The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. Many players have been drafted from WHL teams, and have found success at various levels of professional hockey, including the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Sutter family, originally from Viking, Alberta, Canada, are one of the most famous families in the National Hockey League (NHL). Six brothers: Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron, reached the NHL in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Four brothers, Brian, Duane, Darryl and Brent, have gone on to become coaches and general managers as well, with Brian, Darryl, and Brent each having a stint as head coach of the Calgary Flames. All brothers played for either the Chicago Blackhawks or the St. Louis Blues at one point or another. A seventh brother named Gary is said by his brothers to have been the best hockey player of all seven boys. Rather than making his living as a hockey player, Gary stayed home to work on the family farm, as Rich remarked on an episode of the Canadian sports show Off the Record.
Hockey Alberta is the governing body of all ice hockey in Alberta, Canada and is affiliated with Hockey Canada. It was founded in 1907 as the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) to be the governing body for Alberta intra-city ice hockey play. As of the 2018–19 hockey season, the Chair of the Board of Directors was Terry Engen, and the Chief Executive Officer for operations management was Rob Litwinski.
The Circle K Classic is an international ice hockey tournament held annually for U18 players in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. First held in 1978, the tournament features 25 male teams from across Canada, the United States and Europe.
The Prince Albert Mintos are a Canadian ice hockey team that plays in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL). Their home rink is the Art Hauser Centre . The Prince Albert Mintos won the Telus Cup and Western Canadian Regionals back to back years starting in the 2005–2006 season and 2006–2007 year. They won the Telus Cup and Western Canadian Regionals for the third time in 2013–2014 season.
The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada.
The St. Albert Saints were a junior ice hockey franchise based in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, for twenty-seven seasons from 1977 to 2004. Before 1977, the team played in nearby Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Mets, and in 2004 the team again moved to Spruce Grove where they now play as the Spruce Grove Saints. In all its incarnations, the team has been a part of the junior 'A' Alberta Junior Hockey League.
The history of ice hockey in Calgary extends back well over a century to the first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta in 1893. Imported from eastern Canada, the game's popularity rapidly grew in the city, with teams at every level playing for and capturing Canada's national championships. Calgary is known today as one of Canada's best ice hockey cities with the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen receiving immense support from the city. The Calgary Oval X-Treme is one of the most dominant women's ice hockey teams in the country, while Junior A ice hockey is also well supported with two teams in the city. Calgary is home to the Mac's AAA midget hockey tournament, one of the most prestigious midget hockey tournaments in the world which has seen dozens of future National Hockey League players play in this city before their professional careers began.
Todd Michael Harkins is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 48 National Hockey League games for the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers. Harkins was drafted by the Flames in the 2nd round, 42nd overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He has appeared in and consulted on hockey-related movies, and is now an amateur coach and professional scout.
The BC Elite Hockey League, or BCEHL, is the highest level of provincial youth ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada. Governed by BC Hockey and inaugurated in 2004 as BC Major Midget League.
Mark Alexander Terrance Pysyk is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and forward for the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League while under contract to the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pysyk was originally selected in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 teams did not finish the season after it was announced that they planned to join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season. The regular season league champions receive the Dave Duchak Trophy. The playoff champions receive the Inter Pipeline Cup. The winner of the AJHL playoffs continues on to play in the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines Canadian Junior A champion.
The 2012 Telus Cup was Canada's 34th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship played April 23–29, 2012 at Leduc, Alberta. The Red Deer Optimist Rebels completed an improbable comeback in the gold medal game, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period en route to 6-5 double overtime win over the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin. It was Red Deer's first gold medal after three previous silver medal finishes.
The 2007 Telus Cup was Canada's 29th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, played April 23–29, 2007 at Red Deer, Alberta. The Prince Albert Mintos went undefeated throughout the Telus Cup national tournament for the second consecutive year to defend their title, defeating the host Red Deer Optimist Rebels 3-2 in the gold medal game.
The 2004 National Midget Championship was Canada's 26th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, played April 18–25, 2004 at Kenora, Ontario. The Brandon Wheat Kings defeated the Riverains du Collège Charles-Lemoyne 2-1 in overtime to win their first and only national title. It also marked the first time that a Manitoba team was the national midget champion.
The 2013 Telus Cup was Canada's 35th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, held April 22 – 28, 2013 at the Essar Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The Red Deer Chiefs defeated the Ottawa Junior 67's in the gold medal game to win their second straight national title. The Rousseau Royal de Laval-Montréal won the bronze medal. This was Sault Ste. Marie's second time hosting the national championship – the 2003 Air Canada Cup was played at the old Sault Memorial Gardens.
The 1991 Air Canada Cup was Canada's 13th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, which was played April 23 – 28, 1991 at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary, Alberta.
The 2017 Telus Cup was Canada's 39th annual national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, contested April 24 – 30, 2017 at the CN Centre in Prince George, British Columbia. The Cape Breton West Islanders defeated the Blizzard du Séminaire Saint-François 5-4 in overtime to win the gold medal, becoming the first team from Atlantic Canada to win a national midget championship.
Austin Strand is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL). He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Canada