Calgary Canucks

Calgary Canucks
CityCalgary, Alberta
LeagueAlberta Junior Hockey League
DivisionSouth
Founded1971 (1971)
Home arenaKen Bracko Arena
ColoursRed, Yellow, White
     
PresidentSandy Edmonstone
General managerBrad Moran
Head coachBrad Moran
Websitecalgarycanucks.ca

The Calgary Canucks are a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). They play in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with home games at the Ken Bracko Arena. They have won the AJHL championship ten times and one national championship.

History

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Founded in 1971, the Calgary Canucks are the second-oldest franchise still operating in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), preceded only by the Spruce Grove Saints. The Canucks franchise has the longest tenure of any in the AJHL in one city.

The Canucks organization was formed of a group led by Doug Eastcott in order to create a junior team so that local players did not have to live away from where they attended school. As the team considered itself a Calgary-based development system, it set an internal limit of three "imports" (non-Calgary area players) per season. The import cap was eventually dropped as the AJHL has added more teams in the Calgary region such as the Calgary Royals and Okotoks Oilers, causing the team to recruit from a larger region.

The Canucks qualified for the playoffs 34 consecutive seasons, a streak finally broken in 2006–07, The team has 11 regular season titles, nine AJHL championships, two Doyle Cup titles, and one Centennial Cup National Junior A Championship. The team has developed multiple players that have reached the National Hockey League, including Dany Heatley and two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Vernon. Many more have earned scholarships to American and Canadian universities.

During the 2021–22 season, while renovations made their home Ken Bracko Arena unavailable,[1] the Canucks played their home games at Henry Viney Arena.

Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties/Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

  1. ^ Canucks took one-year leave of absence in 1983–84 after attempt to relocate to High River failed. Franchise returned in 1984–85 under new ownership.
Cole Svenson with the Calgary Canucks vs Drumheller Dragons on Heritage Night (1-18-20)

Junior A National Championship

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The National Junior A Championship, known as the Centennial Cup and formerly as Royal Bank Cup or RBC Cup, is the postseason tournament for the Canadian national championship for Junior A hockey teams that are members of 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, 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 the national championship. In some years, the losers of the semifinal games face each other for a third place game.

Year Round-robin Record Standing Semifinal Championship game
1995 W, 1–0[a] vs. Le National de Joliette (Eastern)
W, 6–0 vs. Thunder Bay Flyers (Central)
W, 5–4 vs. Gloucester Rangers (Host)
L, 3–6 vs. Winnipeg South Blues (Western)
3–1
(W–L)
1st of 5 W, 5–3 vs. Thunder Bay Flyers W, 5–4 vs. Gloucester Rangers
Centennial Cup National Junior A Champions

Revised format 2022

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Canadian Jr. A National Championships
Maritime Junior Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Superior International Junior Hockey League, Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, and Host. The BCHL declared itself an independent league and there is no BC representative.
Round-robin play in two 5-team pools with top three in pool advancing to determine a Champion.

Year Round-robin Record Standing Quarterfinal Semifinal Championship
2024 L, Collingwood Blues (OJHL), 4-5
W, Collège Français de Longueuil (QJHL), 5-1
W, Greater Sudbury Cubs (NOJHL), 3-2
SOW, Navan Grads (CCHL), 3-2
2-1-1 2nd of 5
Group A
Won 4-2
Winkler Flyers
Lost 1-2
Melfort Mustangs
did not qualified
  1. ^ Due to a challenge by the Canucks on a Joliette rules violation, the 5–1 loss was overturned.

NHL alumni

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The following former Canucks have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL):

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gilligan, Melissa (2022-01-07). "'A better and more accessible experience': Max Bell Centre's $14M renovation complete". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
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Preceded by Centennial Cup Champions
1995
Succeeded by