It's unclear exactly when Alberta played its first official game but the Golden Bears were on the ice at least by the 1910–11 season when they were members of the Edmonton League, a local senior circuit. Sparse records have Alberta playing in the league until 1935. In 1919, Alberta arranged an exhibition series with Saskatchewan and then forced the first western intercollegiate conference the following season along with Manitoba. Travel expenses proved too costly at the time and Alberta withdrew after the inaugural season. Alberta would resume its series with Saskatchewan in the mid-20s on a part-time basis but it wasn't until 1936 that they made the competition an annual rivalry.
Alberta suspended its program for World War II, as did all Canadian colleges, and returned in force in 1946. The Golden Bears won every league championship from 1936 until 1950 and were so dominant that they were awarded the Halpenny Trophy, awarded to the league champion, on a permanent basis.[2] Alberta finally received some pushback from their counterparts in the 50s but remained the dominant force in the conference.
In 1963, the western league, which had existed as an isolated entity until that point, was one of four conferences to receive an invitation to send its champion to participate in the inaugural University Cup. Alberta won the league title the following year to attend the second tournament and swept through the competition to win the program's first national championship. Alberta appeared in five more tournaments during the competitions first ten years, however, troubles were brewing in their home conference. The Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association covered schools across a huge expanse from Hudson Bay to the Pacific Ocean. In 1972, in order to help reduce travel costs, the league was split in two with Alberta becoming a founding member of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association. The Golden Bears won the league title in seven of the first eight seasons and went on to capture four national titles over that span. During this time, head coach Clare Drake briefly left to take over the Edmonton Oilers but he returned after one season away and remained with the club until 1989.[3]
Even after Drake's retirement, Alberta continued to pile up the wins, capturing two national titles in the 90s, four in the 2000s and three in the 10s. The team has been able to compete in so many tournament thanks to being the preeminent power in Canada West from the start. Alberta has won 29 championships since 1973, more than all other schools combined, including 13 of 15 from 2001 to 2015. The result of which has been that the Golden Bears are the most successful program in U Sports, with 16 national championships and 44 tournament appearances, far more than the next best schools (as of 2024).[4]
Season-by-season results
The Golden Bears played against the Edmonton Oilers rookies in 2014.
Senior and collegiate play
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points
6 WCIAA Championships, 1 West Division Title, 30 Canada West Championships, 10 Mountain Division Titles
Conference Post-season
193
136
57
0
.705
2 WCIAA Championships, 28 Canada West Championships
U Sports Postseason
113
76
35
2
.681
44 National tournament appearances
Regular Season and Postseason Record
1825
1319
442
64
.740
16 National Championships
¿ Alberta forfeited 4 games during the season for use of ineligible player. This is their adjusted record at the end of the season. Totals include games since 1962–63. Note: Games not counted towards University Cup appearances are not included.[5]
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