LaSalle Vipers
The Border Cities League had decided to no longer incorporate American teams and was looking to change its name.
The Royals played their first ever game as members of the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League at home in St. Clair Beach Arena against the Blenheim Golden Blades on October 11, 1970.
[2] At the end of the 1970-71 season, the Royals finished in third place with a record of 23 wins, 13 losses, and 4 ties.
On February 23, at St. Clair Beach, the Glen Urquhart led the way for the Royals with three goals and two assists in a 14–1 romp of Tilbury.
[5] In their second season, the Royals relocated to the Riverside Arena[6] and finished in third place in the GLJHL (2nd amongst Junior B teams).
In the playoffs, the Royals drew the Blenheim Golden Blades in the semi-final and beat them 3-games-to-1 to again meet the Petrolia Jets in the final.
Game one in Riverside saw the Royals lose 7–2 to the Jets, despite starting future pro goaltender Tony Piroski (35 saves on the night).
In the 1973 league semi-final, the Royals faced the last place Sandwich West Thunderbirds of present-day LaSalle.
Back at the Windsor Arena, Vince Mullins scored a hat-trick, for the Royals, in game two to even the series with a 6–3 win.
The series remained unresolved, as the Flyers were required to carry on their playoffs by the OHA, while the Royals still waited on their next opponent.
[11] The Royals ended up playing the Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League Champion Sarnia Bees in the Sutherland Cup quarter-final.
In the summer of 1973, the Royals and their Tier II Junior A affiliate, the Windsor Spitfires, broke off their affiliation agreement over each other's wishes to apply for expansion into the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League - a deadline that was upcoming to make the move for the start of the 1974-75 season.
[13] A year later, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OHL as of 1980) granted expansion to the Spitfires.
Renaud, alumnus and captain of the Windsor Spitfires, died two days earlier after collapsing in his parents home in Tecumseh.
They then faced the Sugar Kings in a best-of-seven series to determine the champion, defeating them in 4 straight games to win their first ever provincial title.
This marks the third Greater Windsor Area location that the team has called home in 38 seasons.
On July 9, the ownership of the team held a press conference to unveil the LaSalle Vipers and their new logo.
After a bit of a rebuilding year in 2008–09 to readjust after moving, the LaSalle Vipers showed themselves to be one of the top teams in the GOJHL during the first half of 2009-10.
[18] On December 12, 2011, the Lasalle Vipers fired head coach John Nelson after a 13–15–2 8th-place start to the season.
The LaSalle Vipers hired former NHLer and Windsor Spitfires all-time leading scorer Bill Bowler to be their head coach and general manager.
They finished the season in second place and drew a first round matchup with the St. Thomas Stars, who they defeated in five games.
Rookie Devon Paliani led the team in playoff scoring with 11 goals and 15 points in nine games.
Also signed to an OHL contracts was defenceman Austin Hall, while Denomme joined the University of Windsor Lancers.
