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Lethbridge Hurricanes
Lethbridge Hurricanes logo.svg
City Lethbridge, Alberta
League Western Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division Central
Founded 1967
Home arena VisitLethbridge.com Arena
Colours Red, navy, white
              
General manager Peter Anholt
Head coach Bill Peters
Championships Ed Chynoweth Cup
1 (1997)
Conference Championships
2 (1996–97, 2007–08)
Website
chl.ca/whl-hurricanes
Franchise history
1967–1973 Winnipeg Jets
1973–1976 Winnipeg Clubs
1976–1977 Winnipeg Monarchs
1977–1987 Calgary Wranglers
1987–present Lethbridge Hurricanes

The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a junior ice hockey team from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. They play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Their home games are held at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. The Hurricanes team started in 1987. They took the place of Lethbridge's first major junior team, the Broncos. The Broncos played in the city from 1974 to 1986. When the Broncos moved, Lethbridge welcomed the Calgary Wranglers team, which then became the Hurricanes.

Team History

The Lethbridge Broncos played at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena from 1974 until 1986. That team originally came from Swift Current. In 1986, the Broncos moved back to Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Local investors helped make the team owned by the community.

However, the league and the city of Lethbridge still wanted a team. Just one year later, the Calgary Wranglers moved to Lethbridge. They became the Hurricanes, also a community-owned team. The Broncos had kept their name from Swift Current. But the new team, the Hurricanes, got its name from a fan contest. The name "Hurricanes" refers to the strong Chinook winds common in the area.

Early Success and Big Wins

The Hurricanes had a great start in Lethbridge. They won their division two years in a row in their third and fourth seasons. They also reached the championship series both of those years.

Their best season was in 1996–97. That year, the Hurricanes won their first and only regular season title. They also won the playoff championship, called the Ed Chynoweth Cup. After winning the WHL, they went to the 1997 Memorial Cup tournament. This tournament brings together the best junior teams in Canada.

In one exciting game, they were losing 6–1 after two periods. But they made an amazing comeback to beat the Hull Olympiques 7–6 in overtime! The final game was a rematch against Hull. Hull won 5–1, making the Hurricanes the runners-up. After this great season, the Hurricanes didn't win a playoff series for ten years.

Then, in the 2007–08 season, the Hurricanes made it back to the playoff final. They lost to the Spokane Chiefs, who went on to win the Memorial Cup.

Challenging Times

The 2013–14 season was very tough for the team. They struggled on the ice and had problems with players and coaches. Some players were traded or left the team. An assistant coach also left.

The team set new low records that year. They scored the fewest goals in franchise history (171). They also allowed the most goals against them (358). They even lost two games by a combined score of 22–0. The team ended the season with a 15-game losing streak. They finished with only 12 wins and 29 points. This was the fewest wins and points in the team's 46-year history.

It was also found that the team was having money problems. They lost over $1.25 million in two years. They even had to borrow money to keep going. There were talks about the team being sold and moving to Winnipeg. But the community worked together to save the team. Shareholders voted to raise $2 million by selling special shares. This kept the team owned by the community.

Return to Stability

After the tough times, the team became stable again. They made it to the conference final two years in a row, in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, they played against Swift Current in the playoffs. The Broncos won that series in six games and went on to win the league title.

In 2023, the Hurricanes hired Bill Peters as their new coach. He had previously resigned from coaching another NHL team. The WHL commissioner, Ron Robison, supported the hiring. He said that Peters would take part in anti-racism education.

Team Look: Logos and Jerseys

The Hurricanes have changed their team look several times over the years. They have always used different shades of red, blue, and white. For some seasons, their logo featured a twister design inspired by the Tasmanian Devil.

Starting in 2004, they slowly made their logo simpler. But in 2013, they had an issue with the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals. The Capitals felt that the Hurricanes' logo and jerseys looked too much like theirs. So, the Hurricanes had to change their look. They started using their alternate logo as their main one. Around the same time, they also introduced a third jersey. This jersey featured a Hawker Hurricane airplane, which was a famous World War II plane.

Lethbridge Hurricanes (ice hockey team) text logo
Hurricanes logo from around 2009–2011.

Season-by-Season Records

This table shows how the Lethbridge Hurricanes have performed each season. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1987–88 72 20 48 4 — 257 357 44 7th East Did not qualify
1988–89 72 27 39 6 — 356 380 60 5th East Lost East Division semifinal
1989–90 72 51 17 4 — 465 270 106 1st East Lost Final
1990–91 72 45 21 6 — 373 281 96 1st East Lost Final
1991–92 72 39 31 2 — 350 284 80 4th East Lost in first round
1992–93 72 33 36 3 — 317 328 69 5th East Lost in first round
1993–94 72 35 32 5 — 306 317 75 3rd East Lost East Division semifinal
1994–95 72 22 48 2 — 263 341 46 8th East Did not qualify
1995–96 72 33 36 3 — 259 270 69 2nd Central Lost in first round
1996–97 72 47 22 3 — 342 248 97 1st Central Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup Final
1997–98 72 32 29 11 — 261 237 75 2nd Central Lost in first round
1998–99 72 31 32 9 — 224 215 71 3rd Central Lost in first round
1999–00 72 25 38 4 5 220 250 59 4th Central Did not qualify
2000–01 72 29 35 4 4 200 229 66 4th Central Lost in first round
2001–02 72 33 33 6 0 266 247 72 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2002–03 72 28 40 2 2 236 303 60 5th Central Did not qualify
2003–04 72 27 28 10 7 196 203 71 5th Central Did not qualify
2004–05 72 39 20 12 1 222 162 91 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
Season GP W L OTL SOL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
2005–06 72 27 36 3 6 195 250 63 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2006–07 72 33 34 2 3 254 265 71 5th Central Did not qualify
2007–08 72 45 21 2 4 245 175 96 2nd Central Lost Final
2008–09 72 35 32 3 2 227 228 75 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2009–10 72 20 44 5 3 178 275 48 5th Central Did not qualify
2010–11 72 23 36 5 8 205 295 59 5th Central Did not qualify
2011–12 72 29 42 0 1 225 292 59 6th Central Did not qualify
2012–13 72 28 34 3 7 212 253 66 6th Central Did not qualify
2013–14 72 12 55 2 3 171 358 29 6th Central Did not qualify
2014–15 72 20 44 5 3 202 304 48 6th Central Did not qualify
2015–16 72 46 24 1 1 304 218 94 1st Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2016–17 72 44 21 4 3 280 253 95 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference final
2017–18 72 33 33 6 0 244 260 72 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference final
2018–19 68 40 18 5 5 268 234 90 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2019–20 63 37 19 2 5 249 193 81 3rd Central Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 24 9 12 3 0 81 108 21 4th Central No playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 68 33 30 4 1 216 238 71 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2022–23 68 36 26 3 3 204 207 78 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2023–24 68 33 28 7 0 214 210 73 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal

Championship History

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have won several championships and titles:

  • Ed Chynoweth Cup: 1996–97 (This is the WHL playoff championship)
  • Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy: 1996–97 (This is for the best regular season record in the WHL)
  • Playoff Division/Conference titles (4): They won their division or conference playoffs in 1989–90, 1990–91, 1996–97, and 2007–08.
  • Regular season Division titles (4): They finished first in their division during the regular season in 1989–90, 1990–91, 1996–97, and 2015–16.

WHL Championship Games

Memorial Cup Finals

NHL Alumni

Many players who once played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here are some of them:

  • Calen Addison
  • Carter Bancks
  • Doug Barrault
  • Kyle Beach
  • Zach Boychuk
  • Travis Brigley
  • Dylan Cozens
  • Allan Egeland
  • Eric Godard
  • Mark Greig
  • Terry Hollinger
  • D. J. King
  • Dwight King
  • Rob Klinkhammer
  • Kirby Law
  • Ross Lupaschuk
  • Bryan Maxwell
  • Jason McBain
  • Jamie McLennan
  • Brantt Myhres
  • Chris Phillips
  • Domenic Pittis
  • Dale Purinton
  • Jamie Pushor
  • Byron Ritchie
  • Jason Ruff
  • Luca Sbisa
  • Bryce Salvador
  • Colton Sceviour
  • Brent Seabrook
  • Brandy Semchuk
  • Cam Severson
  • Stuart Skinner
  • Mark Smith
  • Lee Sorochan
  • Martin Spanhel
  • Nick Tarnasky
  • Wes Walz
  • Jason Widmer
  • Shane Willis
  • Matthew Yeats
  • Brad Zavisha
  • Kris Versteeg

Team Records

These tables show some of the best and worst records in the team's history.

Team records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most points 106 1989–90
Most wins 51 1989–90
Fewest points 29 2013–14
Fewest wins 12 2013–14
Most goals for 465 1989–90
Fewest goals for 171 2013–14
Fewest goals against 162 2004–05
Most goals against 380 1988–89
Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most goals Kevin St. Jacques 65 1991–92
Most assists Bryan Bosch 90 1989–90
Most points Corey Lyons 142 1989–90
Most points, rookie Corey Lyons 112 1988–89
Most points, defenceman Shane Peacock 102 1992–93
Best GAA (goalie) Aaron Sorochan 2.19 2004–05
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

Images for kids

See also

  • List of ice hockey teams in Alberta
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