Calgary Stampeders (ice hockey)

Last updated
Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders 1940-41.JPG
1940–41 Calgary Stampeders
Sport Ice hockey
Founded1938 (1938)
Folded1972 (1972)
League WIHL (1978–79)
PHL (1971–72)
ASHL (1938–42, 1968–71)
WHL (1952–63)
PCHL (1951–52)
WCSHL (1945–51)
Location Calgary, Alberta, Canada
ChairmanGordon Love (1963)
Affiliation(s) Chicago Black Hawks
Championships1
League titles2

The Calgary Stampeders were a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1938 until 1972, playing in various senior amateur and minor professional leagues during that time. In 1946, the Stampeders captured the Allan Cup as Canadian senior hockey champions, the first Alberta based club to do so.

Contents

A team of this same name also played the 1978–79 season in the Western International Hockey League.

History

Senior hockey

The 1945–46 Stampeders were a powerhouse in the Western Canada Senior Hockey League (WCSHL). Led by Ken "Red" Hunter's then senior-amateur record 81 points, the Stamps finished first overall in the WCSHL with a 28–7–1 record, earning a bye into the league championship where they quickly dispatched the Edmonton Flyers four games to one. [1] The Stamps then faced the Winnipeg Orioles for the Prairie championship. While Winnipeg's coach predicted his team would sweep Calgary in three games, it was instead the Stampeders who eliminated Winnipeg in three by scores of 5–1, 10–2 and 8–2. [2] In the Western Canada final, the Stampeders once again easily handled their opponents, this time, the Trail Smoke Eaters. After tying the first two games, Calgary won the next two by 7–3 and 4–2 scores to reach the Allan Cup final against the Hamilton Tigers. [2]

The series almost never happened, with the tournament scheduled to be held out west. The Hamilton players considered forgoing the Allan Cup final because the $6 per day they were offered for the trip was not enough to be able to take time off from their jobs. The Tigers did make the trip, but they were easily dispatched by the Calgary Stampeders in five games only winning the fifth game by a 1–0 score in Edmonton before a crowd of 6,000. [3]

In 1946–47, the Stampeders once again reached the Allan Cup final. They were defeated, however, by the Montreal Royals. The deciding game was held in Quebec City in front of over 11,000 spectators. [4]

As occurred frequently with senior hockey, growing concerns were surfacing regarding the status of players, as many teams were using former professionals in violation of the rules laid out by the Allan Cup committee. Many teams, including the Stampeders, were facing pressure to declare whether they were professional or amateur teams. [5]

Professional hockey

Before the start of the 1951–52 season, the Stampeders, along with their provincial cousins, the Edmonton Flyers, officially turned professional, joining the Pacific Coast Hockey League, which was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) by the 1952–53 season. The WHL was the top professional league in Western Canada and the United States. The Stampeders became the minor-league affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks. [6]

The Stampeders quickly found success in the minor-pro ranks, winning the WHL title in 1953–54, defeating the Vancouver Canucks four games to one. [7] The Stampeders then went on to face the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Hockey League in the Edinburgh Trophy for the championship of Canadian minor professional hockey. Calgary won the best-of-nine series in six games, with the clinching game held in Calgary, a 4–2 victory in front of 6,500 fans. [7]

The Stampeders would reach the WHL final three more times: in 1955, falling to the Flyers in a four-game sweep; [8] in 1958, when they fell to the Canucks; [9] and in 1959, falling to the Victoria Cougars. [10] During this time, The Stampeders were one of the top draws in the league. Including all playoff games, the 1953–54 Stampeders drew over 300,000 fans in a city of 150,000. [7] In 1955–56, Calgary drew 157,803 fans in the regular season, second only to the Winnipeg Warriors. [9]

In 1963, disenchanted with their affiliation with the Chicago Black Hawks, the Stampeders took a one-year leave of absence. Gordon Love, chairman of the Calgary Stampede Board, owners of the Stampeders, stated: "We have been treated so shabbily by Chicago, that we have no alternative... Tommy Ivan simply wasn't interested in the future of hockey in Calgary, and that's all there is to it." [11] The Stampeders had also lost $90,000 during the season. Isolated in what was now a mostly Pacific coast league, Edmonton suspended operations along with Calgary. Neither team would ever resume operations, as the Flyers decided they could not be financially stable in the old Edmonton Gardens, and Calgary could not go it alone without an Edmonton team. [11]

Revivals

The Calgary Stampeders name was revived for teams playing amateur senior hockey in later years: three seasons in the Alberta Senior Hockey League, one season in the Prairie Hockey League, and one season in the Western International Hockey League.

League membership

The Stampeders played in the following leagues:

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

SeasonLeagueGP W L T GF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
1938–39ASHL32621581113177th OverallOut of playoffs
1939–40ASHL———————
1940–41ASHL30171301199034
1941–42ABCSL3222641549748
1945–46WCSHL36287121995571st OverallWon league and Allan Cup
1946–47WCSHL402794187105581st OverallWon league
1947–48WCSHL4828191225191571st OverallLost final
1948–49WCSHL4823223220177493rd Overall
1949–50WCSHL5022235176163492nd OverallWon league
1950–51WCSHL6038211282202771st Overall
1951–52PCHL7024379278320577th Overall
1952–53WHL70312712254252743rd Overall
1953–54WHL7038257266206842nd OverallWon championship
1954–55WHL70292912262258704th OverallLost final
1955–56WHL7040300292242802nd Prairie
1956–57WHL7029374220230623rd Prairie
1957–58WHL7030355222223653rd PrairieLost final
1958–59WHL6442211263196851st PrairieLost final
1959–60WHL7032362245227665th Overall
1960–61WHL7044224300215921st Overall
1961–62WHL703629529227177T-2 NorthLost final
1962–63WHL7023452227284484th NorthOut of playoffs
1968–69ASHL———————
1969–70ASHL383080——60
1970–71ASHL482817322416359
1971–72PrHL2814131969129
1978–79WIHL251211211711226

NHL alumni

Partially as a result of their affiliation with the Black Hawks, 84 former Stampeders would also play in the National Hockey League. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Hockey League</span> Junior ice hockey league

The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises eleven teams from British Columbia and the American states of Washington and Oregon.

The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1975 to 1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami. The team was based in Philadelphia and Vancouver, known in both markets as the Blazers, before relocating to Calgary. The franchise folded in 1977.

The Western Hockey League (WHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league based in Western Canada that operated from 1952 to 1974. The league was managed for most of its history by Al Leader, and had roots in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League. The championship trophy of the WHL was the Lester Patrick Cup.

The Western Canada Senior Hockey League was a senior ice hockey league that played six seasons in Alberta and Saskatchewan, from 1945 to 1951. The league produced the 1946 Allan Cup and the 1948 Allan Cup champions, and merged into the Pacific Coast Hockey League for the 1951–52 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary Tigers</span> Canadian ice hockey team (1920–1927)

The Calgary Tigers, often nicknamed the Bengals, were an ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, from 1920 until 1927 as members of the Big-4 League, Western Canada Hockey League and Prairie Hockey League. The Tigers were revived in 1932, playing for a short-lived four years in the North Western Hockey League. They played their games at the Victoria Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)</span> Canadian junior ice hockey team

The Edmonton Oil Kings were a Canadian junior ice hockey team, and founding member of the Western Hockey League. They played at Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton, Alberta, and later Northlands Coliseum. In 1976, they moved to Portland, Oregon to become the Portland Winter Hawks. A second incarnation of the team played only one season in 1977–78 before moving to Great Falls, Montana.

The Battle of Alberta is a term applied to the intense rivalry between the Canadian cities of Calgary, the province's most populous city, and Edmonton, the capital of the province of Alberta. Most often it is used to describe sporting events between the two cities, although this is not exclusive as the rivalry predates organized sports in Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hockey Alberta</span>

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton Flyers</span> Professional ice hockey team in Edmonton, Alberta (1940–1963)

The Edmonton Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1940 until 1963, first as an amateur senior ice hockey team (1940–1951), and then as a professional minor league team. The Flyers played in the Edmonton Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Pickard</span> Canadian ice hockey administrator

Allan Wilfrid Pickard was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, who served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1947 to 1950. When Canada opted out of the 1947 Ice Hockey World Championships and decided not to participate in the 1948 Winter Olympics, Pickard felt that Canada was obliged to send a team due to its place as a top hockey nation, and nominated the Ottawa RCAF Flyers who won the gold medal for Canada and lived up to the requirements of the Olympic Oath as amateurs. Despite disagreement with the International Olympic Committee, he sought for the International Ice Hockey Federation to adopt the CAHA definition of amateur in the face of increasing difficulty in selecting the Canada men's national ice hockey team.

The Saskatoon Quakers were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The team played in various senior and minor professional hockey leagues from the 1930s to the 1970s. The Quakers represented Canada and won gold at the 1934 World Hockey Championships held in Milan, Italy. In 1952, they captured the President's Cup as Pacific Coast Hockey League champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OHA Senior A League (1890–1979)</span> Canadian senior ice hockey league (1890–1979)

The Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League was a top tier Canadian senior ice hockey league in Ontario from 1890 until 1979. The league was sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and its clubs competed for the Allan Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Allan Cup</span> Canadian senior ice hockey championship

The 1950 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) during the 1949–50 season. The event was hosted by the Calgary Stampeders and Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. The 1950 playoff marked the 42nd time that the Allan Cup has been awarded.

The Alberta Senior Hockey League or ASHL was a senior level ice hockey league that operated between 1936 and 1941 in Alberta, Canada. In 1941 the league ceased operations due to World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big-4 League</span> Senior ice hockey league

The Big-4 League was a top level senior ice hockey league that operated in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta for two seasons between 1919 and 1921. Created with the intention of competing for the Allan Cup senior-amateur championship, the league's existence was marred by accusations that its teams were secretly paying their players. The Big-4 lost its amateur status after its first season and operated as an independent league until further accusations of the use of ineligible players led to its collapse in 1921. Two of its teams, the Calgary Tigers and Edmonton Eskimos went on to form the professional Western Canada Hockey League.

The Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL) was a senior amateur ice hockey league that operated in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on-and-off from 1938 to 1971.

The Alberta Senior Hockey League was a Canadian senior ice hockey league which operated in Alberta from 1965 and 1978. The Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) consolidated its senior hockey leagues in 1965, resulting in one league for the province and folding the Central Alberta Hockey League. Several teams from the AAHA opted instead for inter-provincial play in the Western Canada Senior Hockey League, based in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Potter</span> Canadian ice hockey administrator

Arthur Thomas Potter was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He was president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1962 to 1964, and oversaw the establishment of a permanent Canada men's national ice hockey team after he decided that sending the reigning Allan Cup champion to international competitions was no longer the answer. He felt that Canada needed discipline to handle Cold War tactics and propaganda at the Ice Hockey World Championships, sought to give its best players to develop as a team, and supported a plan by Father David Bauer to assemble a team of amateur student athletes to complete at the 1964 Winter Olympics.

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Sandor 2005 , p. 53
  2. 1 2 Sandor 2005 , p. 55
  3. ↑ Sandor 2005 , p. 56
  4. ↑ Sandor 2005 , p. 57
  5. ↑ Sandor 2005 , p. 60
  6. ↑ Sandor 2005 , p. 65
  7. 1 2 3 Zeman 1986 , p. 62
  8. ↑ Zeman 1986 , p. 64
  9. 1 2 Zeman 1986 , p. 65
  10. ↑ Zeman 1986 , p. 66
  11. 1 2 Zeman 1986 , p. 68
  12. ↑ "Calgary Stampeders". legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 2008-04-03.

General

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.