The Western Canada Senior Hockey League was a

senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisdict ...

league that played six seasons in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, 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 t ...

, from 1945 to 1951. The league produced the

1946 Allan Cup The 1946 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1945–46 season. The Calgary Stampeders, champions of the Western Canada Senior Hockey League, faced off against the Ontario Hockey Association champion Hamilton Tigers. ...

and the

1948 Allan Cup The 1948 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1947–48 season. Final Best of 7 *Edmonton 6 Ottawa 2 *Ottawa 3 Edmonton 2 *Edmonton 7 Ottawa 0 *Edmonton 5 Ottawa 3 *Edmonton 5 Ottawa 3 Edmonton Flyers beat Ottawa ...

champions, and merged into the

Pacific Coast Hockey League The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The firs ...

for the 1951–52 season.

History

In April 1945,

W. G. Hardy William George Hardy (February 3, 1895 – August 28, 1979) was a Canadian professor, writer, and ice hockey administrator. He lectured on the Classics at the University of Alberta from 1922 to 1964, and served as president of the Canadian Aut ...

sought to organize a senior hockey league including teams from Alberta and

. The result was the Western Canada Senior Hockey League (WCSHL) which began in the 1945–46 season, with Hardy as a league governor. The first season had teams in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

and Regina. A fifth team was added in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

in the 1946–47 season. The league produced the

champion

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

, and the

champion

Edmonton Flyers The Edmonton Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1940 until 1963. The Flyers played in the Edmonton Gardens. The Flyers were nominated by W. G. Hardy to represent Canada at the ...

. Hardy had nominated the Flyers to represent Canada at the

1947 Ice Hockey World Championships The 14th Ice Hockey World Championships and 25th European Championship was the first after the Second World War. It was held from 15 to 23 February 1947 at Štvanice Stadium in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Eight teams participated, but the competition ...

, but the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

ultimately did not to send a team due to funding issues. D. P. McDonald of Calgary served as the league president from 1945 to 1950, until he was succeeded by

Al Pickard Allan Wilfrid Pickard (January 2, 1895April 7, 1975) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator, who served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from 1947 to 1950. When Canada opted out of the 1947 Ice Hockey World Champ ...

in September 1950. He expected the WCSHL to be part of the Major Series for senior hockey which was proposed as a new Canadian playoffs structure at a higher calibre of competition than the Allan Cup. The

Alexander Cup The Alexander Cup was the championship trophy for the Major Series of senior ice hockey in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1950 to 1954. The trophy was presented by its namesake, the Viscount Alexander as the 17th Governor General of ...

was established as the championship trophy of the Major Series, donated by Viscount Alexander, the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

at the time. The league established the

Dave Dryburgh Dave Dryburgh (November 20, 1908July 11, 1948) was a Scotland-born Canadian sports journalist. A native of Kirkcaldy and an immigrant to Regina, he reported on the soccer games in which he played for ''The Leader-Post''. As the newspaper's spo ...

Memorial Trophy in 1948, awarded to the top

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

during the regular season. The WCHSL wanted to expand to six teams for the 1951–52 season, and Pickard followed up on interest in Moose Jaw and Winnipeg. The CAHA required that all leagues in the Major Series post a $5,000 performance bond and guarantee its winner to participate in the national playoffs. The Regina Capitals submitted notice of financial issues and likelihood of folding. The remaining teams chose to become professional and the WCSHL merged into the

for the 1951–52 season.

Teams

(1945–51) *

Lethbridge Maple Leafs The Lethbridge Maple Leafs were, at times, a senior, intermediate, and junior ice hockey team that operated out of Lethbridge, Alberta. They are best known for winning the 1951 World Ice Hockey Championships. The Maple Leafs were a men's senior ic ...

(1946–49) * Regina Capitals (1945–51) * Saskatoon Elks (1945–47) *

Saskatoon Quakers The Saskatoon Quakers were an ice hockey team that was based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team played in various senior ice hockey leagues, and later played in minor league professional hockey. The Quakers represented Canada in 1934 Worl ...

(1947–51)

Champions

*1945–46 – Calgary Stampeders (

champion) *1946–47 – Calgary Stampeders *1947–48 – Edmonton Flyers (

champion) *1948–49 – Regina Capitals *1949–50 – Calgary Stampeders *1950–51 – Saskatoon Quakers

References

{{Reflist Ice hockey in Western Canada Defunct ice hockey leagues in Alberta Defunct ice hockey leagues in Saskatchewan Western Hockey League (1952–1974)