The Hemphill Pontiac Western Capitals began in the Island Junior Hockey League. Summerside is in the Western end of the province, & sometimes referred to as 'The Western Capital', thus the reference to 'western' in the original team name. They hosted the 1989 Centennial Cup on behalf of the IJHL. This team was coached by former NHL coach, General Manager, & Team President of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Doug MacLean, a Summerside native.
The Capitals joined the Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MJAHL) in 1991. The league was renamed the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) in 2010.[1]
The 1996–97 Western Capitals won the league championship Callaghan Cup and went on to win the national championship 1997 Royal Bank Cup, becoming the first team from east of Ontario to do so.[2][3][4] The team was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and into the Maritime Sport Hall of Fame in 2022.[5][6][7]
In March 2007, the Western Capitals moved from their former home at Cahill Stadium to a new 3,250 seat arena at the Summerside Wellness Centre.[8][9] The venue was subsequently renamed Credit Union Place.[10]
Former logo of the team used from 2007–2013.
In the 2008–09 season, the Capitals finished first place in the Meek division, and later went on to defeat the Dieppe Commandos, and Miramichi Timberwolves in 4 game sweeps to advance to the league championship series, to take on the Truro Bearcats for the second time in 3 years. This time though, the Capitals defeated Truro in 5 games, and won their first league championship since 1997. The Capitals entered the Fred Page Cup tournament, and after going 2–1 in the round robin portion, they defeated the Pembroke Lumber Kings 4–1 in the semifinal to move to the final against the Dieppe Commandos. The Caps won the game 3–2 in double overtime to advance to the national championship 2009 Royal Bank Cup tournament in Victoria, British Columbia.[11] The Capitals travelled to the Pacific coast to Victoria, BC to participate in their 2nd tournament. Summerside had a 0–4 record heading into their final game against the defending RBC champions Humboldt Broncos. Summerside won the game 5–0, but were already eliminated from the tournament and finished 5th. The players were angry and upset about the outcome and engaged in roughing up one of the hotel employees at the team's hotel.[citation needed] Their behaviour resulted in the Capitals losing the right to host the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. Summerside got their chance to host the tournament in 2013.
In 2010, the Maritime Junior A Hockey League (MJAHL) was renamed the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL).[1]
From 2001 to 2013, the Capitals were owned by a private ownership group consisting of local individuals. In 2013, the Caps were sold to a new private local group.[12]
Head Coach, Billy McGuigan, was named winner of the Darcy Haugan/Mark Cross Memorial Award as CJHL Coach of the Year in 2019–20.[13][14]
The Summerside Western Capitals' first appearance at a national championship tournament was as the host and runner-up of the 1989 Centennial Cup.[15] The Capitals lost to the Thunder Bay Flyers of the USHL in the championship match.[15]
After winning the MHL league championship and regional championship Fred Page Cup, the 2008–09 Capitals advanced to the 2009 Royal Bank Cup in Victoria, British Columbia.[11] They were eliminated from competition after losing three out of four matches in the preliminary round-robin.[11]
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