Lethbridge Hurricanes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lethbridge Hurricanes
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 Canadian junior ice hockey team. They are based in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Hurricanes play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference. Their home games are played at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

The 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 that team moved to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Lethbridge got a new team. The city acquired the Calgary Wranglers franchise, and that's how the Hurricanes began.

Team History and Achievements

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

However, neither the league nor the city wanted Lethbridge to be without a team. So, just one year later, the Calgary Wranglers moved to Lethbridge. They became the Hurricanes, also a community-owned team. The name "Hurricanes" was chosen through a fan contest. It refers to the strong local Chinook winds.

Early Success and Championship Win

The Hurricanes had success early on in Lethbridge. They won division titles in their third and fourth seasons. They also reached the championship series both of those years. The team's best season was in 1996–97. That year, the Hurricanes won their first regular season and playoff titles.

The Hurricanes went on to the 1997 Memorial Cup tournament. They made an amazing comeback in one game. They were losing 6–1 but won 7–6 in overtime against the Hull Olympiques. The final game was a rematch against Hull. Hull won 5–1, making the Hurricanes the runners-up. After that great season, the Hurricanes did not win a playoff series for ten years. Then, in the 2007–08 season, they returned to the playoff final. They lost to the Spokane Chiefs, who later won the Memorial Cup.

Challenging Times and Recovery

The 2013–14 season was very tough for the team. They struggled on the ice and faced problems among players and coaches. The team had a six-year period where they didn't make the playoffs. They scored a franchise-low 171 goals and allowed 358 goals. They also lost two games by a combined score of 22–0. This included a 10–0 loss and a 12–0 loss. The team ended that season with a 15-game losing streak. They finished with only 12 wins and 29 points. These were record lows for the franchise.

The team also faced money problems. They lost over $1.25 million in two years. They had to borrow money to keep going. There were talks about selling the team and moving it to Winnipeg. However, the team's owners voted to raise $2 million by selling special shares. This kept the team owned by the community.

After these challenges, the team became stable again. They made it to the conference final in both 2017 and 2018. In 2018, they played against Swift Current. The Broncos won the 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 resigned from another team in 2019 after some serious allegations. The WHL commissioner, Ron Robison, supported the hiring. He said that Peters would take part in anti-racism education.

Team Look: Logos and Jerseys

Hurricanes logo from around 2009–2011.

The Hurricanes have changed their team designs over the years. They have always kept variations of red, blue, and white colors. For several seasons, their logo was a twister inspired by the Tasmanian Devil.

From 2004, they started to make their logo simpler. In 2013, they had an issue with the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals. The Capitals felt that the Hurricanes' logo and jerseys were too similar to theirs. The Hurricanes had to change their look. They then started using their alternate logo full-time. Around the same time, they introduced a third jersey design. It featured a Hawker Hurricane World War II airplane.

Championship History

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have won several 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)
• Playoff Division/Conference titles (4): 1989–90, 1990–91, 1996–97, 2007–08
• Regular season Division titles (4): 1989–90, 1990–91, 1996–97, 2015–16

WHL Championship Games

The Hurricanes have played in the WHL Championship finals multiple times:

• 1989–90: Lost 1–4 to Kamloops Blazers
• 1990–91: Lost 0–4 to Spokane Chiefs
• 1996–97: Won 4–0 against Seattle Thunderbirds
• 2007–08: Lost 0–4 to Spokane Chiefs

Memorial Cup Finals

The Memorial Cup is a big tournament for junior hockey teams in Canada.

• 1997: Lost 1–5 to Hull Olympiques

Players Who Made It to the NHL

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

Team Records

Here are some of the best and worst records for the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a single season:

Here are some individual player records for a single season:

Images for kids

• 

  Playoff action against the Calgary Hitmen at the Saddledome.

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta