Manitoba Moose facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Manitoba Moose is a professional ice hockey team from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They play in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's home games are at Canada Life Centre, which is also the home of their main team, the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The team started in 1994 as the Minnesota Moose. Back then, they played in the International Hockey League (IHL). The Moose played in Winnipeg for fifteen seasons. Five of those were in the IHL (1996–2001) and ten in the AHL (2001–2011). After that, the team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, for four seasons (2011–2015). There, they were called the St. John's IceCaps. The team came back to Winnipeg before the 2015–16 season.

Quick facts for kids Manitoba Moose

City	Winnipeg, Manitoba
League	American Hockey League
Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	1994 (In the IHL)
Home arena	Canada Life Centre
Colours	Polar Night blue, aviator blue, silver, white
Owner(s)	True North Sports & Entertainment
General manager	Craig Heisinger
Head coach	Mark Morrison
Captain	Vacant
Media	TSN 680 CJOB AHLTV (Internet)
Affiliates	Winnipeg Jets (NHL) Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Franchise history
1994–1996	Minnesota Moose
1996–2011	Manitoba Moose
2011–2015	St. John's IceCaps
2015–present	Manitoba Moose
Championships
Regular season titles	1 (2008–09)
Division Championships	2 (2006–07), (2008–09)
Conference Championships	1 (2008–09)

The Story of the Manitoba Moose

Early Days: Playing in the IHL (1996–2001)

In 1996, the first Winnipeg Jets team moved to Phoenix. A group of local business people, including Mark Chipman, bought the Minnesota Moose from the IHL. They moved the team to Winnipeg. This helped keep professional hockey in the city. The team also got a new home at the Winnipeg Arena.

The first season in Winnipeg was tough. Jean Perron, a former coach, was hired. But he was fired after only 16 wins in 50 games. Assistant coach Randy Carlyle took over. He helped the team play much better in their last 32 games. But it was not enough to make the playoffs.

Carlyle then became the head coach and general manager for four more seasons in the IHL. The Moose did pretty well in the regular season. They made it to the Turner Cup playoffs three times. They even reached the second round once. Carlyle was named the league's General Manager of the Year in 1998–99. The Moose did not join with an NHL team during their time in the IHL.

Joining the AHL (2001–Present)

Moving to the AHL (2001–2011)

In 2001, the IHL closed down. The Moose and five other IHL teams joined the AHL. The Moose became the main team for the Vancouver Canucks. This partnership lasted until the NHL came back to Winnipeg in 2011. Stan Smyl, a former Canucks star, became the new head coach. Carlyle stayed as general manager for one more season. He then left to coach for the Washington Capitals.

In 2002–03, Smyl led the team to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs. They lost to the Hamilton Bulldogs in a close seven-game series. The team missed the playoffs the next season. Smyl then moved to a different role within the Canucks organization.

Carlyle returned as head coach for the 2004–05 season. This was a big year for the team. The Manitoba Moose Hockey Club was now owned by True North Sports & Entertainment. They played their last game at the old Winnipeg Arena. Then, they moved into the new MTS Centre, now called Canada Life Centre. The Moose reached the conference final for the first time. But they lost to their old rivals, the Chicago Wolves, in four games. Mark Chipman won an award for being the AHL Executive of the Year. After the season, Carlyle became the new head coach for the Anaheim Ducks. He was the first of four Moose head coaches to move on to coach in the NHL.

Alain Vigneault, another former coach, was hired by the Vancouver Canucks. He became the new Moose head coach for the 2005–06 season. Mike Keane, a Winnipeg native and three-time Stanley Cup winner, joined the team as captain. Fans loved Keane right away. The team had another great year. But they lost in the second round of the playoffs again. After the season, Vigneault was promoted to coach the Canucks.

A Moose game at the then-MTS Centre in 2006

Scott Arniel, a former Moose captain and assistant coach, took over as head coach. Arniel coached the team for four seasons. In 2008–09, he led them to their best season ever. The team finished with 107 points, which was the best record in the league. In the second round of the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Moose won their first playoff series sweep. They beat the Grand Rapids Griffins. After beating the Houston Aeros to win the Western Conference final, the Moose made it to the Calder Cup finals for the first time. But they lost the championship series to the Hershey Bears in six games. Arniel won the AHL Coach of the Year award. General manager Craig Heisinger also won an award for being an excellent executive.

Arniel became the third Moose coach in six years to move to the NHL. He was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010. Claude Noël, who Arniel replaced in Columbus, became the new Moose coach. That same year, Mike Keane's contract was not renewed. His number 12 jersey was later retired on February 12, 2011. In the 2011 playoffs, the Moose came back from being down 3–1 to the Lake Erie Monsters in the first round. They won that series. They fell behind 3–1 again in round two, this time to the Hamilton Bulldogs. They fought back to force a seventh game. However, the Bulldogs won the series in triple overtime. It was the longest Game 7 in AHL history.

During their first time in the AHL, the Moose were one of the league's most successful teams. Many fans came to their home games. The team was also popular with the players. They said the Moose was run like an NHL team. The league president, David Andrews, called the Moose "a flagship franchise for the AHL."

The St. John's IceCaps (2011–2015)

On May 31, 2011, Mark Chipman announced that True North Sports and Entertainment bought the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. They planned to move the team to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 season. With NHL hockey returning to Winnipeg, the AHL team needed a new home. A deal was quickly made to move the team to St. John's. The AHL approved the move. The team changed its name to the St. John's IceCaps. This was because the word "Moose" could remind people of car accidents with moose in Newfoundland. The IceCaps became the new AHL team for the Winnipeg Jets. This ended their ten-year partnership with the Vancouver Canucks.

The team continued to be successful in St. John's. Many fans came to games at Mile One Centre. The IceCaps had the second-longest streak of sold-out home games in league history. This was 120 games between 2011 and 2014. In 2011–12, the IceCaps won their division. They made it to the conference final. In 2013–14, the IceCaps reached the Calder Cup finals for the second time. But they lost to the Texas Stars in five games.

Coming Back to Manitoba (2015–Present)

By January 2014, True North Sports and Entertainment wanted to move their AHL team closer to Winnipeg. They thought about Thunder Bay, Ontario. Even though their agreement to stay in St. John's was extended, both sides ended the deal. This happened after a new agreement was made to bring the Montreal Canadiens' AHL team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, to St. John's for the 2015–16 season. The IceCaps' name and logos stayed with the St. John's group.

Since a new arena in Thunder Bay was not built, True North Sports and Entertainment's AHL team came back to Winnipeg. This was for the 2015–16 season. They became the Manitoba Moose Hockey Club again. They updated their old logo slightly. They also got new team colors that were like the Winnipeg Jets'. Keith McCambridge, who had been with the team since 2009, stayed as head coach.

After one season back in Manitoba, the Moose missed the playoffs again. McCambridge was replaced by Pascal Vincent, a Jets assistant coach. The Moose missed the playoffs in Vincent's first season too. But they played much better in the 2017–18 season. They made it to the playoffs again. Vincent won the AHL Coach of the Year award. Players Sami Niku and Mason Appleton also won big awards. Vincent stepped down as head coach after the short 2020–21 season. He was replaced by Mark Morrison. Morrison had been an assistant coach with the team from 2011 to 2017.

Team Information

Logos and Uniforms

Logo from 2004-2011

The current Manitoba Moose uniforms look like those of the Winnipeg Jets. Their colors are polar night blue, aviator blue, silver, and white. But the Moose wear their white uniforms for home games. This is different from the Jets and is how AHL rules work. When they were in the IHL, the Moose colors were purple, green, and copper. After joining the AHL, the team changed to teal, copper, and black.

The first Minnesota Moose logo showed a moose holding a hockey stick. This logo was kept when the team moved from Minnesota in 1996. The logo was changed a little in 2001 to match the team's new colors. A new logo was made in 2004. This was when the team moved to the MTS Centre. The team used this logo until 2011. When the Moose came back to the AHL in 2015, they used a similar logo. But it had new colors and small changes to fit with the Winnipeg Jets' brand.

Mascot

Mick E. Moose became the mascot for the Manitoba Moose in 1996. In 2011, the Winnipeg Jets asked him to be their mascot. This happened after the Moose moved to St. John's. Since 2015, he has been the official mascot for both teams. Besides hockey games, Mick E. Moose goes to about 100 community events each year.

Media Coverage

680 CJOB broadcasts some Moose games on the radio. They also stream all games online. Daniel Fink is the team's Manager of Hockey Communications and play-by-play announcer. Fink started calling Moose games in 2019. TSN Radio 1290 (CFRW) used to broadcast games from 2015 to 2020. CJOB also had radio rights from 1996 to 2011.

CKY-TV used to show some Moose games on TV from 1996 to 1999. A-Channel also aired some games in the 2000-01 season. For the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs, home playoff games were shown on TSN.

Home Arena

The Manitoba Moose play their home games at Canada Life Centre. They share this arena with the Winnipeg Jets. The Moose are one of only two AHL teams that share their home arena with their NHL parent team. The arena can hold 15,321 people for hockey. But for most Moose games, only the lower part of the arena is open, which seats 8,812. Practices and training are usually held at Bell MTS Iceplex. The Moose briefly moved to the Iceplex from March to May 2021. This was because of COVID-19 pandemic rules.

Before Canada Life Centre opened in November 2004, the team played at the Winnipeg Arena.

Season Results

Regular season											Playoffs
Season	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	OTL	SOL	Points	Goals for	Goals against	Standing	Year	Prelim	1st round	2nd round	3rd round	Finals
1996–97	82	32	40	—	10	—	74	262	300	5th, Midwest	1997	—	Did not qualify
1997–98	82	39	36	—	7	—	85	269	254	4th, Northwest	1998	—	L, 0–3, CHI	—	—	—
1998–99	82	47	21	—	14	—	108	269	236	2nd, Midwest	1999	—	W, 2–0, MIL	L, 0–3, CHI	—	—
1999–00	82	37	31	—	14	—	88	227	237	5th, West	2000	—	L, 0–2, LB	—	—	—
2000–01	82	39	31	—	12	—	90	222	230	3rd, West	2001	—	W, 4–3, HOU	L, 2–4, CHI	—
2001–02	80	39	33	4	4	—	86	270	260	4th, Canadian	2002	W, 2–1, WOR	L, 1–3, BRI	—	—	—
2002–03	80	37	33	8	2	—	84	229	228	2nd, Canadian	2003	W, 2–1, POR	W, 3–1, PRO	L, 3–4, HAM	—	—
2003–04	80	32	35	11	2	—	77	214	232	6th, North	2004	Did not qualify
2004–05	80	44	26	—	7	3	98	243	210	3rd, North	2005	—	W, 4–1, STJ	W, 4–1, RCH	L, 0–4, CHI	—
2005–06	80	44	24	—	7	5	100	243	217	3rd, North	2006	—	W, 4–2, SYR	L, 3–4, GR	—	—
2006–07	80	45	23	—	7	5	102	232	201	1st, North	2007	—	W, 4–3, GR	L, 2–4, HAM	—	—
2007–08	80	46	27	—	3	4	99	236	197	3rd, North	2008	—	L, 2–4, SYR	—	—	—
2008–09	80	50	23	—	1	6	107	230	177	1st, League	2009	—	W, 4–2, TOR	W, 4–0, GR	W, 4–2, HOU	L, 2–4, HER
2009–10	80	40	33	—	5	2	87	204	232	4th North	2010	—	L, 2–4, HAM	—	—	—
2010–11	80	43	30	—	1	6	93	220	210	3rd, North	2011	—	W, 4–3, LEM	L, 3–4, HAM	—	—
2011–2015	Played as St. John's IceCaps
2015–16	76	26	41	—	4	5	61	180	250	7th, Central	2016	—	Did not qualify
2016–17	76	29	37	—	5	5	68	197	242	7th, Central	2017	—	Did not qualify
2017–18	76	42	26	—	4	4	92	253	198	3rd, Central	2018	—	W, 3–2, GR	L, 0–4, RFD	—	—
2018–19	76	39	30	—	5	2	85	197	219	5th, Central	2019	—	Did not qualify
2019–20	61	27	33	—	1	0	55	160	190	8th, Central	2020	—	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21	36	18	13	—	3	2	41	109	102	2nd, Canadian	2021	—	No playoffs were held
2021–22	72	41	24	—	5	2	89	228	204	2nd, Central	2022	BYE	L, 2–3, MIL	—	—	—
2022–23	72	37	25	—	6	4	84	227	226	3rd, Central	2023	BYE	L, 2–3, MIL	—	—	—
2023–24	72	34	35	—	2	1	71	225	243	5th, Central	2024	L, 0–2, TEX	—	—	—	—

Team Leaders and Records

Team Captains

Randy Gilhen, 1996–1997
Scott Arniel, 1997–1999
Brian Chapman, 1999–2003
Dallas Eakins, 2003–2004
Nolan Baumgartner, 2004–2005, 2010–2011
Mike Keane, 2005–2010
John Albert, 2015–2016
Patrice Cormier, 2016–2018
Peter Stoykewych, 2018–2020
Jimmy Oligny, 2021–2024

Retired Numbers

Manitoba Moose retired numbers
No.	Player	Position	Career	No. retirement
12	Mike Keane	RW	2005–2010	February 12, 2011
21	Jimmy Roy	LW	1997–2006	February 7, 2020

The team has not used jersey number 11 since 2012. This is to honor former player Rick Rypien. He passed away shortly after signing with the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. The Moose and Jets also wear number 11 stickers on their helmets. This is part of their Project11 campaign to raise awareness for mental health.

Head Coaches

Jean Perron, 1996–1997
Randy Carlyle, 1997–2001, 2004–2005
Stan Smyl, 2001–2004
Alain Vigneault, 2005–2006
Scott Arniel, 2006–2010
Claude Noel, 2010–2011
Keith McCambridge, 2015–2016
Pascal Vincent, 2016–2021
Mark Morrison, 2021–present

Famous Former Players

The players listed below have played at least 100 games for the Moose. They also played at least 100 games in the National Hockey League.

Mason Appleton
Scott Arniel
Alex Auld
Nolan Baumgartner
Kevin Bieksa
Fred Brathwaite
Mike Brown
Alexandre Burrows
Wade Flaherty
Randy Gilhen
Michael Grabner
Josh Green
Jannik Hansen
Mike Keane
Ryan Kesler
Johnathan Kovacevic
Brendan Lemieux
Nic Petan
Sean Pronger
Rick Rypien
Cory Schneider
Logan Stanley

Team Records

These are some of the best records for players in a single season and throughout their careers with the Moose.

Single Season Records

Goals: 45 by Scott Thomas (1998–99)
Assists: 81 by Stephane Morin (1994–95)
Points: 114 by Stephane Morin (1994–95)
Penalty Minutes: 285 by Wade Brookbank (2004–05)
Wins (Goaltender): 35 by Cory Schneider (2009–10)
Goals Against Average (GAA): 2.04 by Cory Schneider (2008–09)
Save Percentage (SV%): .935 by Michael Hutchinson (2017–18)

Career Records

Career Goals: 158 by Jason Jaffray
Career Assists: 244 by Jason Jaffray
Career Points: 402 by Jason Jaffray
Career Penalty Minutes: 1434 by Jimmy Roy
Career Goaltending Wins: 84 by Cory Schneider
Career Shutouts: 12 by Cory Schneider
Career Games Played: 603 by Jimmy Roy

Top Scorers in Team History

This table shows the top ten players with the most points in the team's history. The numbers are updated after each regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Points
Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Jason Jaffray	LW	493	158	244	402	0.82
Brett Hauer	D	322	58	193	251	0.78
JC Lipon	RW	452	80	142	222	0.49
Nolan Baumgartner	D	451	45	169	214	0.47
Jimmy Roy	LW	603	101	111	212	0.35
Stephane Morin	F	173	63	138	201	1.16
Bill Bowler	C	187	55	134	189	1.01
Brandon Reid	C	259	70	111	181	0.70
Lee Goren	RW	193	80	91	171	0.89
Scott Arniel	F	222	67	104	171	0.77

Team General Managers

Jean Perron, 1996–97 (fired 50 games into first season)
Randy Carlyle, 1997–2002 (became Washington Capitals assistant coach)
Craig Heisinger, 2002–present (held position with franchise in St. John's from 2011 to 2015)