The Swift Current Broncos are a junior ice hockey team in the

Western Hockey League 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 ...

. Founded during 1967 in Swift Current,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

, the Broncos played seven seasons before relocating to Lethbridge from 1974 to 1986 as the Lethbridge Broncos. The Broncos then returned to Swift Current, and have played there since 1986, at the

Innovation Credit Union iPlex The Innovation Credit Union iPlex is a 2,879-seat multi-purpose arena in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. The arena was built in 1967 as a Canadian Centennial project and originally known as the Centennial Civic Centre. In 2007, Swift Cur ...

History

The Broncos started out as the Swift Current Broncos in Swift Current,

, but moved to Lethbridge in 1974. The team had been losing money in tiny Swift Current and the new

Lethbridge Sportsplex The ENMAX Centre (formerly Canada Games Sportsplex) is a 5,479-seat multi-purpose arena, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It features a full-size ice rink, and a walking track. An outdoor sports field, with capacity for 2,000 people, is no lon ...

was beckoning for a team. The Broncos played in Lethbridge for twelve seasons, winning the President's Cup in 1982–83. In the mid-1980s, the team came up for sale, and despite a large and loyal fanbase in Lethbridge, the Broncos were bought by local interests in Swift Current and moved back to their original home. After a year without WHL hockey in Lethbridge, the Calgary Wranglers moved to the city and became the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Broncos won its only Memorial Cup championship two years later at the 1989 Memorial Cup. In the

1993 Memorial Cup The 1993 Memorial Cup took place 15–23 May 1993, at the Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was the 75th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (C ...

, the Broncos were eliminated in a tie-breaker. Afterwards, head coach Graham James resigned to coach the

Calgary Hitmen 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 "The Hitman" H ...

, but three seasons later, allegations arose that he sexually abused former player Sheldon Kennedy during their days together with the Broncos. James was convicted of sexual offenses and sentenced to three years in prison. The Broncos play in the second smallest market in the Canadian Hockey League. The only market smaller than Swift Current is Bathurst, New Brunswick, home of the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

1986 team bus crash

On December 30, 1986, the Broncos' bus crashed on the way to a game in Regina. Four players: Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff (younger brother of Lindy Ruff) were killed. The team still wears a commemorative patch in remembrance of the four players. The rest of the team, led by future NHL star Joe Sakic, who recorded 60 goals, played out the season despite the loss. In a move to memorialise the fallen players, the WHL now awards the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy to the League's Player of the Year.

Season-by-season record

First Broncos (1967–74)

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''

Second Broncos (1986–present)

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''

WHL Championship history

* 1988–89: Win, 4–0 vs Portland *

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

: Win, 4–3 vs Portland * 2017–18: Win, 4–2 vs Everett

Current roster

Updated December 30, 2022.

Team records

NHL alumni

Retired numbers: The Swift Current Broncos have retired the jersey numbers of the four players who died in the aforementioned 1986 team bus accident. *8 Trent Kresse *9

Scott Krueger Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

*11

Brent Ruff The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year. The trophy is named in honour of four members of the Swift Current Broncos who were killed on December 30, 1986 in the Swift Current Broncos bu ...

*22

Chris Mantyka The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year. The trophy is named in honour of four members of the Swift Current Broncos who were killed on December 30, 1986 in the Swift Current Broncos b ...

Coaches

* Graham James 1986–87 to 1993–94 * Todd McLellan 1994–95 to 1999–2000 *

Brad McEwen Brad may refer to: * Brad (given name), a masculine given name Places * Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania * Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania * Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romani ...

2000–01 to 2002–03 * Randy Smith 2003–04 *

Dean Chynoweth Dean E. Chynoweth (born October 30, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins. Drafted 13th overall by the Islanders in the 1987 NH ...

2004–05 to 2008–09 * Mark Lamb 2009–10 to 2015–16 * Emanuel Viveiros 2016–17 to 2017–18 *Dean Brockman 2018–19 to 2021 *Devan Praught 2021–present

References

External links

Swift Current Broncos official website
{{Authority control Ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan Western Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1967 Swift Current 1967 establishments in Saskatchewan