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20-652: Despite their long history in the KIJHL, the Braves have never won the league championship. They won their division in 1978/79, 1983/84, and the 1991/92 season. The Spokane Braves primary focus is to move players up to the next level such as the WHL, Junior 'A', and College Hockey. The club was founded as the Spokane Rockets in 1972, finally becoming the Braves in 1985. The WHL Spokane Chiefs drafted their first player from

40-479: A Junior 'A' level hockey league. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, D = Defaults, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, D = Defaults, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Records as of March 3, 2024 Records as of March 29, 2020. Top Defenceman Rookie of

60-757: The Memorial Cup tournament three times. In 1988 and 1991 , they participated as the QMJHL runner-up and in 2009 as League champions. The Voltigeurs won both the President's Cup and Jean Rougeau Trophy during the 2008–09 season . In the 2009 Memorial Cup, the Voltigeurs finished second in the round robin, but lost to the Windsor Spitfires in the semi-finals. List of championships won: List of notable coaches: List of alumni to play in

80-622: The Spokane Coliseum , which had been hosting hockey since the 1950s. The Chiefs found relatively early success in Spokane, missing the playoffs only once in the team's first thirteen seasons. In their sixth season, led by Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney —both of whom would be drafted that summer by the National Hockey League 's expansion San Jose Sharks —the team secured its WHL championship. The title helped to save

100-697: The 1991 Memorial Cup, defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs 5–1 in the championship game to become the second American team after the Portland Winter Hawks to win the title. In 1995, the 1991 championship team was one of several Spokane hockey teams honoured as part of the closing of the Coliseum. Later that year, the Chiefs moved to the new Spokane Arena. In 2016, Whitney became the first player to have his number retired by

120-563: The Braves in the bantam draft in 2003. Mike Bay coached the team for 13 years in the 2000s and 2010s, and returned as coach in 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions in travel the Spokane Braves did not participate in the KIJHL. The 2023–24 season marked not only the return to the KIJHL but the 50th anniversary of participation in the KIJHL. The Braves returned to a league that had just been given recognition as being

140-552: The Chiefs lost a playoff series to Portland four games to three; it was the first series in league history in which the home team did not win a game. The team entered a rebuilding phase in the late 2010s, a period disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic . Spokane hosted the Western Hockey League's first ever outdoor game on January 15, 2011 against the rival Kootenay Ice . The game, dubbed the "Outdoor Hockey Classic",

160-544: The Chiefs set a franchise record with 50 wins and 107 points. Like in 1991, they defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL championship in four game—with Johnson being named the playoff's most valuable player—to advance to the team's second Memorial Cup tournament. There, they defeated the Kitchener Rangers in the final by a score of 4–1; Tokarski's 53 saves in the final led to him being named

180-595: The Chiefs: All-time regular season records in parentheses. Spokane Chiefs games are broadcast on AM 1510 KGA throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and parts of British Columbia. Table includes average attendance and WHL attendance rank. Drummondville Voltigeurs The Drummondville Voltigeurs are a Canadian junior ice hockey team of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise

200-685: The Year Most Valuable Player Top Scorer KIJHL AWARDS Spokane Chiefs The Spokane Chiefs are an American major junior ice hockey team based in Spokane, Washington . The Chiefs play in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League 's Western Conference, playing home games at Spokane Arena . The Chiefs are two-time Memorial Cup champions—the second American team to win

220-588: The city was granted an expansion franchise, along with the Longueuil Chevaliers . The team was named for a Quebec-based regiment that fought in the War of 1812 , the Canadian Voltigeurs . On February 9, 1989, Drummondville's coach and general manager Jean Bégin , was suspended indefinitely after he was arrested and charged with sexual assault . The Voltigeurs have participated in

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240-488: The following season, and helping the team commit to plans to build a new, larger arena. The team has since consistently ranked near the top of the WHL for attendance—for instance, in 2022–23, despite failing to qualify for the playoffs, the Chiefs were ranked second in the league for average attendance. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties OTL = Overtime losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Players who have had their numbers retired by

260-466: The organization. The team played in two more league finals, in 1996 and 2000, losing both. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs only once during the decade. Although the Chiefs missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in 2004–05 and 2005–06, the team achieved record success in 2007–08. Led by goaltender Dustin Tokarski , along with Jared Cowan and rookie Tyler Johnson ,

280-506: The team saw what started the season as a half-full arena for home games start to sell-out. At the trade deadline, Speltz added goaltender Trevor Kidd , who proved essential to the team's success. In the playoffs, the Chiefs avenged a loss from the previous year against the defending champion Kamloops Blazers before dispatching the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the league final in four straight games. The team went on to secure

300-477: The team, which was struggling financially; in 1990, the team was sold to new ownership, and hired two figures who had played roles in the Medicine Hat Tigers ' 1987 Memorial Cup title in coach Bryan Maxwell and 32-year old general manager Tim Speltz. The 1990–91 season saw Whitney lead the league with 67 goals and 185 points, with Falloon trailing just behind with 64 goals and 138 points; meanwhile,

320-563: The title—winning in 1991 and 2008. Spokane hosted the first outdoor game in WHL history on January 15, 2011, at Avista Stadium . The original Spokane Chiefs were a senior team that played in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) from 1982 to 1985, the last of several Spokane teams to play in the league dating back to the 1940s. In their final year, the Chiefs were the regular season and playoff WIHL champions. In 1982, Kelowna , British Columbia ,

340-453: The tournament's most valuable player. During the team's celebration with the trophy, its cup famously separated from its base, leaving the replica of the storied trophy in two pieces. Spokane native Johnson would go on to a successful career with the Chiefs, and in 2022 he became the second alumnus to have his jersey number retired by the club. After their second Memorial Cup title, the Chiefs remained competitive for several seasons. In 2010,

360-595: Was awarded an expansion team in the junior Western Hockey League; the Kelowna Wings played three seasons before the team relocated to Spokane in 1985 and took up the Chiefs name. The Chiefs became the second WHL team in Spokane after the short-lived Flyers , a team that stemmed from the WHL-charter member Flin Flon Bombers and operated from 1980 to 1982, when the team folded. The team began playing in

380-659: Was originally granted for the 1982–83 season, and is based in Drummondville , Quebec, playing its home games at the Centre Marcel Dionne . The team won the QMJHL's President's Cup in 2009 and 2024. Drummondville had a QMJHL team at the foundation of the League in 1969 , called the Drummondville Rangers . However, the team folded at the end of the 1973–74 season . For the 1982–83 season ,

400-401: Was played at Avista Stadium in front of a sell-out crowd of 7,075. The Chiefs won the game by a score of 11–2. Spokane has developed a reputation for strong support for the Chiefs, drawing large crowds recognized for their local traditions, like clapping in unison to celebrate goals. Attendance was especially strong coming off of the team's first championship in 1991, jumping thirty percent

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