The 1986–87 WHL season was the 21st season for 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 ...

. Fourteen teams completed a 72-game season. The

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divi ...

won the President's Cup before going on to also capture 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 ...

League notes

*The Lethbridge Broncos returned to

Swift Current, Saskatchewan Swift Current is the fifth largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 6.8% between 2011 and 2016, ending up at ...

, to become the Swift Current Broncos. *On December 30, 1986, the Swift Current Broncos bus crash caused the deaths of four members of the Swift Current Broncos:

Trent Kresse 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 ...

, Scott Kruger,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. The WHL would later rename its Most Valuable Player award the

Four Broncos Memorial Trophy 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 ...

in their honor. *On March 1, 1987,

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 * ...

player

Brad Hornung The Brad Hornung Trophy is awarded annually to the most sportsmanlike player of the Western Hockey League. First presented in 1967, it was later renamed in honour of former Regina Pats player Brad Hornung who was paralyzed during a game on March ...

was paralyzed during a game by a check. The WHL would later rename its Most Sportsmanlike Player award the Brad Hornung Trophy in his honor.

Regular season

Final standings

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes''

1987 WHL Playoffs

First round

*Medicine Hat earned a bye *Saskatoon earned a bye *Prince Albert defeated Swift Current 3 games to 1 *Moose Jaw defeated Regina 3 games to 0

Division semi-finals

*Medicine Hat defeated Moose Jaw 4 games to 2 *Saskatoon defeated Prince Albert 4 games to 0 *Kamloops defeated Victoria 5 games to 0 *Portland defeated Spokane 5 games to 0

Division finals

*Medicine Hat defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 3 *Portland defeated Kamloops 5 games to 3

WHL Championship

*Medicine Hat defeated Portland 4 games to 3

All-Star game

On January 20, the East Division defeated the West Division 4–3 at

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city population ...

with a crowd of 3,652.

WHL awards

*Note: For the 1986–87 season, the WHL handed out separate awards for the East and West Divisions.

All-Star Teams

References

whl.ca
* 2005–06 WHL Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:1986-87 Whl Season Western Hockey League seasons WHL WHL