66-671: The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the Western Hockey League 's Player of the Year. The trophy is named in honour of four members of the Swift Current Broncos who were killed on December 30, 1986 in the Swift Current Broncos bus crash : Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka, and Brent Ruff. The accident that occurred as the team bus was en route to a game in Regina. List of winners of
132-713: A 1–2 record, their lone win coming over the Mooseheads, and they lost to the Knights in a tiebreaker, failing to advance to the semi-final. The Mooseheads won the Memorial Cup with a 6–4 victory over the Winterhawks. The tournament boasted the fourth-highest attendance to date in tournament history. The Blades have longstanding rivalries with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders, the two teams closest to
198-829: A Pride night on 22 January. During the 2012–13 season, the Blades held a fan jersey design contest; the team wore the winning jersey, designed by Fabio Burà, during a game on 2 February 2013. The Blades' mascot is a yeti named Poke Check. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against General Manager: Colin Priestner Head Coach: Dan DaSilva Associate Coach: TBA Assistant Coach: Wacey Rabbit Assistant Coach: Jerome Engele Bernie Federko
264-527: A brief revival of the Oil Kings—the team would move again a year later and become the Great Falls Americans . The 1980s were marked by several brawls that involved police intervention, one of the most bizarre trades in hockey history, and the tragic deaths of four players in a bus crash. Early in the 1980–81 WHL season , Medicine Hat Tigers manager and coach Pat Ginnell traded blows with
330-549: A dynastic New Westminster Bruins team that made four straight Memorial Cup finals appearances from 1975 to 1978. McLeod's last season behind the bench was 1978–79, when the Blades lost the Division final to the eventual champion and Memorial Cup-finalist Brandon Wheat Kings . In 1980, the Brodsky family, which had become majority owners in 1976, took over sole ownership of the club, which they would retain until 2013. Despite
396-666: A fan. LaForge was acquitted when the judge noted that it was hard to convict a man for assault when faced with "an obnoxious person trying to get into the coach's area." LaForge resigned following the season after serving three separate suspensions. On January 19, 1983, the Seattle Breakers dealt Tom Martin and $ 35,000 to the Victoria Cougars for the Cougars' team bus. The Breakers had been unable to sign Martin, who wanted to play in his home town of Victoria, and
462-617: A linesman during a bench clearing brawl against the Lethbridge Broncos . Ginnell was found guilty of assault, fined $ 360, and suspended for 36 games by the WHL. In March 1982, a violent brawl between the Regina Pats and Calgary Wranglers saw the two teams collectively fined $ 2,250 and players suspended for 73 combined games. Pats coach Bill LaForge would end up in a courtroom later that season when he got into an altercation with
528-830: A new major junior league for Western Canada that could compete against teams across Canada for the Memorial Cup . The Blades became one of seven founding members of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League in 1966, which became the Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1967, the Western Canada Hockey League in 1968, and, finally, the Western Hockey League in 1978, after the admission of American-based clubs. The Blades are
594-595: A record attendance mark of 12,588 on 9 February against the Lethbridge Hurricanes , 25 years to the day since the opening of their arena. However, the team lost its first round playoff series against the Medicine Hat Tigers, and won just one game at the Memorial Cup tournament. After hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup, it became known that the Brodsky family was looking to sell the Blades after 37 years of ownership. In August 2013, Brodsky sold
660-893: A regular schedule for 2021–22, and the Oil Kings became the first team to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup since the Prince Albert Raiders in 2019. The WHL comprises 22 teams divided into two conferences, making it the largest league in the CHL—the Ontario Hockey League has 20 teams and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has 18. The WHL has member teams across four Canadian provinces and two American states. The Eastern Conference comprises teams from Manitoba , Saskatchewan , and Alberta . The Western Conference
726-467: A total value of CA$ 9 million by 2008. Teams maintain academic advisors, who monitor the academic progress of players along with the league's Director of Education Services. Canadian universities and colleges recruit extensively from the WHL, affording graduating players the opportunity to continue playing hockey in U Sports competition as they attend post-secondary institutions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) considers graduates of
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#1732776133859792-517: Is an annual event in which teams select players from bantam hockey league age groups, i.e. 14 or 15 years old. The order of selection depends on the league's standings. Players aged 15 to 20 are eligible to play in the WHL, with some restrictions. 15-year-olds are permitted to play only five games, unless their midget team's season has ended. Meanwhile, each team is allowed to have only three 20-year-olds on their rosters, except for expansion teams, for which five 20-year-olds are eligible to play. Each team
858-545: Is made up of teams based in British Columbia , Washington , and Oregon . The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, with the division winners declared the top two seeds in the first round of the post-season. In the playoffs, the four remaining teams in each conference are reseeded by regular season points in the second round. Note: Current teams are shown in blue. Gold stars denote league championships. The WHL Bantam Draft
924-769: Is permitted to carry only two non-North American players, and teams have the opportunity to select such players through the CHL Import Draft . Each of the CHL's three member leagues are granted exclusive territorial rights to players from within North America. The WHL holds rights to players from the four western provinces, the American Pacific Northwest, all other American states west of the Mississippi River (except Missouri), and
990-693: Is the only former Blades' player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame . List of Blades' players who also played in the National Hockey League (NHL): In addition to the seven retired numbers, the Blades unveiled a banner honouring former captain Bruce Gordon in 2017. Gordon went on to a long career in policing and later attended law school, before he was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2017. Bob Clarke Trophy (WHL top scorer) Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of
1056-722: The 2002 Memorial Cup —despite being in one of the smallest markets in the league. In the 2000s, the league expanded four more times. The Vancouver Giants joined in 2001, the Everett Silvertips in 2003, the Chilliwack Bruins in 2005—the team relocated in 2011 and became the Victoria Royals —and the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2007. The Kelowna Rockets established a run of dominance, winning three WHL titles in 2003, 2005, and 2009, and winning
1122-494: The Alberta Junior Hockey League and the senior Central Alberta Hockey League . During the 1966 Memorial Cup, Hunter made newspaper headlines when he outlined his vision for a nation-wide junior hockey league competing for the Memorial Cup . The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's (CAHA) second vice-president Lloyd Pollock responded by saying that the idea was a pipe dream, and was not feasible while
1188-556: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 playoffs and a heavily modified 2021 campaign without playoffs. The team finally found more on-ice consistency as the WHL returned to regular scheduling in the 2021–22 season. In 2022–23, the Blades posted their first 100-point season since 2011, and went on their deepest playoff run since 1994. The Blades met the Regina Pats—captained by top NHL prospect Connor Bedard —in
1254-489: The Canadian national team from 1967 to 1969, as its coach and general manager, roles he filled for most of the 1970s. McLeod also became part owner of the franchise from 1976 to 1980 after he partnered with two others, including Nate Brodsky, to buy the team from Piggott. Under McLeod's guidance and with star players like Bernie Federko , Bob Bourne , Larry Sacharauk , Brent Ashton , Randy Ireland , and Blair Chapman ,
1320-584: The Ed Chynoweth Cup , with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup , Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba , Saskatchewan , and Alberta , while the Western Conference comprises 11 teams from British Columbia , Washington , and Oregon . The league
1386-593: The Portland Winter Hawks , marking the WCHL's first American club. With the addition of two more American teams in the Seattle Breakers and Billings Bighorns a year later, the WCHL shortened its name to the Western Hockey League. Despite the Flin Flon Bombers' early success, the remoteness and size of the community increasingly posed a challenge, and in 1978 the team relocated to Edmonton in
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#17327761338591452-805: The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL)—the Bruins, Moose Jaw Canucks , Regina Pats , Saskatoon Blades , and Weyburn Red Wings —left the SJHL and joined the Oil Kings and the Calgary Buffaloes in forming the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (CMJHL). Despite concerns that the CMJHL would mean the demise of the Alberta and Saskatchewan leagues—the SJHL did immediately fold—the governing bodies in both provinces sanctioned
1518-581: The Swift Current Broncos , met the Broncos in the Final, losing in overtime by a score of 4–3. The Blades finally returned to the championship series twice in the first half of the 1990s, both times facing the Kamloops Blazers . Coached by Lorne Molleken and led on the ice by the likes of Glen Gulutzan , Richard Matvichuk , Rhett Warrener , Wade Belak , and Norm Maracle , the Blades lost both
1584-468: The Yukon , Northwest Territories , and Nunavut . With most players joining the league while still attending school, the WHL takes a role in its players educational needs. The league operates a scholarship program that offers one full year of tuition, textbooks, and compulsory fees for each season played in the WHL. Since this program was introduced in 1993, more than 3,000 scholarships had been handed out at
1650-462: The 1980s were the opening of the new Saskatchewan Place arena in 1988, and hosting the 1989 Memorial Cup there. The Blades' first game at the new rink took place on 9 February 1988, a 4–3 victory over the Wheat Kings, a game in which the Blades trailed 3–0, in front of a sell-out crowd of 9,343. In the 1989 Memorial Cup tournament, the Blades, who lost in the third round of the WHL playoffs to
1716-431: The 1989 Memorial Cup final. For most of the team's history, the Blades have sported royal blue, gold, and white jerseys featuring a variation of a skate blade logo that has become known as the "Pac-Man." They dropped that logo from primary status in 1993, and dropped yellow from the colour palette in 2004, opting for navy blue and white on a new skate logo, with the skate blade emerging from stylized "SB" initials. In 2017,
1782-468: The 1992 and 1994 finals 4 games to 3 against Blazers teams that went on to win the Memorial Cup, part of a run of three Memorial Cups in four years for Kamloops, the only team to achieve such a feat. The run to the 1994 finals would mark the last time the Blades would advance past the second round of the WHL playoffs for nearly three decades. Before 1997, the Blades had failed to qualify for the post-season only five times; between 1997 and 2008, they would miss
1848-613: The 50-win plateau for the third time. In the playoffs, they defeated the Prince Albert Raiders in five games and swept the Rebels in the second round; they lost to the eventual-champion Moose Jaw Warriors in their second straight third round appearance in a 7-game series that featured a WHL-record six overtime games, including all four hosted in Saskatoon. The season also saw the Blades play their record 4,000th game in
1914-570: The Blades emerged as a contending team in the 1970s, missing the playoffs just once and making three finals appearances. Saskatoon finished with the league's best record in 1972–73 and made their first ever appearance in the league final, which they lost to the Medicine Hat Tigers . The Blades topped the East Division in both the 1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons and made consecutive finals appearances; they lost both in seven games to
1980-602: The Blades have never won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league playoff champions. The team has twice hosted the Memorial Cup tournament, in 1989 and in 2013. The Blades were established in 1964 as members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League , evolving from the Saskatoon Junior Quakers, who had played in the league since 1956. Owner Jim Piggott saw the team as a junior affiliate for his minor professional Western Hockey League Los Angeles Blades . However, Piggott became an instrumental figure in establishing
2046-542: The Blades re-adopted their classic colour scheme and logo. Like many major junior teams, the Blades frequently don special event jerseys, such as Star Wars -themed jerseys they wore in a 2015 game. In September 2018, the Blades wore a special jersey to honour the Humboldt Broncos after the Broncos bus crash earlier that year. In 2022, the Blades unveiled their first Pride -themed jerseys, which they wore on
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2112-462: The Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966, and are the only club that has played every season in the league in its original location. Today, the team plays in the East Division of the Western Hockey League 's Eastern Conference, and hosts games at the SaskTel Centre . Despite five regular season titles and five appearances in the championship series,
2178-703: The Blades' home in Saskatoon—all three cities are connected via Highway 11 . The Blades have faced the Pats in the playoffs seven times and the Raiders eight times. The only other teams they have met in the post-season eight times are the Broncos—including five meetings since the franchise returned to Swift Current from Lethbridge in 1986—and the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Blades also faced the Broncos in
2244-467: The CAHA was re-negotiating a development agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL). CAHA informed the Oil Kings that they were required to play full-time in a junior hockey league for the 1966–67 season or would be ineligible to compete for the Memorial Cup. This led Hunter to endorse the suggestion of Estevan Bruins owner Scotty Munro to create a new Western regional junior league. Five members of
2310-842: The CHA and re-sanctioning the WCHL, making it one of three top-flight major junior leagues, along with the Ontario Hockey Association —now the Ontario Hockey League —and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League—now the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League . Then, in 1972, the format of the Memorial Cup was changed to become a tournament between the champion of each major junior league. The league's first decade saw constant expansion and franchise movement as
2376-725: The CHL to be professionals and thus ineligible to participate in college hockey programs in the United States. Players hoping to receive scholarships to, and play for, American universities must play Junior A hockey in the British Columbia Hockey League , one of the Canadian Junior Hockey League 's member organizations, or the United States Hockey League to retain their NCAA eligibility. WHL teams earn
2442-547: The Cougars were unable to use the bus, which they had purchased from the folded Spokane Flyers , because they were unwilling to pay the taxes and duties required to register the vehicle in Canada. On December 30, 1986, tragedy struck the Swift Current Broncos when their bus slid off an icy highway and rolled on the way to Regina for a game. Scott Kruger, Trent Kresse, Brent Ruff, and Chris Mantyka were killed in
2508-783: The Four Broncos Memorial Trophy. Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League ( WHL ) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States . The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada , alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League . Teams play for
2574-600: The Memorial Cup as host in 2004. 2011 saw WHL teams participate in two outdoor games for the first time. The Spokane Chiefs hosted the Kootenay Ice on January 15, and on February 21, the Calgary Hitmen hosted the Regina Pats for a game in conjunction with the 2011 Heritage Classic . A third outdoor game was hosted by Regina as part of the 2019 Heritage Classic , featuring a rematch against the Hitmen. The league
2640-427: The Memorial Cup tournament. In May 1967, the CMJHL renamed itself to the Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL). The league also added four new teams, including the Swift Current Broncos and three teams based in Manitoba—the Brandon Wheat Kings , Flin Flon Bombers , and Winnipeg Jets . The new CAHA-NHL development agreement came into effect July 1, 1967. The new pact ended direct sponsorship of junior teams by
2706-433: The NHL, which shifted to paying development fees to CAHA, with junior players becoming eligible for the NHL entry draft at age 20. With the agreement settled, CAHA finally sanctioned the WCHL, which allowed for the league champion Estevan Bruins to compete for the 1968 Memorial Cup . However, in May 1968, Hunter announced that the league would use an age limit of 21 in spite of the CAHA-NHL agreement. The WCJHL claimed that
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2772-401: The QMJHL Champion Laval Titan . The Blades finished first in the round robin with a 2–1 record, including a 5–4 victory over the Broncos, who had a 14-game undefeated streak dating back to the start of the WHL playoffs, including a third-round sweep over the Blades. Their record gave the Blades a berth in the Memorial Cup final, where they lost a re-match to the Broncos, 4–3 in overtime. It was
2838-450: The WCHL and the CHA. Concerns over the WCHL's relationship with CAHA and a desire to compete for the Memorial Cup led the Pats, Canucks, and Red Wings to withdraw before the 1968–69 season , and join a revived Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League instead. At the conclusion of the season, the CHA organized its own national championship, which pitted the WCHL-champion Flin Flon Bombers against the St. Thomas Barons from Ontario. The initiative
2904-438: The WHL. The Blades have never won a WHL championship for the chance to compete for the Memorial Cup . However, Saskatoon has hosted the Memorial Cup tournament twice, in 1989 and in 2013, enabling the Blades to participate. In 1989 , a year after the team began playing at Saskatchewan Place, the Blades were joined by their provincial counterpart and WHL Champion Swift Current Broncos , the OHL Champion Peterborough Petes , and
2970-413: The best record of the 2010–11 season. Despite trading for star forward Brayden Schenn , the Blades lost in the second round to the eventual champions, the Kootenay Ice . Saskatoon also hosted its second Memorial Cup tournament in 2013. The Blades appeared to be peaking towards the end of the WHL regular season, winning 18 straight games between late January and early March. During that run, the Blades set
3036-431: The city and ultimately took over as general manager. This marked the beginning of a challenging on-ice period for the Blades, who had sacrificed draft picks and prospects for trades in anticipation of a longer 2013 Memorial Cup season. The team missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2018. Led by Kirby Dach , the Blades returned to the playoffs in 2019 and won their first playoff series since 2011, but
3102-436: The crash. The Broncos retired their numbers and introduced a commemorative patch in remembrance of the four players; in 2016, a memorial was unveiled at the crash site. The WHL later renamed its award for most valuable player as the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy in their honour. In 1989, less than three years after the crash, the Broncos won the league title and the Memorial Cup. The 1990s saw another period of expansion and
3168-419: The expansion Victoria Cougars and Vancouver Nats . In the mid-1970s, the Bruins established the WCHL's first true dynasty, capturing four consecutive championships between 1975 and 1978. The Bruins also won back-to-back Memorial Cup championships in 1977 and 1978. In 1976, the Oil Kings, facing pressure from the professional Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association , relocated to Oregon to become
3234-402: The first Memorial Cup final contested between two teams from the WHL, let alone from Saskatchewan. The tournament set a new attendance record. In 2013 , which marked the 25-year anniversary of their home arena, the tournament included the WHL Champion Portland Winterhawks , the OHL Champion London Knights , and the QMJHL Champion Halifax Mooseheads . The Blades finished the round robin with
3300-420: The first round, the first playoff matchup between the teams since 2006; the Blades set new attendance records against the Pats, selling out multiple games to the capacity of 14,768 for the first time in team history. Despite losing the first two games of the series on home ice, the Blades won the series 4 games to 3, winning the decisive game 7 at home by a score of 4–1. In the second round, the Blades became just
3366-408: The league spread throughout the west. The Flin Flon Bombers, led by future NHL stars Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach , became the league's first powerhouse team, making three straight finals appearances and winning back-to-back championships in 1969 and 1970. The WCHL became a truly western league in 1971 when the Estevan Bruins moved to British Columbia to become the New Westminster Bruins , joined by
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#17327761338593432-414: The lower age limit decreased its talent pool and negatively impacted ticket sales. In response, CAHA again suspended the league and its players. In June 1968, the WCJHL changed its name to the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), and announced that it was leaving CAHA to form the rival Canadian Hockey Association (CHA). Hunter became chairman of the board for the WCHL, and Ron Butlin became president of
3498-461: The new league. However, CAHA did not sanction it, declaring the CMJHL to be an "outlaw league" and suspending its teams and players from participation in CAHA events, including the Memorial Cup. The new league accused CAHA of overstepping its boundaries and, with the support of the players and their families, chose to play the season regardless. The CMJHL began legal action against the CAHA executive in March 1967, fighting to regain eligibility to enter
3564-476: The only team to have played every WHL season in its original location—the Regina Pats were also a founding team, but briefly left the WHL to re-join the SJHL at the end of the 1960s. The Blades, playing out of the 1930s-era Saskatoon Arena , were a middling team in the late 1960s, failing to win a playoff series in any of their first six seasons. The Blades hired Jackie McLeod , a former National Hockey League (NHL) player from Regina who had also managed
3630-436: The playoffs six times, despite boasting future NHL players including Martin Erat , Mike Green , Devin Setoguchi , Anton Khudobin , and Braden Holtby . After moving to the professional ranks in 1995, Molleken returned to coach the Blades in 2004, a role he would keep until 2013. He added general manager duties in 2011, and stayed in that role until 2014. The Blades won another regular season title in this era, finishing with
3696-422: The presence of new star players and future NHL figures like Lane Lambert , Brian Skrudland , Wendel Clark , Trent Yawney , Marc Habscheid , Todd McLellan , Curtis Leschyshyn , and Tim Cheveldae , the Blades continued to fall short of the elusive league championship. The team topped the league standings in both the 1982–83 and 1987–88 seasons, but failed to advance to the finals either season. The highlights of
3762-437: The return of the league to Western Canada's major cities. In 1991, the Spokane Chiefs became the second American team to win the Memorial Cup. The Kamloops Blazers established themselves as the WHL's second dynasty when they won both the WHL Championship and Memorial Cup three times in four years between 1992 and 1995. In 1995, the Calgary Hitmen , founded by a group of investors including Bret "the Hitman" Hart , from whom
3828-399: The right to compete in the annual Memorial Cup tournament by winning the WHL playoff championship or, since 1983, by hosting the tournament. Altogether, the Memorial Cup has been won by WHL teams nineteen times since the league's founding. Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan . Founded in 1964,
3894-475: The team got its name, were granted an expansion franchise. Despite early fears that the WHL could not succeed in an NHL city, the Hitmen were a success, averaging as many as 10,000 fans per game by 2004–05 . The Hitmen were followed one year later by the Edmonton Ice , but that team failed after only two seasons because of conflicts with the Edmonton Oilers. The team became the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, British Columbia , and found better success—including winning
3960-416: The team to Edmonton businessman Mike Priestner, who had previously attempted to purchase the Kamloops Blazers in 2007. Priestner had played as a goaltender in the league for the Kamloops Chiefs in 1974–75, while his son James tended goal for the Blazers and two other teams from 2007 to 2011. The new ownership expressed a commitment to keeping the team in Saskatoon, and Mike's son Colin Priestner moved to
4026-415: The third team in WHL history to win a series after falling behind 3 games to none, defeating the Red Deer Rebels at home in game 7 by a 5–2 score. The Blades' run came to an end in their first third-round appearance in nearly 30 years, when they were swept by the top-seeded Winnipeg Ice . The Blades followed this up in 2023–24 with their fifth Scotty Munro Trophy for best regular season record, reaching
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#17327761338594092-411: Was founded in 1966 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (CMJHL), with seven teams in Saskatchewan and Alberta. For its 1967 season, the league was renamed the Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL). From 1968, the league was renamed the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), and finally the Western Hockey League from 1978 after the admission of American-based teams to the league. The league
4158-438: Was reorganized. Despite winning the 1966 Memorial Cup , Edmonton Oil Kings ' owner Bill Hunter was growing concerned about the state of junior hockey in Western Canada. Each of the West's four provinces had its own junior league, and Hunter felt that this put them at a disadvantage when competing nationally against larger leagues based in Ontario and Quebec. Desiring stronger competition, Hunter's Oil Kings were competing in both
4224-433: Was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic , which emerged in North America in early 2020. The 2019–20 season was cut short and its playoffs ultimately cancelled due to the pandemic, while the 2020–21 season was played in a modified format, with teams playing 24-game in-division schedules with no playoffs. As such, neither the Ed Chynoweth Cup nor the Memorial Cup were awarded in 2020 or 2021. The league returned to
4290-424: Was the brainchild of Bill Hunter , who desired to build a western league capable of competing with the top leagues in Ontario and Quebec . He partnered with Scotty Munro , Del Wilson, and Jim Piggott to make this vision a reality. Originally considered an "outlaw league" by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association , the western league was not sanctioned as a top junior league until 1970, when Canadian junior hockey
4356-428: Was undermined when the Barons withdrew from the best-of-seven series during the fourth game in protest of alleged violent play on the part of the Bombers. The Bombers, who were awarded the title, proceeded to challenge the Memorial Cup champion-Montreal Junior Canadiens to a championship showdown, but the Montreal team declined. After years of disputes, Canadian junior hockey was reorganized in 1970, with CAHA absorbing
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