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. 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 since the league became eligible to compete for the trophy. 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 Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington, south of Seattle. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. They play their games at home in accesso ShoWare Center. The general manager is Bill La Forge.
The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in their 16-season history. Their home rink was the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, an arena previously used by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Vancouver Canucks. Effective with the 2016–17 season, the team relocated to the Langley Events Centre in the Township of Langley, a suburb of Vancouver.
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They are members of the Western Hockey League, joining the league in the 1967–68 season. Prior to that they played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League except for two seasons in the mid-1960s when they played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The team was known as the Brandon Elks for a short time in the late 1930s. They won 8 Turnbull Cup Championships as Manitoba Junior Champions, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1960, 1962, 1963, & 1964 and appeared in the Memorial Cup six times: in 1949, 1979, 1995, 1996, 2010, and 2016, losing each time. The team plays its home games at the Keystone Centre. They also played at Wheat City Arena until 1969, and the Manex Arena from 1969 to 1972. Between 1973 and 1980, the Wheat Kings owned and operated a farm team in the MJHL, called the Travellers.
The Chilliwack Bruins were a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. The 2006–07 season marked the Bruins' inaugural season in the WHL. The team played at Prospera Centre, which was expanded to 5,386 seats for the arrival of the team. The Bruins were sold after the 2010–11 season and subsequently relocated to Victoria to become the Victoria Royals.
The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City Americans flagship radio station 870 AM KFLD, and each game can also be heard streaming live at KFLD's UStream Channel, as well as from time-to-time being telecast on Saturday nights on KVEW 42.2. The Tri-City Americans have also been featured in the television series "Z Nation" episode "Day One".
The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 in the Canadian Hockey League in attendance. The Chiefs won the Memorial Cup in 1991 and 2008. They also hosted the first-ever outdoor hockey game in WHL history, on January 15, 2011, at Avista Stadium versus the Kootenay Ice.
The Kootenay Ice were a major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team played its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise, previously owned by the Chynoweth family since 1995, transferred ownership on April 27, 2017, to Winnipeg-based company 50 Below Sports and Entertainment. led by entrepreneur Greg Fettes. In the 2019–20 season, the Ice will move to Winnipeg as the Winnipeg Ice.
The 1995–96 WHL season was the 30th season for the Western Hockey League (WHL). Seventeen teams completed a 72-game season. The Brandon Wheat Kings won the President's Cup.
This is a timeline of events throughout the 40-year history of the Western Hockey League
The 1985–86 WHL season was the 20th season for the Western Hockey League. Fourteen teams completed a 72-game season. The Kamloops Blazers won the President's Cup.
The 1982–83 WHL season was the 17th season for the Western Hockey League. Fourteen teams completed a 72-game season. The Lethbridge Broncos won the President's Cup while the host Portland Winter Hawks became the first American team to win the Memorial Cup.
The Spokane Flyers were a junior ice hockey team that played one and a half seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1980–1982. They played in Spokane, Washington, United States.
The Kelowna Spartans were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.
John Jeffrey Finley is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. In 708 career games in the National Hockey League, Finley scored 13 goals and 70 assists for 83 points.
The 2015 Memorial Cup was a four-team, round-robin format tournament that began on 22 May and ended on 31 May, 2015. It was the 97th Memorial Cup championship and determined the champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The tournament was hosted by the Quebec Remparts of Quebec City, Quebec, who won the right to host the tournament over a bid by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. They were joined by the WHL champion Kelowna Rockets, the OHL champion Oshawa Generals, and the QMJHL champion Rimouski Océanic.
The Adirondack Flames were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Glens Falls, New York, and played at the 4,794 seat Glens Falls Civic Center. They were the top affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL), and made their debut in the 2014–15 AHL season after relocating from Abbotsford, British Columbia, where the team was known as the Heat. Former Portland Pirates managing owner and CEO Brian Petrovek served as the team's president. For the 2015–16 season, the Adirondack Flames moved to Stockton, California, and became the Stockton Heat.
