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 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league includes teams in the provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The current president of the QMJHL is Gilles Courteau.
The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009 the Thunder played in the Britt Brown Arena located in the northern Wichita suburb of Park City. In January 2010, the team began playing its home games at the newly built Intrust Bank Arena.
Robert David Smith is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Smith is majority owner of the Halifax Mooseheads junior hockey team. He played for the Minnesota North Stars and Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). Smith was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The Verdun Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 1984 to 1989. They played home games at the Verdun Auditorium, and won the President's Cup during the 1984–85 QMJHL season.
The 1991 Memorial Cup occurred May 11–19 at the Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec. It was the 73rd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Participating teams were the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens and runner-up Drummondville Voltigeurs, as well as the winners of the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Spokane Chiefs. The original host team, the Beauport Harfangs, dropped out after losing in the QMJHL playoffs. Spokane, led by the high-scoring duo of Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney, dominated the tournament and won their first Memorial Cup, defeating Drummondville 5-1 in the final game.
The 1987 Memorial Cup occurred May 9–15 at the Oshawa Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, Ontario. It was the 69th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Oshawa earned the right to host by winning a "Super Series" between themselves and the champions of the Emms Division, the North Bay Centennials. Given that Oshawa defeated North Bay in the OHL finals as well, only three teams participated that year. Participating teams were the Ontario Hockey League champion and host Oshawa Generals, as well as the winners of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the Longueuil Chevaliers and Medicine Hat Tigers. Medicine Hat won their first Memorial Cup, defeating Oshawa in the final game.
The 1986 Memorial Cup occurred May 10–17 at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. It was the 68th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Hosting rights were originally awarded to the Queen's Park Arena and the New Westminster Bruins, but staging the tournament alongside Expo '86 in Vancouver proved logistically impossible and so the tournament was moved to Portland for the second time in three years. Participating teams were the host team Portland Winter Hawks, as well as the winners of the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League which were the Kamloops Blazers, Guelph Platers and Hull Olympiques. The Platers won their first Memorial Cup, and the city's second Memorial Cup, defeating Hull in the final game.
The 1985 Memorial Cup took place on May 11–18 at the Shawinigan Municipal Auditorium in Shawinigan, Quebec and at Centre Civique in Drummondville, Quebec. It was the 67th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The tournament was originally only to be played in Shawinigan, but support columns in the seats of the ancient Auditorium made televising the games impossible and the tournament was moved to Drummondville after the second game. Participating teams were the host team Shawinigan Cataractes, as well as the winners of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the Verdun Junior Canadiens, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Prince Albert Raiders. Prince Albert won their first Memorial Cup, defeating Shawinigan in the final game.
The 1999–2000 QMJHL season was the 31st season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league grants the Montreal Rocket an expansion franchise, returning a team to the most populous city in Quebec. The QMJHL splits into four divisions, retaining the names Lebel and Dilio for its conferences. The Lebel conference is split into the West and Central divisions, and the Dilio Conference is split into the East and Maritime divisions.
The 1972–73 QMJHL season was the fourth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The summer of 1972 saw the departure of the Saint-Jérôme Alouettes and the Verdun Maple Leafs from the league, reducing the circuit to eight teams. In an off-season lawsuit between the QMJHL and the OHA, the QMJHL gained a team, when the Montreal Junior Canadiens transferred leagues.
The 1973–74 QMJHL season was the fifth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. East and west divisions resumed with the addition of two new teams, the Hull Festivals and Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Eleven teams played 70 games each in the schedule, up from the 64 games the previous season.
The 1977–78 QMJHL season was the ninth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league inaugurates two awards, the Robert Lebel Trophy for the team with best goals against average, and the Guy Lafleur Trophy for the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. Ten teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Trois-Rivières Draveurs finished first overall in the regular season winning the Jean Rougeau Trophy, and won the President's Cup defeating the Montreal Juniors in the finals.
The 1983–84 QMJHL season was the 15th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Eleven teams played 70 games each in the regular season.
The 1984–85 QMJHL season was the 16th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league experimented for season, awarding one point for an overtime loss. Points for an overtime loss would not be awarded again until the 1999–2000 QMJHL season.
The 1985–86 QMJHL season was the 17th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league loses one of its charter members in the offseason, when the Quebec Remparts suspend operations. The remaining ten teams played 72 games each in the schedule. Gilles Courteau became president of the QMJHL on February 13, 1986.
The 1986–87 QMJHL season was the 18th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Ten teams played 70 games each in the schedule. The two last place teams from previous season both won their divisions. The Granby Bisons finished first overall in the regular season, winning their first Jean Rougeau Trophy since relocating from Sorel, Quebec. The Longueuil Chevaliers won their first President's Cup, defeating the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the finals.
The 1987–88 QMJHL season was the 19th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Ten teams played 70 games each in the schedule. Patrice Lefebvre of the Shawinigan Cataractes becomes the last player in Canadian Hockey League history to record a 200-point season. The Hull Olympiques finished first overall in the regular season, winning their second Jean Rougeau Trophy, and won their second President's Cup, defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the finals.
The Trio Grande was a line of professional ice hockey forwards who played together for the New York Islanders from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The line consisted of Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier at center, Clark Gillies at left wing and Mike Bossy at right wing.
The 2011–12 QMJHL season was the 43rd season of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The regular season, which consisted of 17 teams playing 68 games each, began in September 2011 and ended in March 2012. This season was Blainville-Boisbriand Armada's first season in the league, as the team relocated to Boisbriand from Verdun where they played as the Montreal Junior Hockey Club from 2008 to 2011. The league lost one of his charter teams when the Lewiston Maineiacs folded during after the previous season, the QMJHL later announce an expansion team to Sherbrooke for the 2012–13 season. In the playoffs, the Saint John Sea Dogs became the seventh team in league history to capture consecutive President's Cup championships.