2019-20 AJHL Guidebook

AJHL HISTORY CONTINUED
ers, who lasted until 1970-71. One
of the graduates of those early
Ponoka years was Stan Weir; a
former league scoring champion
who played in National Hockey
League.
Max Bentley, hockey’s famous
“dipsy-doodle-dandy” from Delisle,
Sask., was a former Ponoka coach.
The AJHL has
grown into one of
the most highly
respected Junior
‘A’ Leagues
in Canada, having
nine national
championships
He played on the Pony Line, one
of the early day National Hockey
League’s greatest lines with Doug
Bentley and Bill Mosienko.
Next, in 1967-68, came the Red
Deer Rustlers, national champions
in 1970-71, the Sutter saga
and in 1979-80 they were national
champions again. They were followed,
in 1970-71, by the Mount
Royal College Cougars of Calgary,
who played in the League
for two years before reverting
to an all-college league (Alberta
Colleges Athletic Conference).
Former NHL great Bert Olmstead
was the Cougars’ first coach.
Also that year, Lloydminster
was granted a franchise but it
never got off the ground, a fate
that was repeated again in 1972,
and 1979.
In 1971-72, the Calgary Canucks
and the Drumheller Falcons
entered. However, in the
same year, two of the charter
members, the Movers and the
Maple Leafs, ceased operations.
Drumheller played continuously
until 1975-76 when the original
Falcons folded, only to be revived
in 1979-80.
Drumheller’s franchise folded
again after going 0-26 to start
the 1982-83 season.
The Lethbridge Sugar Kings fell
by the wayside in 1972-73 because
of the introduction to that city of
major junior hockey. But, a new
group stepped forward, renamed
the team the Longhorns, and kept
the AJHL functioning in Lethbridge
until they, too, succumbed
to the major juniors in 1974-75.
The Edmonton Movers and
the Edmonton Maple Leafs combined
to become the Edmonton
Mets in 1972-73, who in turn became
the Spruce Grove Mets in
1974-75. The Spruce Grove Mets
gave the League its second national
championship in 1974-75
before becoming the St. Albert
Saints in 1977-78.
The Taber Golden Suns entered
the league in 1974-75 with
Gary Hull; brother of hockey’s
famed Golden Jet, Bobby Hull,
as their first coach. Taber transferred
the franchise to Olds and
became the Grizzlys in 1981-82.
Then came the Fort Saskatchewan
Traders and the Edmonton
Crusaders in 1976-77. The Crusaders
became the Sherwood
Park Crusaders in 1978.
The Fort McMurray Oil Barons
and Hobbema Hawks entered
the League in 1981-82. The Lloydminster
Blazers were added in
1988-89, after Lloydminster had
operated as the Lancers in the Saskatchewan
Junior Hockey League.
The Red Deer Rustlers were
granted a leave of absence in
1989-90 and ceased operations
in 1991-92. Hobbema took a leave
of absence in 1990-91 and ceased
operations in 1993.
The Bonnyville Pontiacs
joined in 1991-92; the Bow Valley
Eagles, Grande Prairie Storm
and Camrose Kodiaks entered
in 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-
98, respectively. Grande Prairie
was admitted after playing many
years in the Rocky Mountain Junior
Hockey League in B.C.
In 1998-99 the Crowsnest
Pass gets a franchise back after a
twenty-year absence and names
the team the Timberwolves.
Drayton Valley is also awarded a
franchise and goes by the name
of the Thunder.
The Alberta Junior Hockey
League awarded Brooks the opportunity
to purchase a franchise
in the League in September
of 1998. In November 1999 the
Brooks Bandits officially purchased
the franchise for Brooks
from Alberta Junior Hockey
League. The Brooks Bandits
opened the 2000-01 season as
the 15th team in the AJHL.
42 | AJHL Guidebook 2019-20