Medicine Hat Tigers | |
---|---|
City | Medicine Hat, Alberta |
League | Western Hockey League |
Conference | Eastern |
Division | Central |
Founded | 1970 |
Home arena | Co-op Place |
Colours | Orange and Black |
General manager | Willie Desjardins [1] |
Head coach | Willie Desjardins |
Website | chl.ca/whl-tigers |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 2 (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) |
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.
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]
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. [7] Because of their success, the championship Tigers' teams were inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. [8]
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. [9] 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. [10] 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. [10] In the final, the host Giants avenged their earlier losses, defeating the Tigers 3–1 at Pacific Coliseum. [11]
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. [12] 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. [13]
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
1970–71 | 66 | 22 | 43 | 1 | - | 271 | 351 | 45 | 5th West | Out of playoffs |
1971–72 | 68 | 35 | 30 | 3 | - | 351 | 312 | 73 | 4th West | Lost in quarter-final |
1972–73 | 68 | 39 | 20 | 9 | - | 348 | 254 | 87 | 2nd West | Won Championship |
1973–74 | 68 | 29 | 31 | 8 | - | 305 | 314 | 66 | 3rd West | Lost in quarter-final |
1974–75 | 70 | 40 | 22 | 8 | - | 380 | 291 | 88 | 2nd West | Lost in quarter-final |
1975–76 | 72 | 38 | 24 | 10 | - | 379 | 306 | 86 | 3rd West | Lost in quarter-final |
1976–77 | 72 | 32 | 28 | 12 | - | 330 | 304 | 76 | 1st Central | Lost in preliminary round |
1977–78 | 72 | 22 | 41 | 9 | - | 293 | 365 | 53 | 3rd Central | Lost in Central Division final |
1978–79 | 72 | 15 | 50 | 7 | - | 270 | 479 | 37 | 4th Central | Out of playoffs |
1979–80 | 72 | 37 | 30 | 5 | - | 344 | 315 | 79 | 3rd East | Lost in East Division final |
1980–81 | 72 | 40 | 29 | 3 | - | 358 | 302 | 83 | 3rd East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1981–82 | 72 | 25 | 46 | 1 | - | 308 | 446 | 51 | 7th East | Out of playoffs |
1982–83 | 72 | 37 | 34 | 1 | - | 345 | 338 | 75 | 6th East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1983–84 | 72 | 45 | 26 | 1 | - | 404 | 288 | 91 | 2nd East | Lost in East Division final |
1984–85 | 72 | 53 | 17 | 2 | - | 355 | 224 | 108 | 2nd East | Lost in East Division final |
1985–86 | 72 | 54 | 17 | 1 | - | 384 | 245 | 109 | 1st East | Lost in final |
1986–87 | 72 | 48 | 19 | 5 | - | 383 | 264 | 101 | 1st East | Won Championship and Memorial Cup |
1987–88 | 72 | 44 | 22 | 6 | - | 353 | 261 | 94 | 2nd East | Won Championship and Memorial Cup |
1988–89 | 72 | 41 | 27 | 4 | - | 359 | 326 | 86 | 3rd East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1989–90 | 72 | 32 | 38 | 2 | - | 298 | 331 | 66 | 5th East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1990–91 | 72 | 40 | 27 | 5 | - | 366 | 296 | 85 | 2nd East | Lost in East Division final |
1991–92 | 72 | 48 | 24 | 0 | - | 336 | 264 | 96 | 2nd East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1992–93 | 72 | 29 | 38 | 5 | - | 285 | 343 | 63 | 7th East | Lost in East Division semi-final |
1993–94 | 72 | 33 | 33 | 6 | - | 263 | 264 | 72 | 5th East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1994–95 | 72 | 38 | 32 | 2 | - | 244 | 229 | 78 | 5th East | Lost in East Division quarter-final |
1995–96 | 72 | 30 | 37 | 5 | - | 243 | 288 | 65 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference quarter-final |
1996–97 | 72 | 39 | 32 | 1 | - | 270 | 278 | 79 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference quarter-final |
1997–98 | 72 | 16 | 50 | 6 | - | 188 | 340 | 38 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs |
1998–99 | 72 | 15 | 56 | 1 | - | 185 | 323 | 31 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs |
1999–00 | 72 | 21 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 222 | 295 | 54 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs |
2000–01 | 72 | 24 | 40 | 5 | 3 | 271 | 316 | 56 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs |
2001–02 | 72 | 30 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 277 | 316 | 66 | 5th Central | Out of playoffs |
2002–03 | 72 | 29 | 34 | 2 | 7 | 278 | 314 | 67 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2003–04 | 72 | 40 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 277 | 216 | 92 | 1st Central | Won Championship |
2004–05 | 72 | 45 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 234 | 143 | 96 | 1st Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
2005–06 | 72 | 47 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 257 | 171 | 103 | 1st Central | Lost in Eastern Conference final |
2006–07 | 72 | 52 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 264 | 175 | 107 | 1st Central | Won Championship ; Lost Memorial Cup final |
2007–08 | 72 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 234 | 191 | 93 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference quarter-final |
2008–09 | 72 | 36 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 249 | 242 | 79 | 2nd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2009–10 | 72 | 41 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 276 | 232 | 90 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2010–11 | 72 | 46 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 265 | 196 | 100 | 2nd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference final |
2011–12 | 72 | 42 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 255 | 209 | 90 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2012–13 | 72 | 36 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 243 | 244 | 75 | 4th Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2013–14 | 72 | 44 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 260 | 196 | 92 | 3rd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference final |
2014–15 | 72 | 45 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 268 | 213 | 94 | 2nd Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2015–16 | 72 | 30 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 223 | 287 | 65 | 5th Central | Lost tiebreaker game vs Edmonton Out of playoffs |
2016–17 | 72 | 51 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 350 | 248 | 103 | 1st Central | Lost in Eastern Conference semi-final |
2017–18 | 72 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 260 | 252 | 80 | 1st Central | Lost in Eastern Conference quarter-final |
2018–19 | 68 | 35 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 217 | 222 | 76 | 4th Central | Lost in Eastern Conference quarter-final |
2019–20 | 63 | 41 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 265 | 182 | 85 | 2nd Central | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
2020–21 | 23 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 69 | 29 | 2nd Central | No playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
2021-22 | 68 | 11 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 154 | 315 | 26 | 6th Central | Out of playoffs |
2022–23 | 68 | 30 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 248 | 224 | 69 | 4th Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final |
2023-24 | 68 | 37 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 280 | 231 | 82 | 2nd Central | Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final |
Updated May 10, 2024. [14]
Statistic | Total | Season |
---|---|---|
Most points | 109 | 1985–86 |
Most wins | 54 | 1985–86 |
Most goals for | 404 | 1983–84 |
Fewest goals for | 185 | 1998–99 |
Fewest goals against | 143 | 2004–05 |
Most goals against | 479 | 1978–79 |
Statistic | Player | Total | Season |
---|---|---|---|
Most goals | Don Murdoch | 88 | 1975–76 |
Most assists | Greg Carroll | 111 | 1975–76 |
Most points | Greg Carroll | 171 | 1975–76 |
Most points, rookie | Don Murdoch | 141 | 1974–75 |
Most points, defenceman | Cliff Lane | 82 | 1975–76 |
Best GAA (goalie) | Matt Keetley | 1.66 | 2004–05 |
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played |
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises eleven teams from British Columbia and the American states of Washington and Oregon.
Trevor John Linden is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former president of hockey operations and alternate governor of the Vancouver Canucks. He spent 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing centre and right wing with four teams: the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. Before joining the NHL in 1988, Linden helped the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) win consecutive Memorial Cup championships. In addition to appearing in two NHL All-Star Games, Linden was a member of the 1998 Canadian Olympic team and participated in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
The Everett Silvertips are an American major junior ice hockey team in the U.S. Division of the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Everett, Washington, and joined the WHL as an expansion team for the 2003–04 season. The team name comes from the silvertip bear. The team plays at Angel of the Winds Arena, a $71.5 million multipurpose complex built in 2003 that seats 8,300 for hockey. The team's mascot is Lincoln, a silvertip bear, named after the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln stationed at the time at Naval Station Everett. The Silvertips have developed rivalries with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks.
The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007. Their home rink was the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, an arena previously used by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Vancouver Canucks. Effective with the 2016–17 season, the team relocated to the Langley Events Centre in the Township of Langley, in the eastern part of Metro Vancouver.
The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1964, the Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966, and are the only club that has played every season in the league in its original location. Today, the team plays in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and hosts games at the SaskTel Centre. Despite five regular season titles and five appearances in the championship series, the Blades have never won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league playoff champions.
The Swift Current Broncos are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1967, the Broncos relocated to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1974, and were known as the Lethbridge Broncos, before returning to Swift Current in 1986. The team plays in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and hosts games at Innovation Credit Union iPlex. Swift Current is the smallest city with a team in the WHL, and the second smallest across the entire Canadian Hockey League. The Broncos are three-time WHL playoff champions, and won the 1989 Memorial Cup. Before any of their championships, the Broncos were known for a 1986 team bus crash that resulted in the deaths of four players.
The Prince Albert Raiders are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1971 as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Raiders have been members of the Western Hockey League since 1982; they play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Art Hauser Centre.
The Spokane Chiefs is a major junior ice hockey team based in Spokane, Washington that plays in the Western Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. As of 2010, Spokane ranked in the top 10 in the Canadian Hockey League in attendance. The Chiefs won the Memorial Cup in 1991 and 2008. They also hosted the first outdoor hockey game in WHL history on January 15, 2011, at Avista Stadium versus the Kootenay Ice.
The Sutter family, originally from Viking, Alberta, Canada, are one of the most famous families in the National Hockey League (NHL). Six brothers: Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron, reached the NHL in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Four brothers, Brian, Duane, Darryl and Brent, have gone on to become coaches and general managers as well, with Brian, Darryl, and Brent each having a stint as head coach of the Calgary Flames. All brothers played for either the Chicago Blackhawks or the St. Louis Blues at one point or another. A seventh brother named Gary is said by his brothers to have been the best hockey player of all seven boys. Rather than making his living as a hockey player, Gary stayed home to work on the family farm, as Rich remarked on an episode of the Canadian sports show Off the Record.
The 2006–07 WHL season was the 41st season for the Western Hockey League. Twenty-one teams completed a 72-game season. The Everett Silvertips won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy, after having the best record in the WHL during the regular season. The Medicine Hat Tigers won the President's Cup, defeating the Vancouver Giants in seven games. The Giants captured the 2007 Memorial Cup as tournament hosts, defeating the Tigers in the championship game.
The 2003–04 WHL season was the 38th season for the Western Hockey League. Twenty teams completed a 72-game season. The Medicine Hat Tigers won the President's Cup, while the host Kelowna Rockets won the Memorial Cup.
The 1972–73 WCHL season was the seventh season of the Western Canada Hockey League. Twelve teams completed a 68-game season, with the Medicine Hat Tigers winning the President's Cup.
This is a timeline of events throughout the five decade-plus history of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour Ed Chynoweth's long service to junior hockey in Canada. The WHL champion earns a berth into the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada's junior hockey championship. The Kamloops Blazers have won the most WHL championships with six, followed by the Medicine Hat Tigers with five. The Spokane Chiefs were the first team to win the renamed trophy in the 2007–08 WHL season. The current (2022–23) holders of the Ed Chynoweth Cup are the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Brett Festerling is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played under contract with the then Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). His twin brother Garrett also plays hockey in the DEL and is under contract with Grizzlys Wolfsburg.
Michal Řepík is a Czech professional ice hockey left winger. He is currently under contract with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Repik was selected by the Florida Panthers in the 2nd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
The 1973 Memorial Cup occurred May 7–12 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. It was the 55th annual Memorial Cup competition, organized by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) to determine the champion of major junior A ice hockey. Participating teams were the winners of the Ontario Hockey Association, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the Toronto Marlboros, Quebec Remparts and Medicine Hat Tigers. Toronto won their 6th Memorial Cup, defeating Quebec in the final game.
Wacey Rabbit is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and current assistant coach of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Matt Keetley is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in one game for Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2007–08 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 2007 to 2013, was spent in the minor leagues.
The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 17, 2009, and ended on March 14, 2010. The 2009 Subway Super Series, featuring Team WHL versus Team Russia, took place from November 25–26, 2009.