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The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. For the 2023–24 season, its three leagues and 60 teams represent nine Canadian provinces as well as four American states.
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 Del Wilson Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League's goaltender judged to be the best at his position. The award is named after Del Wilson for his many years of service to both the Regina Pats and the League. Wilson was an owner, Governor, and General Manager of the Pats and served 6 years as Chairman of the Board of the WHL. Wilson led the WHL into a partnership with Ontario and Quebec Major Junior Leagues.
The 2005–06 WHL season was the 40th season for the Western Hockey League. Twenty teams completed a 72-game schedule. The Vancouver Giants won the President's Cup.
The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour Ed Chynoweth's long service to junior hockey in Canada. The WHL champion earns a berth into the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada's junior hockey championship. The Kamloops Blazers have won the most WHL championships with six, followed by the Medicine Hat Tigers with five. The Spokane Chiefs were the first team to win the renamed trophy in the 2007–08 WHL season. The current (2022–23) holders of the Ed Chynoweth Cup are the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers. The 2007–08 season was the newest incarnation of the Oil Kings' inaugural season in the WHL. Some NHL alumni include Tomas Vincour, Mark Pysyk, Curtis Lazar, Keegan Lowe, Griffin Reinhart, Henrik Samuelsson, Laurent Brossoit, Tristan Jarry and David Musil. As the 2012 WHL champions, the Oil Kings played in the 2012 Memorial Cup, losing 6–1 against the eventual winning team, the Shawinigan Cataractes, in the playoff tie-breaker. The Oil Kings won the 2014 Memorial Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm in the final game.
The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. Under several names prior to 1958, the franchise was a member of the Pacific Coast Hockey League between 1944 and 1974. In their last season of existence, the Totems played in the Central Hockey League in the 1974–75 season. They played their home games in the Civic Ice Arena and later at the Seattle Center Coliseum. The Totems won three WHL Lester Patrick Cup championships in 1959, 1967 and 1968.
Shane Heyer is a retired National Hockey League (NHL) linesman. He officiated the 2010 Olympics, two World Cup of Hockey tournaments, one NHL All-Star Game, and six Stanley Cup Finals. His career started in the 1988–89 NHL season, and he wore uniform number 55.
Casey Pierro-Zabotel is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 80th overall, out of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Playing major junior with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he set franchise single-season records in 2008–09 with 79 assists and 115 points, en route to a Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's leading scorer.
The 2010–11 WHL season is the 45th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 24, 2010, and ended on March 20, 2011. The 2010 Subway Super Series, featuring Team WHL versus Team Russia, took place from November 17–18, 2010.
The 2011–12 WHL season is the 46th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began in September 2011 and ended in March 2012. The following playoffs began on March 22 and ended in early May when the Edmonton Oil Kings won their first championship. This was the inaugural season of the Victoria Royals, a team that relocated to Victoria from Chilliwack where they played as the Chilliwack Bruins between 2006 and 2011.
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team began play during the 2011–12 season after the League announced the relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria. It marked the return of the WHL to Vancouver Island, 17 years after the departure of the Victoria Cougars. The Royals are based in Victoria, British Columbia, and play their home games at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
The 2012–13 WHL season is the 47th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began in September 2012 and ended in March 2013. The playoffs began in late March 2013 following the regular season and ended in mid-May 2013, with the Portland Winterhawks winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup and a berth in the 2013 Memorial Cup hosted by the Saskatoon Blades.
Mike Cvik is a Canadian former National Hockey League linesman, who wore uniform number #88. At 6 foot, 9 Inches, Cvik was the same height as the NHL's tallest player, Zdeno Chára. He worked more than 1800 NHL games, including his highlights such as the gold medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the NHL All-Star Game and the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 2013–14 WHL season is the 48th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 19, 2013, and ended on March 16, 2014. The playoffs began on March 27, 2014, following the regular season and ended on May 12, 2014, with the Edmonton Oil Kings winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup and a berth in the 2014 Memorial Cup.
The 2014–15 WHL season is the 49th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 19, 2014, and ended on March 22, 2015.
The 2016–17 WHL season is the 51st season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 23, 2016, and ended on March 19, 2017.
The 2018–19 WHL season is the 53rd season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 21, 2018, and ended on March 17, 2019. The regular season was shortened from 72 games to 68 games; the league had a 72-game schedule since the 1975–76 season. The playoffs began on March 22, 2019, and ended on May 13; the winning team, the Prince Albert Raiders, were awarded the Ed Chynoweth Cup and a berth in the 2019 Memorial Cup, held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from May 17 to 26.
Chris Schlenker is a Canadian ice hockey referee, currently working in the National Hockey League. He has worn sweater number 3 since being promoted to the NHL before the start of the 2018-19 season; prior to the promotion, he wore 48.
The 2021–22 WHL season was the 56th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The league played a full 68-game regular season having begun on October 1 and ended on April 17.
References
- ↑ Watts, Jesse, ed. (2013). 2013–14 WHL Media Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 270.