The Moose Jaw Canucks were a junior ice hockey team based in

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javian ...

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 Dak ...

, Canada. They were one of the founding members of the ''Western Canada Junior Hockey League'' (known today as 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 h ...

) in 1966 following a rebellion within the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The franchise evolved from the Moose Jaw Cubs in the early 1930s. The Canucks won the

Abbott Cup The Abbott Memorial Cup, commonly referred to as the Abbott Cup, was awarded annually from 1919 through 1999 to the Junior "A" ice hockey Champion for Western Canada. The Cup was named after Captain E.L. (Hick) Abbott who was a noted hockey p ...

in 1945 and 1947, making them the Junior "A" Champion for

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

and earning a playoff against the

George Richardson Memorial Trophy The George Richardson Memorial Trophy was presented annually from 1932 until 1971, by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. It represented the Eastern Canada junior hockey championship, and a berth in the Memorial Cup final versus the Abbot ...

winning Eastern Champion for the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

. The Canucks lost their Memorial Cup competition against the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in both years.

Franchise history

The Canucks played in the following leagues in their history: *Prior to 1936: Independent schedule *1936–1946: Southern Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League *1946–1948: Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League *1948–1955:

Western Canada Junior 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 h ...

*1958–1966: Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League *1966–1968:

*1968–1984: Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League In 1984, the Canucks folded to make room for the WHL's

Moose Jaw Warriors The Moose Jaw Warriors are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Moose Jaw Events Centre ...

when the franchise transferred from

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

. Another team, also known as the Moose Jaw Canucks played in the South Saskatchewan Junior B Hockey League (now known as the

Prairie Junior Hockey League The Prairie Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Saskatchewan, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. History Originally known as the South Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (1992–2006) the Prairie Junior Hockey League was ...

) from 1992–94. The Canucks legacy is survived by the Jr. C Canucks, who have played in the Saskatchewan Junior C Hockey League since 2006.

WCJHL history

In the summer of 1966, the Canucks were one of five SJHL clubs that left the provincial league to join franchises in Calgary and

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 ...

in the new Western Canada Junior Hockey League. The league was considered a "rebel league" by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and thus denied the right to compete for Canadian junior hockey's top prize, the

. In the WCJHL's inaugural season, the Canucks won the league championship despite finishing 4th in the overall standings. The following year, the Canucks would lose out in the league semi-finals after another 4th-place finish. Concerned about the WCJHL's poor reputation with the CAHA and hoping to once again compete for the Memorial Cup, the Canucks, along with the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

and

Weyburn Red Wings The Weyburn Red Wings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Weyburn, Saskatchewan playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games at the Crescent Point Place, which has a seating capacity of 1,750. ...

, would leave the WCJHL to return to the reborn SJHL. Following the reorganization of junior hockey in 1970, which saw the Western Canada Hockey League gain Tier-I status, the Canucks attempted to rejoin the WCHL but were denied. The Canucks would remain in the Tier-II SJHL until the arrival of the Warriors.

Season-by-season standings

Playoffs

*1969 ''Lost Semi-final'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-none'' *1970 ''Lost Semi-final'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-none'' *1971 ''Did Not Participate'' *1972 ''DNQ'' *1973 ''Lost Quarter-final'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-1'' *1974 ''Lost Quarter-final'' : Estevan Bruins defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-none'' *1975 ''DNQ'' *1976 ''DNQ'' *1977 ''Lost Quarter-final'' :

Melville Millionaires The Melville Millionaires are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey based in Melville, Saskatchewan. They are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games in the Horizon Credit Union Centre which has a seating ...

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-2'' *1978 ''Lost Final'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated

''4-games-to-1'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated

Regina Blues The Regina Blues were a Tier-II Junior "A" team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. History The "Pat Blues" were created in 1970 when the Regina Pats transferred from the SJHL to the Wester ...

''4-games-to-1'' :

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-1'' *1979 ''Lost Final'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated

''4-games-to-1'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated

''4-games-to-none'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-2'' *1980 ''Lost Final'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated

''4-games-to-1'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated Estevan Bruins ''4-games-to-2'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-2'' *1981 ''Lost Final'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated

''4-games-to-1'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated Estevan Bruins ''4-games-to-none'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-3'' *1982 ''Lost Quarter-final'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-2'' *1983 ''Lost Semi-final'' :Moose Jaw Canucks defeated Humboldt Broncos ''4-games-to-none'' :

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-3'' *1984 ''Lost Quarter-final'' :

Lloydminster Lancers The Lloydminster Bobcats are a Canadian junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). They play home games in the Lloydminster Centennial Civic Centre on the Saskatchewan side In the city's street system, "Avenues" run n ...

defeated Moose Jaw Canucks ''4-games-to-1''

Notable alumni

Chris Chelios Christos Kostas Chelios (born January 25, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was one of the longest tenured players in the National Hockey League, and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion—one with the Montreal ...

Willie Desjardins Wilbrod "Willie" Desjardins (born February 11, 1957) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and player. He is currently head coach and general manager of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers. He has also been the head coach of the NHL's Vancouver ...

Al Rollins Elwin Ira Rollins (October 9, 1926 – July 27, 1996) was a professional Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Playing career Before joining the NHL, Rollins playe ...

* Larry Popein *

Fred Sasakamoose Frederick Sasakamoose, (December 25, 1933November 24, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was one of the first Canadian Indigenous players in the National Hockey League, and the first First Nations player with treaty status ...

References

External links

whl.ca
{{Defunct Saskatchewan sports teams Defunct Western Hockey League teams Defunct Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League teams Defunct ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan Sport in Moose Jaw Sports clubs disestablished in 1984 1984 disestablishments in Saskatchewan