| Winnipeg Rangers | |
|---|---|
| City | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| League | Manitoba Junior Hockey League |
| Operated | 1956-1967 |
| Franchise history | |
| 1956-1957 | Winnipeg Rangers |
| 1957-1958 | Brandon Rangers |
| 1958-1959 | Transcona Rangers |
| 1959-1967 | Winnipeg Rangers |
| 1967-2000 | St.Boniface Saints |
| 2000-2012 | Winnipeg Saints |
| 2012-Present | Virden Oil Capitals |
The Winnipeg Rangers were a Canadian junior hockey team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and the second team to use this name. This version of the Rangers won two Turnbull Cups (1961–62 and 1965–66).
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of eleven member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
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The team was founded in 1956, but after one season in Winnipeg, the Rangers moved to Brandon due to lack of ice availability. Soon after, the team moved to Transcona (now part of Winnipeg). In 1959, the name changed back to the Winnipeg Rangers.
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. Centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, it is near the longitudinal centre of North America, approximately 110 kilometres (70 mi) north of the Canada–United States border.
Brandon is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately 214 km (133 mi) west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and 120 km (75 mi) east of the Saskatchewan border. Brandon covers an area of 77.41 km2 and has a population of 48,859, while its census metropolitan area has a population of 58,003. It is the primary hub of trade and commerce for the Westman region as well as parts of southeastern Saskatchewan and northern North Dakota, an area with a combined population of over 180,000 people.
On March 18, 1966 at the Winnipeg Arena, the Rangers won the Turnbull Memorial Cup as MJHL champs.
Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located in the Polo Park district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The arena was the city's premier ice hockey venue from 1955 to 2004 and is best remembered as the home of the first Winnipeg Jets franchise, which played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1979 and the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1996. It was also home to junior and minor league teams such as the Manitoba Moose (1996–2004) and Winnipeg Warriors (1955–1961). The arena closed after the completion of the MTS Centre in November 2004 and was later demolished. A retail and commercial complex occupies the site today.
Notable Rangers players included Butch Goring, Chuck Lefley, Terry Ball, and Bryan Lefley.
Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring is a Canadian retired ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Islanders. Since retiring as a player he has served as head coach of both the Bruins and Islanders. He currently serves as the Islanders TV color commentator alongside Islanders play by play announcer Brendan Burke.
Charles Thomas Lefley is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward.
Terrance James Ball is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Ball played in the National Hockey League, the World Hockey Association, the Finnish SM-Liiga, and several minor leagues in a career that spanned from 1964 until 1979.
During the summer of 1967, a community-minded sports group purchased the Rangers from Ben Hatskin. The team was relocated to St. Boniface where they became the St. Boniface Saints. The franchise exists today as the Virden Oil Capitals.
Benjamin Hatskin was a Canadian businessman and the founder of the Winnipeg Jets.
The Virden Oil Capitals are a Canadian junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Virden, Manitoba. The Oil Capitals are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
