Saskatoon Blades facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saskatoon Blades |
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| City | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | East |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Home arena | SaskTel Centre |
| Colours | Royal blue, gold, white |
| Owner(s) | Mike Priestner |
| General manager | Colin Priestner |
| Head coach | Dan DaSilva |
| Website | chl.ca/whl-blades/ |
| Franchise history | |
| 1964–1966 | Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League |
| 1966–present | Western Hockey League |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 5 (1972–73, 1982–83, 1987–88, 2010–11, 2023–24) |
| Playoff championships | Division titles 2 (1991–92, 1994–94) Ed Chynoweth Cup 0 |
| Current uniform | |
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The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team. They are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The team started in 1964. The Blades were one of the first teams in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966. They are the only team that has played every season in the league in their original city. Today, the team plays in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the SaskTel Centre. Even though they have won five regular season titles and played in the championship five times, the Blades have never won the Ed Chynoweth Cup. This cup is for the league playoff champions. The team has hosted the Memorial Cup tournament twice, in 1989 and 2013.
Contents
Team History: The Blades' Journey
Becoming a WHL Founding Team
The Blades began in 1964. They were part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The team grew from the Saskatoon Junior Quakers. Their owner, Jim Piggott, wanted the Blades to be a junior team for his professional Los Angeles Blades.
But Piggott helped create a new major junior league for Western Canada. This league could compete for the Memorial Cup. The Blades became one of seven founding teams in 1966. This league later became the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1978. The Blades are the only team to have played every WHL season in their first city. The Regina Pats also started with the league. However, they briefly left the WHL.
The Blades played in the old Saskatoon Arena. In their first six seasons, they did not win a playoff series.
The Jackie McLeod Era: A New Beginning
In the 1970s, the Blades hired Jackie McLeod. He was a former National Hockey League (NHL) player. McLeod became their coach and general manager. He also became a part-owner of the team.
Under McLeod, the Blades became a strong team. They had star players like Bernie Federko and Bob Bourne. The team only missed the playoffs once. They reached the finals three times. In 1972–73, Saskatoon had the best record in the league. They made it to their first league final. But they lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Blades also reached the finals in 1974–75 and 1975–76. They lost both times to the New Westminster Bruins.
The Brodsky Family Takes Over
In 1980, the Brodsky family became the only owners. They owned the team until 2013. The Blades had new star players. These included future NHL players like Wendel Clark and Brian Skrudland. But the team still could not win the league championship.
The Blades had the best league record in 1982–83 and 1987–88. However, they did not reach the finals in those years. A big moment in the 1980s was the opening of the new Saskatchewan Place arena in 1988. The Blades also hosted the 1989 Memorial Cup there. In that tournament, the Blades lost to the Swift Current Broncos in overtime in the final game.
The Blades returned to the championship series twice in the early 1990s. Both times, they played against the Kamloops Blazers. The Blades lost both finals in close seven-game series. These Blazers teams went on to win the Memorial Cup. After 1994, the Blades did not get past the second round of the WHL playoffs for almost 30 years. They also missed the playoffs more often.
Lorne Molleken returned to coach the Blades in 2004. He also became general manager in 2011. The Blades won another regular season title in 2010–11. They traded for star player Brayden Schenn. But they lost in the second round of the playoffs. Saskatoon also hosted its second Memorial Cup in 2013. The team had a great winning streak before the playoffs. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs. They only won one game at the Memorial Cup tournament.
New Owners and Recent Success
After hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup, the Brodsky family sold the team. In August 2013, Mike Priestner bought the Blades. He promised to keep the team in Saskatoon. His son, Colin Priestner, later became the general manager.
The team faced some tough years after 2013. They missed the playoffs for five seasons. This was because they had traded away future draft picks for the 2013 Memorial Cup. Led by Kirby Dach, the Blades returned to the playoffs in 2019. They won their first playoff series since 2011. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 and 2021 seasons to be different.
In 2022–23, the Blades had a great season. They earned over 100 points for the first time since 2011. They also had their best playoff run since 1994. They played the Regina Pats in the first round. The Blades set new attendance records. They sold out games to 14,768 fans. They won that series in seven games. In the second round, they made an amazing comeback. They won the series after being down 3–0. This was against the Red Deer Rebels. Their run ended in the third round against the Winnipeg Ice.
In 2023–24, the Blades won their fifth Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. This is for the best regular season record. They won 50 games for the third time. In the playoffs, they swept the Rebels. They lost a close seven-game series to the Moose Jaw Warriors. That series had a WHL record of six overtime games. The Blades also played their 4,000th WHL game that season.
Memorial Cup Appearances: Hosting the Big Tournament
The Blades have never won the WHL championship. This means they have not won the chance to play for the Memorial Cup. However, Saskatoon has hosted the Memorial Cup tournament twice. This allowed the Blades to play in it.
In 1989, the Blades played against the WHL Champion Swift Current Broncos. They also played the OHL Champion Peterborough Petes and the QMJHL Champion Laval Titan. The Blades finished first in the round robin. They beat the Broncos, who had been on a long winning streak. This earned the Blades a spot in the final. But they lost to the Broncos in overtime. This was the first Memorial Cup final between two teams from Saskatchewan. The tournament also set a new attendance record.
In 2013, the tournament was held 25 years after their arena opened. The teams included the WHL Champion Portland Winterhawks, the OHL Champion London Knights, and the QMJHL Champion Halifax Mooseheads. The Blades won one game in the round robin. They lost a tiebreaker game and did not advance. The Mooseheads won the Memorial Cup that year. This tournament had the fourth-highest attendance in its history.
Team Rivalries: Who Do the Blades Play Against?
The Blades have big rivalries with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders. These teams are the closest to Saskatoon. All three cities are connected by Highway 11. The Blades have played the Pats seven times in the playoffs. They have played the Raiders eight times. They have also played the Swift Current Broncos and Brandon Wheat Kings eight times in the playoffs. The Blades also faced the Broncos in the 1989 Memorial Cup final.
Team Look: Logo and Jerseys
For most of their history, the Blades have worn royal blue, gold, and white jerseys. Their main logo has been a skate blade design. People often call it the "Pac-Man" logo. In 1993, they changed their main logo. In 2004, they removed yellow from their colors. They used navy blue and white with a new skate logo. The skate blade came out of "SB" initials. In 2017, the Blades brought back their classic colors and logo.
Like many junior teams, the Blades often wear special jerseys. For example, they wore Star Wars-themed jerseys in 2015. In 2018, they wore a special jersey to honor the Humboldt Broncos after a bus crash. In 2022, the Blades showed their first Pride-themed jerseys. They wore them on a Pride night. During the 2012–13 season, fans designed a jersey. The team wore the winning design in a game.
The Blades' mascot is a yeti named Poke Check.
Players: Who Played for the Blades?
NHL Alumni: Blades Who Made It Big
Bernie Federko is the only former Blades player in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Many Blades players have also played in the National Hockey League (NHL).
- Dennis Abgrall
- Brent Ashton
- Blair Atcheynum
- Frank Banham
- Wade Belak
- Ryan Bonni
- Bob Bourne
- Dave Brown
- Murray Brumwell
- Jeff Buchanan
- Lindsay Carson
- Blair Chapman
- Kelly Chase
- Rich Chernomaz
- Tim Cheveldae
- Wendel Clark
- Pat Conacher
- Barry Cummins
- Kirby Dach
- Larry DePalma
- Bruce Eakin
- Stefan Elliott
- Jerry Engele
- Martin Erat
- Garnet Exelby
- Bernie Federko
- Micheal Ferland
- Perry Ganchar
- Michael Garnett
- Randy Gilhen
- Colton Gillies
- Brian Glynn
- Lee Goren
- Mike Green
- Mike Greenlay
- Marc Habscheid
- Libor Hajek
- Bill Hajt
- Curtis Hamilton
- Neil Hawryliw
- Dale Henry
- Bob Hoffmeyer
- Bill Hogaboam
- Braden Holtby
- Doug Horbul
- Darcy Hordichuk
- Randy Ireland
- Grant Jennings
- Terry Johnson
- Kevin Kaminski
- Ryan Keller
- Dean Kennedy
- Anton Khudobin
- Orest Kindrachuk
- Ralph Klassen
- Joey Kocur
- Roger Kortko
- Don Kozak
- Dave Kryskow
- Milan Kytnar
- Lane Lambert
- James Latos
- Kirby Law
- Grant Ledyard
- Curtis Leschyshyn
- Dave Lewis
- Ron Loustel
- Steve MacIntyre
- Keith Magnuson
- Norm Maracle
- Richard Matvichuk
- Chris McAllister
- Brad McCrimmon
- Todd McLellan
- Jim McTaggart
- Fraser Minten
- Bill Oleschuk
- Dave Parro
- George Pesut
- Warren Peters
- Gerry Pinder
- Pat Price
- Aaron Rome
- Terry Ruskowski
- Larry Sacharuk
- Don Saleski
- Terran Sandwith
- Cory Sarich
- Brayden Schenn
- Nikita Scherbak
- Bobby Schmautz
- Scott Scissons
- Devin Setoguchi
- Brent Severyn
- Duncan Siemens
- Todd Simpson
- Brian Skrudland
- Randy Smith
- Martin Sonnenberg
- Brent Sopel
- Lee Sorochan
- Daryl Stanley
- David Struch
- Todd Strueby
- Ken Sutton
- Ryan Tobler
- Rocky Trottier
- Tony Twist
- Shaun Van Allen
- Russ Walker
- Rhett Warrener
- Fred Williams
- Clarke Wilm
- Mark Wotton
- Trent Yawney
Retired Numbers: Honoring Legends
The Blades have retired seven jersey numbers to honor special players:
| # | Player |
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| 7 | Gerry Pinder / Brent Ashton |
| 10 | Brian Skrudland |
| 12 | Bob Bourne |
| 15 | Bernie Federko |
| 22 | Wendel Clark |
| 39 | Frank Banham |
| 44 | Chase Wouters |
The Blades also honored former captain Bruce Gordon in 2017.
Team Records: Best Seasons and Players
| Statistic | Total | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Most points | 115 | 2010–11 |
| Most wins | 56 | 2010–11 |
| Most road wins | 28 | 2008–09 |
| Most home wins | 32 | 2010–11 |
| Most goals for | 461 | 1982–83 |
| Fewest goals for | 140 | 2003–04 |
| Fewest goals against | 163 | 2023–24 |
| Most goals against | 460 | 1977–78 |
| Statistic | Player | Total | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most goals | Frank Banham | 83 | 1995–96 |
| Most assists | Bruce Eakin | 125 | 1981–82 |
| Most points | Bernie Federko | 187 | 1975–76 |
| Most points, rookie | Lane Lambert | 114 | 1981–82 |
| Most points, defenceman | Pat Price | 95 | 1973–74 |
| Best GAA (goalie) | Ed Humphreys | 2.57 | 1972–73 |
| Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played | |||
| Statistic | Player | Total | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most goals | Frank Banham | 190 | 1992–1996 |
| Most assists | Paul Buczkowski | 224 | 1990–1996 |
| Most points | Frank Banham | 370 | 1992–1996 |
| Most points, defenceman | Stefan Elliott | 241 | 2007–2011 |
| Most games played | Paul Buczkowski | 337 | 1990–1996 |
| Most wins (goalie) | Nolan Maier | 122 | 2017–2022 |
| Most shutouts (goalie) | Nolan Maier | 12 | 2017–2022 |
Awards: Recognizing Greatness
Bob Clarke Trophy (WHL top scorer)
- Gerry Pinder: 1966–67
- Bernie Federko: 1975–76
- Mark Deyell: 1995–96
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of the year)
- Gerry Pinder: 1966–67
- Bernie Federko: 1975–76
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL rookie of the year)
- Ron Fairbrother: 1967–68
Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL top defenceman)
- George Pesut: 1972–73
- Pat Price: 1973–74
- Wendel Clark: 1984–85
- Richard Matvichuk: 1991–92
- Stefan Elliott: 2010–11
Del Wilson Trophy (WHL top goaltender)
- Ed Humphreys: 1972–73
- Bill Oleschuk: 1974–75
- Norm Maracle: 1993–94
Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy (WHL coach of the year)
- Daryl Lubiniecki: 1982–83
- Marcel Comeau: 1987–88
- Lorne Molleken: 1993–94
- Brennan Sonne: 2022–23
Doc Seaman Trophy (WHL scholastic player of the year)
- Stefan Elliott: 2008–09
- Nelson Nogier: 2013–14
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup top goaltender)
- Mike Greenlay: 1989 Memorial Cup
- Andrey Makarov: 2013 Memorial Cup
Images for kids
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The Blades and Regina Pats facing off in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
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Brayden Schenn in 2011, in a non-Pac Man era jersey.
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The Blades face-off against the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final.
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Egor Sidorov warming up before a game in Edmonton.
See also
- Ice hockey in Saskatchewan
- List of ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan
