a brief history of the Canning Mudhogs...
The original settlement in the area, known as Mudge Hollow, was founded in the year 1812. It was the home of the first woolen mill in Ontario (Upper Canada), the year 1831. The settlement changed to the village of Canning in 1842. Colonel Thomas Horner first came to Upper Canada in 1793, and visited the unsettled township of Blenheim. Disposing of his holdings in the U.S., he emigrated to Blenheim in 1795. That year he completed, on Lot 15 Concession 1, the first sawmill, and in 1802 the first grist mill, in what is now Oxford County. In 1800 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for the London District, and registrar for Oxford and Middlesex Counties. He served as an officer in the 1st Regiment Oxford Militia and became its colonel in 1822. Elected to the provincial legislature as Oxfords first member, Horner represented this riding in 1820-31 and 1832-34. Horner named the settlement after his hometown of Princeton, New Jersey. This is the history of the area.
The Mudhogs were formed in 1995 by a group of friends playing street hockey together in what I would like to call the village of dreams, Canning Ontario. With the wave of Inline Skating just coming into Canada, the teens figured they'd give it a shot, and the rest is history. And what a storied history it is. The first tournament that the team entered was an outdoor tournament held in London, Ontario. The group performed well there, well enough to take home second place. The finished allowed the team to qualify to participate in the provincial championship in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. The team traveled to Wasaga Beach for an exciting weekend of roller hockey, and although very young compared to most teams participating the team played some excellent hockey. However, the team did realize in Wasaga Beach just how good the competition was, and took home some valuable experiences that would help shape the team chemistry for the years to come. In 1996, the team entered a league in Brantford, Ontario, to hone their skills as a team with regular competition. The Mudhogs competed in this league for both 1996 and 1997, winning the league in 1996 and finishing as the runner up in 1997. Following the league play, the team decided that it was time to expand into more elite competition. In 1998 the team sent in their hard earned money, and headed to Toronto to play in the NHL Breakout Tournament in which they would be a regular participant for years to come. The Mudhogs played 2 of 3 games brilliantly, but were ousted from the final due to goals against. Another valuable lesson learned.