Saskatoon Blades

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Saskatoon Blades
City	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Eastern
Division	East
Founded	1964
Home arena	SaskTel Centre
Colours	Royal blue and gold
Owner(s)	Mike Priestner
General manager	Colin Priestner[1]
Head coach	Brennan Sonne
Captain	vacant
Website	www.saskatoonblades.com

The Saskatoon Blades are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Eastern Division of the Western Hockey League, formerly the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL). They are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, playing at the 15,195-seat SaskTel Centre.

History[]

The Saskatoon Blades began play in 1964. The team previously played as the junior counterpart to the Saskatoon Quakers, until team owner Jim Piggott applied to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) to change the team's name and colours.^[2] The team had also been known as the Saskatoon Wesleys from 1949 to 1955.^[3]

For the 1966–67 season, the team transferred to the new Canadian Major Junior Hockey League. The WCHL renamed itself the Western Hockey League in 1978. Of the seven original WCHL franchises, the Blades are the only team to have never relocated or left the league (the Regina Pats returned to the SJHL from 1968 to 1970).^{[citation needed]}

The Blades spent a number of seasons at the original Saskatoon Arena and there, developed many of the top professional players and coaches of their day, such as Bernie Federko, Wendel Clark, Mike Babcock. In the early 1990s, the team was one of the strongest in the league and made it to the league finals twice, losing to the Kamloops Blazers in both 1992 and 1994. The Blades have not returned to the final round of the playoffs since despite several successful regular seasons, including winning the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy in 2010–11 as the regular season champions. Since then playoff success has been rare, and as of 2016 the Blades have the longest playoff drought in the CHL, having not made the playoffs since 2013. The Blades hold the distinction of having the longest championship drought in the Canadian Hockey League, having never won the WHL Championship or Memorial Cup.^{[citation needed]}

The Blades were owned by the Brodsky family for 37 years.^[4] On August 27, 2013, the team was sold to Go Auto owner Mike Priestner for a reported $9 million.^[5] Throughout their existence the team has had a fierce rivalry with the Prince Albert Raiders, although recently the team has placed more of a focus on its growing competition with Regina Pats.^{[citation needed]}

Before the start of the 2005–06 season, the Blades retired their long-time mascot Helmutt, an anthropomorphic dog whose name was a pun on the word helmet, in favor of a mascot that would appeal to younger fans. Helmutt was replaced by Poke Check, a yeti, at the Blades home opener that season. He has since remained the team's mascot, and also appears at community events throughout Saskatoon. Just before the 2017–18 season, the team brought back the "Pac-Man" logo and jersey with the gold and royal blue colours.^{[citation needed]}

Memorial Cup[]

The Saskatoon Blades have hosted the Memorial Cup twice in their existence. The first came in 1989, a year after the team began playing at Saskatchewan Place (now SaskTel Centre). As the host city they were allowed to play in the tournament independent of their season standing, and were joined in the competition by the WHL Champion Swift Current Broncos, OHL Champion Peterborough Petes and QMJHL Champion Laval Titan. In a surprising twist in the tournament the Blades finished first overall 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. Despite their unexpected strong performance and an automatic berth in the Cup Final, the Blades ultimately lost to the Broncos in overtime.

The Blades would again host the Memorial Cup in 2013, which included the Portland Winterhawks, London Knights and the eventual champion Halifax Mooseheads. The Blades finished the round robin with a 1–2 record (their lone win coming over the Mooseheads), and lost to the Knights in the tiebreaker. The Blades' goaltender, Andrey Makarov, won the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the outstanding goalie of the tournament.

Highlights[]

The Blades have the distinction as one of the longest running teams in Major Junior Hockey never to have won the league championship.

In the 2008–09 season, the Saskatoon Blades made history by tying a WHL record for most road wins in a single season (28) with the 1999–00 Calgary Hitmen. In that season, the Blades went on to win their first East Division Championship since 1994.

With a 5–3 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings on March 9, 2011, the Blades clinched first place in the Western Hockey League and earned themselves the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the WHL's champion with the most points earned during the regular season. However, they lost out in the second round of the WHL playoffs.

During the 2012–13 season, the Blades broke a team record by winning 18 consecutive games from late January until early March.

Bruce Gordon was a forward with the Saskatoon Blades and Medicine Hat Tigers, an active hockey player who became the Saskatoon Blades captain during the beginning of the 1980s.^[6][7] Gordon also coached midget hockey. Before his passing Gordon was honoured with a Bruce Gordon banner in the SaskTel Centre, and players adorned their hockey helmets with #BeLikeBruce stickers.^[7] Additionally at the season home opener - featuring the two teams Gordon played for, theBlades and Tigers, the "Cops for Cancer" fundraiser raised money in the name of Gordon towards cancer research.^[8]

NHL alumni[]

Bernie Federko is the only former Blade in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Retired numbers[]

• 7 – Gerry Pinder
• 7 – Brent Ashton
• 10 – Brian Skrudland
• 12 – Bob Bourne
• 22 – Wendel Clark
• 15 – Bernie Federko

Coaches[]

Saskatoon Blades Logo 1983/84 – 1992/93

• – 1964–65
• – 1964–70
• George Senick – 1969–70*
• Jackie McLeod – 1970–79
• Jerry Engele – 1979–80
• – 1980–81
• – 1981–84
• Marcel Comeau – 1984–89
• Terry Ruskowski – 1989–91
• Bob Hoffmeyer – 1991*
• Lorne Molleken – 1991–95
• – 1995–98
• Willie Desjardins – 1998*
• Brad McCrimmon – 1998–2000
• – 2000–04
• – 2003–04*
• Lorne Molleken – 2004–13
• – 2013–14
• Bob Woods – 2014–16
• – 2016–18^[9]
• Mitch Love – 2018–2021^[10][11]
• - 2021-^[12]

*interim (regular head coach fired, sick or suspended)

Current roster[]

Updated February 15, 2021.^[13]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace	Drafted
16			LW	L	19	2017	Chestermere, Alberta	Undrafted
34		Colton Dach	LW	L	18	2018	Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta	Eligible 2021
21			C	R	21	2020	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Undrafted
5			D	L	19	2017	Langley, British Columbia	Undrafted
19			RW	R	21	2018	Millarville, Alberta	Undrafted
41			LW	L	20	2019	Grande Prairie, Alberta	Undrafted
4			D	L	19	2019	Kyjov, Czech Republic	Undrafted
30			G	L	19	2017	Burnaby, British Columbia	Undrafted
73			G	L	20	2016	Tacoma, Washington	Undrafted
–			D	L	21	2021	Dawson Creek, British Columbia	Undrafted
20			LW	L	20	2019	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
23			C	R	20	2020	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
45			C	L	19	2017	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
41			D	R	19	2020	Lloydminster, Alberta	Undrafted
11			C	R	19	2018	Brandon, Manitoba	2020, 56th Overall, SJS
24			D	R	20	2019	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
37			RW	L	21	2017	Regina, Saskatchewan	Undrafted
55			D	R	18	2018	Prince Albert, Saskatchewan	Eligible 2021
—			RW	R	20	2021	Calgary, Alberta	Undrafted
9			C	L	18	2018	Carrot River, Saskatchewan	Eligible 2021
44		(C)	C	R	21	2015	Lloydminster, Alberta	Undrafted
47			D	L	17	2018	Olds, Alberta	Eligible 2022

Season-by-season record[]

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

WHL Championship history[]

• 1972–73: Loss, 2–0–3 vs Medicine Hat
• 1974–75: Loss, 3–4 vs New Westminster
• 1975–76: Loss, 1–2–4 vs New Westminster
• 1991–92: Loss, 3–4 vs Kamloops
• 1993–94: Loss, 3–4 vs Kamloops

Team records[]

See also[]

• List of ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan

References[]

External links[]

• Official website