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33-769: The Saints began life as the Edmonton Western Movers, named for the team's sponsor, as one of the original franchises of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 1963. Nine years later, the Movers merged with their cross-town rivals the Edmonton Maple Leafs (named after the more famous Toronto NHL club ) to become the Edmonton Mets as of the 1972–73 season. The team moved to the suburban city of Spruce Grove to become

66-889: A Junior "A" league in an attempt to truly develop Alberta hockey. The original league consisted of the Edmonton Safeway Canadians , the Edmonton Maple Leafs , the Lethbridge Sugar Kings , Calgary Cowboys , and the Calgary Buffaloes . The Edmonton Safeway Canadians and Maple Leafs later merged in 1971 to become the Edmonton Mets, then moved to Spruce Grove to become the Spruce Grove Mets in 1974. They lasted only three seasons in Spruce Grove; however, they won

99-705: A feud developed between the two. Third, Plain oversaw preliminary plans for the development of the multi-purpose leisure centre that would eventually become Servus Credit Union Place . Fourth and finally, Plain's Council brought in a bylaw prohibiting smoking in all places of business, including those open only to adults. Chalifoux ran again in 2004 and, in an election dominated by a bitter dispute over how to deal with Sturgeon County, narrowly defeated Plain. Since his defeat, Plain has continued to comment publicly on issues including St. Albert's annexation of land from Sturgeon County and municipal budgeting, and has announced that he intends to run for mayor again in 2007. Plain

132-754: A mandate to focus on giving Calgary-area kids a place to play while focusing on their educational needs. The Canucks have captured a league record ten AJHL championships and won the Centennial Cup in 1995, the Canadian Championship of Junior A hockey, now known as the Royal Bank Cup. After a game on February 21, 1980, the AJHL was shaken by a tragedy. Twenty-year-old Trevor Elton, Captain of the Sherwood Park Crusaders

165-475: Is a Canadian politician. Plain is the former mayor of St. Albert, Alberta , having served from 1974 to 1977 and again from 2001 to 2004. In February 2007, he announced that he would seek a third term as mayor in the 2007 election. By profession, Plain is a health economist ; he retired from the University of Alberta in 2001. In this capacity, he has been critical of several health care initiatives of

198-625: Is an Alberta -based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 teams did not finish the season after it was announced that they planned to join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season. The regular season league champions receive the Dave Duchak Trophy. The playoff champions receive

231-508: The Alberta government headed by Ralph Klein . These have included Bill 11 (the 1997 government bill to expand the private sector's role in delivering publicly insured health services), the 2002 report by former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski , and the abortive "third way" plan to change the mix of public and private health care delivery. Plain was elected mayor in 1974, defeating incumbent Ray Gibbon in an election that

264-553: The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season . Following the announcement, the teams' remaining AJHL games for the 2023–24 season were cancelled, and nearly all trace of the five departing teams, including statistics for

297-503: The Fort Saskatchewan Traders , and then vacant 1,200-seat Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove - which was expected to receive a significant upgrade - are all within a short drive of St. Albert. Akinsdale Arena, by comparison, was relatively old and very small, seating only 611 with room for 200 standing, the smallest capacity in the league. The arena also suffered in terms of parking, amenities, and quality of view. By

330-456: The Spruce Grove Mets as of the 1974–75 season. However, the team's stay in Spruce Grove was short-lived, and before the 1977–78 season the team moved to another Edmonton suburb, St. Albert, where they became the St. Albert Saints. In Edmonton, the team had already built up its share of history, winning two Carling Cups as the Movers in 1967 and 1968 and adding another two consecutive championships as

363-853: The 1998 Rogers Wireless Cup. But it was its players that achieved the greatest fame, with the most famous undoubtedly being long-time NHLer and six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier , who played one season with the Mets and one with the Saints. Other notable alumni have included longtime New Jersey Devils stalwart Ken Daneyko (who only played two games with the Saints), longtime Chicago Blackhawks player and current Blackhawks WGN-AM radio color analyst Troy Murray , and later NHL standouts such as Steven Reinprecht , Stu Barnes and Mike Comrie . Players such as Fernando Pisani , Steven Goertzen , René Bourque and Jamie Lundmark have had workmanlike careers in

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396-455: The 2002-03 season, it was becoming clear that the Saints would be moved, with Barrhead or the oil town of Leduc frequently cited as potential locations. The team was even forced to play out its last games in Edmonton's Bill Hunter Arena , where it never drew crowds of less than double Akinsdale's maximum capacity. Despite rumours that the St. Albert city council under mayor Richard Plain

429-669: The AJHL title twice, and the Manitoba Centennial Trophy in 1975. In 1976, they moved again to become the St. Albert Saints , where they won three more league titles. In 2004, the team returned to Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Saints . This well-travelled franchise has sent over 30 players into the National Hockey League (NHL), including Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier . One of

462-788: The AJHL's most famous franchises, the Red Deer Rustlers , joined the league in 1967, capturing the championship in their first season. The Rustlers had attempted to join the Western Canada Junior Hockey League , but were blocked by the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association , and instead placed in the AJHL. In 1971, the Rustlers captured the first Manitoba Centennial Trophy as national Junior A champions. The Rustlers, who featured all six Sutter brothers who would go on to

495-966: The Doyle Cup then advanced to the national championship tournament. From 2013 to 2017, instead of the Doyle Cup, the AJHL playoff winner participated in the Western Canada Cup . Teams from the AJHL have captured the Centennial Cup 11 times, as Canadian Junior A champions. The championship trophy had previously been named the Manitoba Centennial Trophy (1971–1994), and the Royal Bank/RBC Cup (1996–2019). As of 2006, nearly 200 AJHL alumni have gone on to play in professional leagues. Among them: Richard Plain Richard Plain (born 1939 or 1940)

528-602: The Inter Pipeline Cup (previously known as the Carling O'Keefe trophy and Gas Drive Cup). The winner of the AJHL playoffs continues on to play in the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines Canadian Junior A champion. The early 1960s saw a much different junior hockey scene in Alberta than what currently exists. The Edmonton Oil Kings were the only true Junior-A-calibre team in the province and drew most of

561-423: The Mets in 1975 and 1976, with the 1975 incarnation also taking the national Manitoba Centennial Trophy . But in St. Albert, the team built up most of its most famous alumni and took its share of major championships, although it would never repeat the glory of the 1975 Mets on the national stage. The Saints won four league titles during their time in St. Albert, taking the 1981, 1982 and 1996 Carling Cups as well as

594-521: The NHL, while other players such as Alexander Fomitchev have gone on to great success in other professional leagues. Despite these successful players, the Saints were also involved in one of the most tragic incidents in junior hockey history, when a clean hit by a Saints player on Sherwood Park Crusaders forward and captain Trevor Elton resulted in the death of Elton. They were also involved in one of

627-687: The NHL, won eight AJHL titles and two Centennial Trophies during their existence. They were expelled from the league, however, in 1989, and formally folded in 1992 when the Red Deer Rebels joined the WHL. In 1971, the Calgary Canucks were founded following the demise of the Cowboys and Buffaloes. Today, the Canucks are the oldest franchise still operating in the AJHL. It was founded with

660-422: The alignment. Plain received the endorsement from S.E.N.S.I.B.L.E. Choice and he, along with the five aldermanic candidates the group endorsed, was elected. Plain's second term as mayor was dominated by four issues. Plain's favoured plebiscite on the road was rejected by a majority of Council in favour of proceeding immediately with the original alignment. Plain quickly fell into step with this majority view, and

693-584: The current and previous seasons, had been removed from the AJHL website. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams organized into 2 divisions; the North Division and the South Division. Following the announcement in January 2024 that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season ,

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726-504: The fight against a proposal from Edmonton to annex St. Albert, which he called "one of the greatest things this community will ever see". In 2001, Plain, newly retired from academia, announced his intention to challenge incumbent mayor Paul Chalifoux . The ensuing election was fought largely on the issue of the West Regional Road , with Chalifoux favouring the recently proposed Ray Gibbon Drive alignment. Plain preferred

759-580: The game sold out in less than an hour, and consequently broke the league attendance record of 4,400. A new attendance record was set in 2017 as 5,989 fans watched the Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints play the last game at Northlands Coliseum . On May 2, 2012, the AJHL approved a request from the St. Albert Steel to relocate the team from St. Albert to Whitecourt to become the Whitecourt Wolverines . On January 20, 2024,

792-487: The locker room who then joined the brawl, as planned, soon after it started. As the 21st century rolled around, complaints increasingly began to grow that the Saints' arena, Akinsdale Arena , was of a calibre too low to house a junior 'A' franchise. Various newer arenas seating over a thousand, such as the Sherwood Park Crusaders' Sherwood Park Arena , the 2,000-seat Jubilee Recreation Centre , home of

825-440: The most violent, a famous bench-clearing brawl on November 21, 1979, between the Saints and the Red Deer Rustlers . This brawl resulted in the suspension of several players, as well as Saints head coach Doug Messier and Rustlers' trainer Terry Sexsmith for getting a little too involved in the battle. Sexsmith was later banned from the AJHL for life. It is reported that Messier had four affiliated Junior B players dressed and hiding in

858-568: The previously proposed alignment, which bypassed the developed portion of the city but crossed the Sturgeon River close to the mouth of Big Lake , and proposed a plebiscite on the subject. An aggressive public relations campaign by the Riel Park Business Association , which did not like the way the proposed road would pass through Riel Business Park , and a group calling itself S.E.N.S.I.B.L.E. Choice, attacked

891-461: The teams' remaining AJHL games for the 2023–24 season were cancelled. An official statement from the AJHL said that it had received expressions of interest from "various partners and stakeholders" about joining the league. In April 2024, the league announced that the Devon Xtreme would join the North Division as an expansion team in the 2024–25 season . The AJHL playoff championship cup

924-691: The top talent Alberta had to offer. The Oil Kings were the Western Canadian champions from 1962 until 1966, Abbott Cup champions in 1954 and from 1960 to 1966, and Memorial Cup national champions in 1963 and 1966. In 1966, the Oil Kings helped create the Western Hockey League . The issue in 1964 was that there were hundreds of junior-calibre players in the province, but really only one team to play for. A group of business and hockey people got together in 1964 and decided to form

957-559: Was criticized for it by many citizens who continued to favour the rejected Ray Gibbon Drive alignment. In addition, Plain opposed the agreement made by the Chalifoux Council to split tax revenues from land recently annexed from Sturgeon County with the County, claiming that St. Albert would require all of the tax revenues in order to service the land. This position put him at odds with Sturgeon County mayor Lawrence Kluthe , and

990-405: Was fought primarily on issues of development, with Plain favouring stricter limits than Gibbons. He was defeated three years later by Ronald Harvey . Plain blamed his defeat on Harvey's friendship with then- MLA Ernie Jamison , who also owned the St. Albert Gazette , and called his defeat "a plague on our house". Between 1979 and 1981, as chair of the St. Albert Citizens Committee, Plain led

1023-583: Was hit cleanly along the boards by a player on the St. Albert Saints in St. Albert . Elton landed and went into convulsions and died later that night while in hospital. On November 26, 2010, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Drayton Valley Thunder played the first modern-era regulation outdoor junior hockey game, at MacDonald Island in Fort McMurray . The game was known as the "Northern Classic". The 5,000 tickets available for

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1056-529: Was originally known as Carling O'Keefe Cup before it began going by several other sponsored names: The winners of the AJHL playoffs then advance to the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines the Canadian Junior A champions. Historically, from 1971 to 2012 and from 2018 to 2019, the AJHL champ played for the Doyle Cup against the champion of the British Columbia Hockey League . The winner of

1089-470: Was to approve the construction of a new multi-use facility including a 1,700-seat arena (one that would eventually be approved for over $ 40 million in 2004), the Saints moved to Spruce Grove to start the 2004-05 AJHL campaign. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties and overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Alberta Junior Hockey League The Alberta Junior Hockey League ( AJHL )

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