Medicine Hat Tigers

Last updated

Medicine Hat Tigers
Medicine Hat Tigers Logo.svg
City Medicine Hat, Alberta
League Western Hockey League
ConferenceEastern
DivisionCentral
Founded1970
Home arena Co-op Place
ColoursOrange and Black
  
General manager Willie Desjardins [1]
Head coachWillie Desjardins
Website chl.ca/whl-tigers
Championships
Regular season titles2 (1985–86, 2005–06)
Playoff championships Ed Chynoweth Cup
5 (1973, 1987, 1988, 2004, 2007)
Memorial Cup
2 (1987, 1988)
Conference Championships
2 (2003–04, 2006–07)
Current uniform
WHL-Uniform-MHT.png
Travis Dunstall playing for the Tigers in 2007. DunstallMedicineHatTigers.jpg
Travis Dunstall playing for the Tigers in 2007.

The Medicine Hat Tigers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Established in 1970, the team has won the second most Ed Chynoweth Cups as league champion with five, and has gone on to win two Memorial Cup titles. The Tigers also have seven Division titles. Since 2015, the Tigers play at Co-op Place after forty-five seasons at the Medicine Hat Arena.

Contents

History

Medicine Hat was granted a team in the Western Canada Hockey League ahead of its fifth season, and the Tigers began play in 1970–71. [2] [3] Although the team struggled in its inaugural season, the Tigers rapidly improved, led by the scoring exploits of Tom Lysiak—who won league scoring titles in 1972 and 1973—Lanny McDonald. [4] [5] The team made the playoffs in its second season, and in its third made it to the championship final. In the final, they defeated the Saskatoon Blades to win their first title. [6] [7]

The Tigers' next significant run of success came in the latter half of the 1980s. In 1986, the team secured its first regular season title and advanced to its first of three consecutive league finals. Led by the likes of Trevor Linden, Wayne McBean, and Mark Pederson, the Tigers would capture back-to-back championships and Memorial Cup titles in 1987 and 1988. [8] [9] Because of their success, the championship Tigers' teams were inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. [10]

The Tigers won two more league titles in a four-year span between 2004 and 2007. In 2004, Medicine Hat put together the best record in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the final, where they swept the expansion Everett Silvertips. [11] In 2005–06, the Tigers secured their second regular season title, before losing the Conference Final against the Moose Jaw Warriors. The following season, they would return to the championship series, where they faced the Vancouver Giants. Backstopped by goaltender Matt Keetley, the Tigers defeated the Giants in double-overtime of game seven to win the title. [12] Because Vancouver was hosting the 2007 Memorial Cup, both teams advanced to the tournament. The Tigers again defeated the Giants in overtime during the preliminary round in order to advance directly to the final, which wound up being a re-match between the two rivals. [12] In the final, the host Giants avenged their earlier losses, defeating the Tigers 3–1 at Pacific Coliseum. [13]

Since their last title run in 2007, the Tigers have missed the playoffs only twice, but have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs, even despite securing division titles in 2016–17 and 2017–18. In 2015, the team moved from the old Arena to the new Co-op Place. [14] In 2024, Gavin McKenna became the fourth Tiger and the first since Neil Brady in 1986 to be named the winner of the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL rookie of the year. [15]

Season-by-season record

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

SeasonGP W L T OTLGF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
1970–71 6622431-271351455th WestDid not qualify
1971–72 6835303-351312734th WestLost in quarterfinal
1972–73 6839209-348254872nd WestWon Championship
1973–74 6829318-305314663rd WestLost in quarterfinal
1974–75 7040228-380291882nd WestLost in quarterfinal
1975–76 72382410-379306863rd WestLost in quarterfinal
1976–77 72322812-330304761st CentralLost in preliminary round
1977–78 7222419-293365533rd CentralLost in Central Division final
1978–79 7215507-270479374th CentralDid not qualify
1979–80 7237305-344315793rd EastLost in East Division final
1980–81 7240293-358302833rd EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1981–82 7225461-308446517th EastDid not qualify
1982–83 7237341-345338756th EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1983–84 7245261-404288912nd EastLost in East Division final
1984–85 7253172-3552241082nd EastLost in East Division final
1985–86 7254171-3842451091st EastLost in final
1986–87 7248195-3832641011st EastWon Championship and Memorial Cup
1987–88 7244226-353261942nd EastWon Championship and Memorial Cup
1988–89 7241274-359326863rd EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1989–90 7232382-298331665th EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1990–91 7240275-366296852nd EastLost in East Division final
1991–92 7248240-336264962nd EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1992–93 7229385-285343637th EastLost in East Division semifinal
1993–94 7233336-263264725th EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1994–95 7238322-244229785th EastLost in East Division quarterfinal
1995–96 7230375-243288653rd CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
1996–97 7239321-270278793rd CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
1997–98 7216506-188340385th CentralDid not qualify
1998–99 7215561-185323315th CentralDid not qualify
1999–00 72213966222295545th CentralDid not qualify
2000–01 72244053271316565th CentralDid not qualify
2001–02 72303642277316665th CentralDid not qualify
2002–03 72293427278314673rd CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2003–04 72402093277216921st CentralWon Championship
2004–05 72452142234143961st CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
SeasonGP W L OTL SOLGF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
2005–06 724716182571711031st CentralLost in Eastern Conference final
2006–07 725217302641751071st CentralWon Championship ; Lost Memorial Cup final
2007–08 72432252234191933rd CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2008–09 72362943249242792nd CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2009–10 72412335276232903rd CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2010–11 724618442651961002nd CentralLost in Eastern Conference final
2011–12 72422424255209903rd CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2012–13 72363321243244754th CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2013–14 72442431260196923rd CentralLost in Eastern Conference final
2014–15 72452322268213942nd CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2015–16 72303732223287655th CentralLost tiebreaker game vs Edmonton
2016–17 725120103502481031st CentralLost in Eastern Conference semifinal
2017–18 72362880260252801st CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2018–19 68352742217222764th CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2019–20 63411921265182852nd CentralCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 23148018769292nd CentralNo playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22 68115331154315266th CentralDid not qualify
2022–23 68302981248224694th CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2023-24 68372362280231822nd CentralLost Eastern Conference quarterfinal

WHL Championship history

WHL Championships

Memorial Cup finals

NHL alumni

Team records

Team records for a single season
StatisticTotalSeason
Most points109 1985–86
Most wins541985–86
Most goals for404 1983–84
Fewest goals for185 1998–99
Fewest goals against143 2004–05
Most goals against479 1978–79
Individual player records for a single season
StatisticPlayerTotalSeason
Most goals Don Murdoch 88 1975–76
Most assists Greg Carroll 1111975–76
Most pointsGreg Carroll1711975–76
Most points, rookieDon Murdoch141 1974–75
Most points, defenceman Cliff Lane 821975–76
Best GAA (goalie) Matt Keetley 1.662004–05
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

See also

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