Red Deer Rebels facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Red Deer Rebels
City	Red Deer, Alberta
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Eastern
Division	Central
Founded	1992
Home arena	Marchant Crane Centrium
Colours	Burgundy, black, white and silver
General manager	Brent Sutter
Head coach	Marc Habscheid
Championships	Conference Championships 3 (2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03) Ed Chynoweth Cup 1 (2001) Memorial Cup 1 (2001)
Website chl.ca/whl-rebels

The Red Deer Rebels are a major junior ice hockey team from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. They are part of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and play their home games at the Marchant Crane Centrium. The Rebels had a fantastic year in the 2000–01 season, winning both the President's Cup and the Memorial Cup.

History

How the Rebels Started

The Red Deer Rebels team began in 1991. Coach Terry Simpson and his brother were given the chance to start a new hockey team in Red Deer. They held a contest to name the team, and "Rebels" was chosen from the top three ideas. The team picked Mike McBain as their very first player in the Bantam Draft. The Red Deer Rebels played their first game on September 25, 1992, against the Prince Albert Raiders. The Rebels won that exciting first game 6–3!

A Winning Era

In 1999, the Simpson brothers sold the team to Brent Sutter. With Sutter as both coach and general manager, the Rebels became a very strong team. They won three division and conference titles in a row from the 2000–01 season to 2002–03. The best part of this time was in 2001 when they won the President's Cup and the Memorial Cup. In the Memorial Cup final, Jeff Smith scored the winning goal in overtime against the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

Coaching Changes and Milestones

Brent Sutter stopped coaching in 2007, and his brother, Brian Sutter, took over for the 2007–08 season. Brian coached for only one season before former team captain Jesse Wallin became the coach. In 2012, Brent Sutter returned as head coach, taking over from Wallin.

The Rebels were chosen to host the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. This was their second time playing in the national championship. They made it to the semi-final game but were eliminated by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

In 2022, the team made history in the WHL. They started their season with an amazing 15 wins in a row! This set a new record for the longest winning streak at the start of a WHL season.

Championships

The Red Deer Rebels have won several important championships and awards throughout their history.

Major Trophies Won

• Memorial Cups: 2001
• Ed Chynoweth Cups: 2001
• Scotty Munro Memorial Trophies: 2000–01, 2001–02 (This award is for the team with the best regular season record.)
• Division titles won: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2010–11, 2022–23

WHL Finals

The Rebels have played in the WHL championship finals multiple times:

• 2000–01: Won the championship, beating the Portland Winter Hawks 4 games to 1.
• 2001–02: Lost the final, 2 games to 4, against the Kootenay Ice.
• 2002–03: Lost the final, 2 games to 4, against the Kelowna Rockets.

Memorial Cup Finals

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

• 2001: Won the Memorial Cup, beating the Val-d'Or Foreurs 6–5 in overtime.

Players

Team Captains

Here is a list of players who have been team captains for the Red Deer Rebels:

NHL Alumni

Many players who once played for the Red Deer Rebels have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), which is the top professional hockey league in North America. Here are some of them:

Awards

The Red Deer Rebels team and its players have won many individual awards in both the WHL and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). These awards recognize top players, coaches, and team staff for their excellent performance and contributions.

WHL Awards

Some notable WHL awards won by Rebels players and staff include:

• AirBC Trophy (Playoff MVP): Shane Bendera (2001)
• WHL Plus-Minus Award (Best +/- rating): Jim Vandermeer (2000–01)
• St. Clair Group Trophy (Marketing/Public Relations Award): Pat Garrity (1996–97), Greg McConkey (2001–02)
• Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy (Humanitarian of the Year): Jesse Wallin (1996–97, 1997–98), Jim Vandermeer (2000–01), Colin Fraser (2004–05)
• Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy (Executive of the Year): Brent Sutter (2000–01)
• Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy (Coach of the Year): Brent Sutter (2000–01)
• Del Wilson Trophy (Top Goaltender): Cam Ward (2001–02, 2003–04), Darcy Kuemper (2010–11), Patrik Bartosak (2012–13)
• Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Matt Ellison (2002–03), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2009–10), Mathew Dumba (2010–11)
• Bill Hunter Trophy (Top Defenceman): Jeff Woywitka (2002–03), Dion Phaneuf (2003–04, 2004–05), Alex Petrovic (2011–12)
• Brad Hornung Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike Player): Boyd Gordon (2002–03)
• Bob Clarke Trophy (Top Scorer): Justin Mapletoft (2000–01), Arshdeep Bains (2021–22)
• Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (Player of the Year): Justin Mapletoft (2000–01), Cam Ward (2003–04), Darcy Kuemper (2010–11)

CHL Awards

The CHL (Canadian Hockey League) is the umbrella organization for the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. Rebels players have also won CHL-wide awards:

• CHL Humanitarian of the Year: Jesse Wallin (1996–97), Jim Vandermeer (2000–01), Colin Fraser (2004–05)
• CHL Goaltender of the Year: Cam Ward (2003–04), Darcy Kuemper (2010–11), Patrik Bartosak (2012–13)
• CHL Rookie of the Year: Matt Ellison (2002–03)
• CHL Top Draft Prospect Award: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2010–11)
• Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award: Brent Sutter (2000–01)
• Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP): Kyle Wanvig (2001)

Images for kids

• 

  Original Rebels "Skate" logo, used around 1992–97.

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta