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 Regina Pats are a junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. The Pats are based out of Regina, Saskatchewan and Brandt Centre is their home arena. The Regina Pats are the oldest major junior hockey franchise in the world that have continuously operated from their original location and use the same name. They began operations in 1917. They were originally named the Regina Patricia Hockey Club, after Princess Patricia of Connaught, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and daughter of the Governor General. The team name was also associated with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, named for the same Princess, to the point that Pats sweaters still bear the regimental badge and "PPCLI" flash as a shoulder patch. In 2017 the club celebrated its 100th anniversary. Games are broadcast on 620 CKRM radio.
Michael John Keane is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Undrafted, Keane played over 1,100 games in the National Hockey League from 1988 until 2004. He then played five seasons for his hometown Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League until he retired in 2010. Keane is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, having won with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, Colorado Avalanche in 1996, and the Dallas Stars in 1999. He is one of only 11 players in NHL history to win the Cup with three or more different teams. On September 3, 2013, the Winnipeg Jets announced the hiring of Keane as Assistant of Player Development.
Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, author and motivational speaker. Fleury played for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. He was drafted by the Flames in the 8th round, 166th overall, at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, and played over 1,000 games in the NHL between 1989 and 2003.
The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Lyle Theodore Odelein is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for eight National Hockey League (NHL) teams in 16 seasons, and was the inaugural captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Kelly Michael Buchberger is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He played for several National Hockey League teams from 1986 to 2004. As a coach, he has been an assistant for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) and a head coach of the Tri City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Ryan Alexander Borden Smyth is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played most of his career for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was especially known for playing in the style of a power forward. He has been one of the owners of the BCHL Spruce Grove Saints since 2017.
The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a local-born professional wrestler, was a founding owner as well as the inspiration for the team's name. Established in 1994, the team has been owned by the Calgary Flames hockey club since 1997. They are the third WHL team to represent Calgary, preceded by the Centennials and Wranglers.
The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its home games at the Art Hauser Centre.
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 was owned by the Chynoweth family from 1995 until it was sold to Winnipeg-based company 50 Below Sports and Entertainment in 2017. The Ice moved to Winnipeg in 2019 where they played four seasons as the Winnipeg Ice. In 2023, the team was sold and relocated to Wenatchee, Washington, where they will be known as the Wenatchee Wild.
Timothy Robert Hunter is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, and most recently the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), having previously served as an assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), most recently for the Washington Capitals. Chosen in the 3rd round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Flames, Hunter went on to a 16-season playing career with the Calgary Flames, Quebec Nordiques, Vancouver Canucks, and San Jose Sharks.
The Edmonton Ice were a junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that played two seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1996 to 1998.
The Winnipeg Warriors were a junior ice hockey team that played in the Western Hockey League. They were founded as an expansion team in 1980, but suffered from attendance problems competing with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and ultimately moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1984, becoming the Moose Jaw Warriors. During their time in Winnipeg, the team played at Winnipeg Arena. Winnipeg's struggles at the gate were matched by the Warriors' futility on the ice, as the franchise qualified for the playoffs only once in their four years in Winnipeg: a three-game sweep at the hands of the Lethbridge Broncos in 1983. The Warriors 1983–84 record of 9–63–0 is the second-worst 72 game mark in league history. Only the Victoria Cougars' record of 5–65–2 in 1989–90 was worse.
This is a timeline of events throughout the five decade-plus history of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Graham Michael James is a former Canadian junior ice hockey coach who was convicted of sexually abusing players on his teams.
The Moose Jaw Canucks were a junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were one of the founding members of the original Western Canada Junior Hockey League (1948–1956), and in 1966 were founding members of a new Western Canada Junior Hockey League following a rebellion within the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The franchise evolved from the Moose Jaw Cubs in the early 1930s.
Kevin Smyth is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 58 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Hartford Whalers. He spent parts of three seasons with the Hartford Whalers between 1993 and 1996, playing 58 games for them. Though his big league career was fairly short, he was an explosive scorer in junior and a solid two way worker in the minors.
Joel Edmundson is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 46th overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. Edmundson has also previously played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals.
Matthew Savoie is a Canadian junior ice hockey centre for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).
