Ice Hockey
Professional hockey existed in Saskatchewan during the 1920s. The Western Canada Hockey League was the prairie equivalent of the National Hockey League and began in the winter of 1921. Its champion played the winner of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association to determine who would represent the West in the Stanley Cup finals. Saskatchewan saw three franchises during this time. Initially, the Saskatoon Sheiks and Regina Capitals were among the founding franchises in the WCHL. However, that was short-lived as during the league's inaugural season in 1921–22, the Sheiks moved to Moose Jaw. However, the Moose Jaw Sheiks did not return for the 1922–23 season and were replaced by a new team in Saskatoon called the Crescents. The Saskatoon Crescents played under that name only for the 1922–23 season, reverting to the Sheiks for the 1923–24 season. The Regina Capitals moved to Portland after the 1924–25 season, leaving the Sheiks as the only Saskatchewan team in the league. The WCHL folded after the 1925–26 season leaving Saskatchewan devoid of professional hockey for nearly 30 years.
The Saskatoon Quakers were a professional hockey team in the Pacific Coast Hockey League. They were a senior amateur team prior to joining the PCHL in 1951. They captured the PCHL championship that initial season of 1951–52. The PCHL changed its name to the Western Hockey League in time for the 1952–53 season. The Quakers played in the WHL until they folded after the 1955–56 season, citing financial concerns. Saskatoon saw the WHL return for the 1958–59 season: a shared team called the Saskatoon/St. Paul Regals played that season. The team split its home games between Saskatoon and St. Paul, Minnesota. The experiment was short lived as the Regals folded after that season. The brothers Reg, Doug, and Max Bentley from Delisle were famous hockey players that played with the Saskatoon Quakers
Although no professional hockey team has operated in Saskatchewan since 1959, interest in bringing a major professional franchise to the province (most likely to Saskatoon) continues to persist. Proponents of such ventures have generally argued that even though at first glance a city like Saskatoon might seem far to small to sustain a National Hockey League club, a franchise could nevertheless be viable if supported by the entire province in a manner similar to the support enjoyed by the Roughriders.
The first serious plan to bring professional hockey back to Saskatchewan came in the latter half of the 1970s when Saskatoon native Bill Hunter, after selling the World Hockey Association's Edmonton Oilers, pursued the re-location of a struggling WHA franchise to Saskatoon in hopes of having it included in the eventual NHL-WHA merger. However, this effort came to nothing due to opposition from other WHA owners concerned that the inclusion of a Saskatoon franchise would upset the delicate merger negotiations with the NHL, as well as (perhaps on account of such uncertainty) Hunter's inability to get a commitment for a new facility to replace the small and aging Saskatoon Arena. Following the merger, Hunter made another attempt in 1983 when he purchased the bankrupt St. Louis Blues and formally applied for a franchise re-location to Saskatoon. Although this time Hunter would secure commitments for 18,000 season tickets and a new arena in downtown Saskatoon, the NHL blocked both the sale the re-location and an owner willing to keep the Blues in St. Louis was found.
Following the completion of Saskatchewan Place (now Credit Union Centre), an ownership group applied for a Saskatoon-based franchise to join the NHL as part of the league's early 1990s expansion. Although the bid was withdrawn prior to the NHL owners making their decision, the prospect that an NHL franchise might still come to Saskatchewan persisted after the league regularly included Saskatchewan Place as a venue for a series of neutral site games included as part of the league's expanded 84 game schedule starting with the 1992-93 NHL season. However, the league scrapped the neutral site games after reverting to an 82 game schedule following the 1994-95 NHL lockout, and serious interest in bringing an NHL team to Saskatchewan declined through the latter half of the 1990s and the 2000s after the re-locations of the original Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques to American cities appeared (at least at the time) to offer ample evidence that an NHL franchise in Saskatchewan could not be financially viable, especially while the Canadian dollar traded at a significant discount to the U.S. dollar.
However, a number of changed circumstances since then, including the introduction of a salary cap following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, a return of the exchange rate to parity, a relatively strong provincial economy and reports of a number of U.S. franchises struggling has led to speculation that Saskatchewan may again attempt to acquire an NHL franchise. The league has been scheduling exhibition games at Credit Union Centre with some regularity since the lockout. Following the NHL takeover of the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes, a Canadian-American ownership group called Ice Edge Holdings that was negotiating to purchase the Coyotes announced their intention to play a limited number of Coyotes home games at Credit Union Centre as part of an overall plan to keep the team based in Arizona. While it was speculated that this might have been part of a larger bid to prove the viability of Saskatoon as an NHL city, Ice Edge's negotiations with the NHL eventually fell through.
With the return of the Winnipeg Jets again leaving Saskatchewan the only Canadian province outside Atlantic Canada without an NHL franchise, interest in bringing an NHL team to Saskatchewan where it would serve as a natural rival to the Jets has been further renewed. In early 2012 Saskatoon mayor Don Atchison announced that On Ice Management Group Inc. had approached him with plans to place an NHL franchise in a renovated Credit Union Centre - it is not yet known if On Ice Management Group is related in any way to the former Ice Edge group. Shortly afterward, in an interview NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman included Saskatoon in a list of cities that had expressed recent interest in acquiring a franchise, although the commissioner did not indicate how serious he thought that interest might have been.
There have also been also been repeated efforts to bring minor league professional hockey back to Saskatoon, since Saskatoon's arena and market are undoubtedly large enough to support an American Hockey League franchise. The most recent serious attempt came in the midst the 2004-05 NHL lockout when the Edmonton Oilers proposed re-locating their AHL Roadrunners franchise to Credit Union Centre. The proposal fell through and the franchise eventually suspended operations. Earlier in the 1990s after the International Hockey League's Manitoba Moose replaced the original Jets in Winnipeg, an independent IHL franchise in Saskatoon to serve as a natural rival to the Moose was proposed but never realized. More recently, Saskatoon was briefly considered as a possible destination for the Moose upon the return of the Jets, however Jets/Moose owners True North Sports and Entertainment eventually chose St. John's, Newfoundland as the franchise's new home. A major obstacle to bringing a minor league professional hockey team to Saskatoon is the lease the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League have for Credit Union Centre. According to the Blades' owners, their current lease can be abrogated for an NHL franchise but not a minor league team.
Top-level amateur hockey in Saskatchewan comes in a few forms. The Saskatoon Blades, Swift Current Broncos, Prince Albert Raiders, Moose Jaw Warriors and Regina Pats play in the Major Junior Western Hockey League. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Cougars play in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association. Lastly, several Saskatchewan teams participate in the Junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
The University Cup is awarded annually to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's ice hockey champions, of which the University of Regina Cougars and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies are the Saskatchewan teams in this league. There are also women's University of Regina Cougars and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies teams which compete in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The University Cup tournament was held at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon for three seasons between 1998 and 2000. Prior to this, the University of Saskatchewan held a Christmas tournament, called Chill Out, which attracted teams from the rest of Canada, the NCAA and occasionally Europe.
Tier I, Junior A men's (Under 20) Saskatchewan teams comprise the East Division of the Eastern Conference of the Western Hockey League. Teams compete to achieve the Ed Chynoweth Cup within the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the winner moving on to compete for the Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup championship. The Memorial Cup has been captured by the Regina Pats four times. The Swift Current Broncos and Prince Albert Raiders have each won the championship once. The Saskatoon Blades have participated in the tournament once, losing in the final to the Broncos in 1989. The Moose Jaw Warriors have yet to compete in the Memorial Cup.
Internationally, the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF World U-20 Hockey Championship or World Junior Ice Hockey Championship give teams a chance to compete on the world-wide level to achieve gold status. The World Junior tournament was held in Saskatoon in 1991. It was at this tournament that Canada defeated the Soviet Union to capture the Gold Medal and also solidify the general public's interest in this tournament.
Saskatchewan's Tier II, Junior A men's teams compete in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. This league is a division of Canadian Junior A Hockey League. Currently, the SJHL consists of 12 teams from throughout the province, including one from Manitoba (the Flin Flon Bombers). The teams compete for the Credential Cup and the right to advance to the Anavet Cup against the Manitoba Junior Hockey League champion. If they win that series, they move on to the Canadian championship called the Royal Bank Cup. The Prince Albert Raiders have won the tournament three times, the Weyburn Red Wings twice and the Notre Dame Hounds and Humboldt Broncos once each.
At this level internationally, the IIHF has created a tournament known as the World Junior A Challenge. This tournament, created in 2006, was first held in Humboldt and Estevan. It featured teams from Europe and North America, including two teams from Canada.
The champions of the North Saskatchewan Junior B Hockey League and the Prairie Junior Hockey League compete to achieve the Saskatchewan Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship to see who goes on to play for the Keystone Cup, the Junior "B" ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. Whereas the Saskatchewan Junior C Hockey League is a Junior "C" ice hockey league.
The Telus Cup, or the Air Canada Cup and Wrigley Cup, is Canada's national midget hockey championship.
Saskatchewan Prairie Ice is a senior women's ice hockey team based out of Lumsden, Saskatchewan. Champions of the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL), are awarded the WWHL Champions cup. The Esso Women's Nationals's offers the Abby Hoffman Cup for the top competitors in the WWHL and the Canadian Women's Hockey League.
Read more about this topic: Sport In Saskatchewan, Team Sports
Famous quotes containing the word ice:
“He was high and mighty. But the kindest creature to his slaves—and the unfortunate results of his bad ways were not sold, had not to jump over ice blocks. They were kept in full view and provided for handsomely in his will. His wife and daughters in the might of their purity and innocence are supposed never to dream of what is as plain before their eyes as the sunlight, and they play their parts of unsuspecting angels to the letter.”
—Anonymous Antebellum Confederate Women. Previously quoted by Mary Boykin Chesnut in Mary Chesnut’s Civil War, edited by C. Vann Woodward (1981)