin Spartans|Spartans]])</small>
|-
|[[2018–19 GMHL season|2018–19]] || 42 || 14 || 25 || 0 || 3 || 145 || 213 || 31 || 9th of 10, North Div.<br/>19th of 22, GMHL ||<small>Won Qualifying Game, 4–3 OT ([[Ottawa Sharpshooters|Sharpshooters]])<br/>Lost 8th Pl. Qualifying game, 1–6 ([[Knights of Meaford|Knights]])</small>
|-
| 2019–20 || 42 || 13 || 26 || 0 || 3 || 144 || 238 || 29 || 9th of 10, North Div.<br/>20th of 23, GMHL ||<small>Won 9th Pl. Qualifying Game, 6–4 ([[Knights of Meaford|Knights]])<br/>Lost 8th Pl. Qualifying game, 3–7 ([[West Nipissing Lynx|Lynx]])</small>
|-
| 2020–21 || colspan="10" | Season lost to COVID-19 pandemic
|-
| 2021–22 || 39 || 9 || 26 || 0 || 2 || 144 || 238 || 20 || 9th of 10, North Div.<br/>17th of 19, GMHL ||<small>Won 9th Pl. Qualifying Game, 6–5 ([[Almaguin Spartans|Spartans]])<br/>Lost 8th Pl. Qualifying game, 4-6 ([[New Tecumseth Civics|Civics]])</small>
|-
| 2022–23 || 42 || 12 || 26 || 0 || 4 || 145 || 257 || 28 || 6th of 7, North Div.<br/>13th of 16, GMHL ||<small>Lost div. quarter-finals, 0-2 ([[Knights of Meaford|Knights]])</small>
|-
| 2023–24 || colspan="10" | Suspend by League
|}

==League award winners==
*Bob Bernstein Award
:''An annual award "to the player who accumulates the most points in the regular season"''
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Donny Danroth 2014
*Louis Ricci Award
:''An annual award "to the forward who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position"''
:*{{Flag icon|USA}} Travis Saltz 2009
:*{{Flag icon|LAT}} Nikita Jevpalovs 2011
*Tyler Fines Award
:''An annual award "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the GMHL"''
:*{{Flag icon|LAT}} Nikita Jevpalovs 2011
*Vincent Labranche Award
:''An annual award "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability"''
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Dylan Sontag 2009
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Dylan Sontag 2010
*Naz Marchese Award
:''An annual award "to the forward who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position of defensive forward"''
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Chad Meagher 2009
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Chad Meagher 2010
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Brandon Luksa 2014
*Mark Trost Award
:''An annual award "to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position"''
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Adam MacBeth 2010
*Ken Girard Award
:''An annual award "to the GMHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success"''
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Dallyn Telford 2010
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Frank Demasi 2015
*Al Donnan Award
:''An annual award "to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position"''
:*{{Flag icon|CAN}} Mark Wardell 2010
:*{{Flag icon|USA}} Rob Sutherland 2011

==Notable alumni==
*[[Nikita Jevpalovs]]
*[[Eric Fraser Pye]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.shieldhockey.com/ South Muskoka Shield Webpage]
{{Clear}}
{{GMHL}}

[[Category:2006 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:2023 disestablishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Ice hockey clubs established in 2006]]
[[Category:Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2023]]
[[Category:Defunct ice hockey teams in Ontario]]