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32-652: The Olds Grizzlys joined the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) after the Taber Golden Suns franchise relocated to Olds following the 1980–81 season. The Grizzlys were a dominant team in the AJHL in the early 1990s with three straight league championships and a Centennial Cup title as Junior A national champions, won on home ice, in 1994. On June 30, 2017, the league announced that the franchise had been transferred to new ownership called

64-729: A 2021 population of 37,645, Spruce Grove is the ninth-largest city in Alberta . The mayor of Spruce Grove is Jeff Acker. Spruce Grove is home to the Horizon Stage Performing Arts Centre, a local theatre, and the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre , a recreation facility shared with Stony Plain and Parkland County. Jennifer Heil , the freestyle skier who won the first gold medal for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy, and

96-558: A Junior A hockey team that play in the British Columbia Hockey League . The TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre is an activity centre formed as a union between the municipalities of Parkland County , Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. It is in the west end of Spruce Grove. The centre was opened to the public by Premier Ralph Klein on September 18, 2002. As of 2024 , the Myshak Metro Ballpark

128-864: 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 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,

160-498: A number of youths and adults involved in amateur sports, that run year round. Box lacrosse runs from March to July under the organization Parkland Posse, which pulls young people from the Tri communities of Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County. Hockey runs from September to April, soccer and rugby run from May to October, football runs from July to December and baseball runs from March to October. The Spruce Grove Saints are

192-612: A population density of 1,058.0/km (2,740.1/sq mi) in 2016. The Spruce Grove Art Gallery is in the Melcor Cultural Centre and is operated by the Allied Arts Council of Spruce Grove. The gallery hosts ongoing shows for original art created by its members, made up of artists from mainly the Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County area. Horizon Stage hosts many plays and acts throughout

224-484: A silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics is from Spruce Grove, as is Carla MacLeod , a member of the 2010 Canada women's national ice hockey team , and Hockey Hall of Fame member and Stanley Cup -winning goalie Grant Fuhr . Stephanie Labbé , goalkeeper for Canada's 2020 Summer Olympic gold-medal winning women's soccer team, grew up in the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain area and played soccer at Spruce Grove Composite High School. Centuries before European settlement,

256-568: Is part of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , the City of Spruce Grove had a population of 37,645 living in 14,273 of its 14,752 total private dwellings, a change of 10.4% from its 2016 population of 34,108. With a land area of 37.52 km (14.49 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,003.3/km (2,598.6/sq mi) in 2021. The population of

288-759: Is under construction. Upon completion, it will become the home stadium of the Edmonton Prospects . Spruce Grove is part of the Parkland School Division No. 70 . The following public schools are in Spruce Grove. Spruce Grove is part of the Evergreen Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 2 . The following separate schools are in Spruce Grove. Spruce Grove receives almost all of its print, radio, and television media from Edmonton . However, Spruce Grove has its own weekly newspaper,

320-592: 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 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

352-558: The Canadian Junior Hockey League since 1971. Since 1986, the tournament has consisted of the regional Junior A champions and a previously selected host team. Since 1990, the national championship has used a five-team tournament format when the regional qualifiers were designated as the ANAVET Cup (Western), Doyle Cup (Pacific), Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central), and Fred Page Cup (Eastern). From 2013 to 2017,

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384-602: The Cree and Sarcee people occupied the land that would become Spruce Grove, moving with the seasons. Homesteaders in the area date back to 1879. Originally the town comprised a general store, livery stables, blacksmith shop, hotel, and the Roman Catholic Church . In 1908 the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway came through Spruce Grove and a train station was built. With the establishment of

416-868: 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 the AJHL title twice, and the Manitoba Centennial Trophy in 1975. In 1976, they moved again to become

448-552: 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 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

480-679: 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 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

512-705: 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 the NHL, won eight AJHL titles and two Centennial Trophies during their existence. They were expelled from

544-591: The "Friends of the Grizzlys." Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties/Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against The National Junior A Championship , known as the Centennial Cup and formerly as the Royal Bank Cup or RBC Cup, is the postseason tournament for the Canadian national championship for Junior A hockey teams that are members of

576-627: The AJHL champ played for the Doyle Cup against the champion of the British Columbia Hockey League . The winner of 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

608-614: 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 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,

640-435: The City of according to its 2017 municipal census is 34,881, a change of 3.7% from its 2016 municipal census population of 33,640. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Spruce Grove had a population of 34,066 living in 12,552 of its 13,109 total private dwellings, a change of 30.2% from its 2011 population of 26,171. With a land area of 32.2 km (12.4 sq mi), it had

672-653: 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: Spruce Grove Spruce Grove is a city that is 11 km (6.8 mi) west of Edmonton , Alberta, in Canada. The city is adjacent to the Town of Stony Plain and is surrounded by Parkland County . With

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704-608: 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 a Junior "A" league in an attempt to truly develop Alberta hockey. The original league consisted of the Edmonton Safeway Canadians ,

736-670: 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, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) announced that the Blackfalds Bulldogs , Brooks Bandits , Okotoks Oilers , Sherwood Park Crusaders , and Spruce Grove Saints would join

768-469: 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 , 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

800-565: The city, called the Heritage Grove Trail, where bike riders can ride for hours through lush forest. On June 7, 2008, Spruce Grove held the grand opening of the West District Park, which features two full artificial surface fields for football , soccer and other activities. The Edmonton Eskimos donated $ 10,000 towards the event and held practice at the facility as part of the first-day activities. Spruce Grove has

832-711: 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 a mandate to focus on giving Calgary-area kids a place to play while focusing on their educational needs. The Canucks have captured

864-603: 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 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,

896-414: The national championship. In some years, the losers of the semifinal games face each other for a third place game. The following former Grizzlys have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL): Alberta Junior Hockey League The Alberta Junior Hockey League ( AJHL ) is an Alberta -based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It

928-492: The qualifiers were the Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central), Fred Page Cup (Eastern), and the Western Canada Cup champions and runners-up (Western #1 and #2). The tournament begins with round-robin play between the five teams followed by the top four teams playing a semifinal game, with the top seed facing the fourth seed and the second facing the third. The winners of the semifinals then face each other in final game for

960-492: The railroad, the community became a busy grain-trading center. Spruce Grove was incorporated as a village on March 14, 1907, but it was dissolved on August 30, 1916. Spruce Grove was re-incorporated as a village on January 1, 1955, and incorporated as a town on January 1, 1971, and as a city on March 1, 1986. Spruce Grove is near the province's geographical centre, at 30 kilometres (19 mi) from downtown Edmonton and 14 km (8.7 mi) from Edmonton's city limits. It

992-519: The year, as well as a lot of community theatre. Spruce Grove also has a 7 screen theatre complex which opened in the fall of 2007. Another cultural facility within the city is the Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum . The TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre , opened in 2002, provides a pool, soccer fields, a gymnasium, workout gym, and ice rinks to the people of Parkland County. Spruce Grove has bike trails winding throughout

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1024-605: 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 the Inter Pipeline Cup (previously known as the Carling O'Keefe trophy and Gas Drive Cup). The winner of

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