Fort Saskatchewan Traders Explained

Team:	Fort Saskatchewan Traders
Division:	North
Colours:	Black, red and white
Name1:	Fort Saskatchewan Traders
Dates1:	1976–2007
Dates2:	2007–2012
Name3:	Whitecourt Wolverines
Dates3:	2012–present

The Fort Saskatchewan Traders were an ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They played in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, at the Jubilee Recreation Centre, capacity 2000.

Founded: 1976–77

Division titles won: 1983–84

Regular season titles won: 1983–84, 1990–91, 1992–93

League Championships won: 1979, 1984

Doyle Cup Titles: None

Royal Bank Cup Titles: None

History

The team's name comes from Fort Saskatchewan's history as a North-West Mounted Police fort, although it was not actually a trading fort, when it was originally settled in 1875.

In 1978–79, the Traders completed their most successful season in the AJHL, as they won the league championship, and then defeated the Richmond Sockeyes of the BCHL in the Vernon Cup (forerunner to the Doyle Cup) before falling to the eventual national champion Prince Albert Raiders in six games at the Centennial Cup finals.

The Traders fell upon hard times in their last years as financial difficulties and low attendance left the future of the Traders in doubt. The Traders were reportedly sold to a group representing St. Albert during the 2005-06 season, however the deal failed to gain league approval. Finally, on March 15, 2007, a deal to relocate the Traders to St. Albert for the 2007–08 season was approved, ending the Traders' 31-year run in Fort Saskatchewan.^[1] Only the Calgary Canucks have had a longer tenure in one city. Once relocated, the team was renamed the St. Albert Steel. The team relocated again after the 2011–12 season to Whitecourt where they became the Whitecourt Wolverines.

Season-by-season record

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

Season	GP	W	L	T/OTL	SOL	Points	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
1976-77	60	33	24	3	-	69	292	280	5th Overall	---
1977-78	58	37	21	2	-	76	345	299	3rd Overall	---
1978-79	60	41	18	1	-	83	340	246	2nd Overall	Won Championship
1979-80	59	24	35	0	-	48	282	336	6th Overall	---
1980-81	60	23	36	1	-	47	273	316	4th North	---
1981-82	60	30	29	1	-	61	266	288	3rd North	---
1982-83	60	26	34	0	-	52	301	299	3rd North	---
1983-84	60	40	19	1	-	81	325	262	1st North	Won Championship
1984-85	60	36	22	2	-	74	312	231	3rd North	---
1985-86	52	21	29	2	-	44	227	256	3rd North	---
1986-87	60	24	34	2	-	50	258	295	4th North	---
1987-88	60	29	30	1	-	59	295	280	2nd North	---
1988-89	60	38	21	1	-	77	304	270	2nd North	---
1989-90	60	33	27	0	-	66	307	263	3rd North	---
1990-91	56	37	15	4	-	78	282	218	1st Overall	---
1991-92	60	31	28	-	1	63	246	251	6th Overall	---
1992-93	56	36	18	-	2	74	248	197	1st Overall	---
1993-94	56	33	21	-	2	67	206	175	3rd Overall	---
1994-95	56	18	34	-	4	40	201	267	9th Overall	---
1995-96	60	36	19	-	5	77	209	189	4th Overall	---
1996-97	60	26	31	-	3	55	247	234	9th Overall	---
1997-98	60	40	18	-	2	82	249	225	3rd Overall	---
1998-99	62	37	24	-	1	75	294	252	3rd North	---
1999-00	64	35	25	-	4	74	272	255	3rd North	---
2000-01	64	26	32	6	-	58	249	300	7th North	---
2001-02	64	20	41	3	-	43	190	315	7th North	---
2002-03	64	20	36	8	-	48	214	285	7th North	---
2003-04	60	16	39	5	-	37	159	281	8th North	Did not qualify
2004-05	64	19	41	4	-	42	157	228	6th North
2005-06	60	37	20	3	-	77	201	179	6th North	Lost in First Round
2006-07	60	45	11	4	-	94	286	146	1st North	Lost in Final

Playoffs

• 1977 Lost quarter-final

Red Deer Rustlers defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1978 Lost final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Edmonton Crusaders 4-games-to-3

First in semi-final round robin (3-1) vs. Calgary Canucks and St. Albert Saints

Calgary Canucks defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-none

• 1979 Won League, won Alta/BC Championship, lost Abbott Cup

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Calgary Chinooks 4-games-to-none

Second in semi-final round robin (2-2) vs. Calgary Canucks and St. Albert Saints

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Calgary Canucks 4-games-to-3 AJHL CHAMPIONS

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Richmond Sockeyes (PJHL) 4-games-to-1 ALTA/BC CHAMPIONS

Prince Albert Raiders (SJHL) defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1980 Lost quarter-final

St. Albert Saints defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-none

• 1981 Lost quarter-final

Sherwood Park Crusaders defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-none

• 1982 Lost quarter-final

Fort McMurray Oil Barons defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1983 Lost quarter-final

Fort McMurray Oil Barons defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-none

• 1984 Won League, lost Alta/BC Championship

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 4-games-to-none

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated St. Albert Saints 4-games-to-3

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Red Deer Rustlers 4-games-to-none AJHL CHAMPIONS

Langley Eagles (BCJHL) defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1985 Lost semi-final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated St. Albert Saints 4-games-to-2

Sherwood Park Crusaders defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-none

• 1986 Lost quarter-final

Sherwood Park Crusaders defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-1

• 1987 Lost quarter-final

Sherwood Park Crusaders defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-1

• 1988 Lost quarter-final

Hobbema Hawks defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1989 Lost final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Lloydminster Blazers 4-games-to-2

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Sherwood Park Crusaders 4-games-to-none

Red Deer Rustlers defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-1

• 1990 Lost quarter-final

Lloydminster Blazers defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-3

• 1991 Lost final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Sherwood Park Crusaders 4-games-to-none

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Lloydminster Blazers 4-games-to-1

Calgary Royals defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1992 Lost semi-final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated St. Albert Saints 4-games-to-3

Olds Grizzlys defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-1

• 1993 Lost final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Sherwood Park Crusaders 5-games-to-4

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated St. Albert Saints 4-games-to-3

Olds Grizzlys defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-3

• 1994 Lost quarter-final

St. Albert Saints defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-3

• 1995 DNQ
• 1996 Lost quarter-final

Fort McMurray Oil Barons defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-none

• 1997 DNQ
• 1998 Lost final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Lloydminster Blazers 4-games-to-none

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

St. Albert Saints defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

• 1999 Lost quarter-final

Lloydminster Blazers defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-3

• 2000 Lost quarter-final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated St. Albert Saints 3-games-to-1

Lloydminster Blazers defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-none

• 2001 Lost preliminary

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-2

• 2002 Lost preliminary

Drayton Valley Thunder defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-none

• 2003 DNQ
• 2004 DNQ
• 2005 Lost preliminary

Drayton Valley Thunder defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-none

• 2006 Lost preliminary

Spruce Grove Saints defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-none

• 2007 Lost final

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 4-games-to-none

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Okotoks Oilers 4-games-to-1

Camrose Kodiaks defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 4-games-to-2

Notable alumni

The following former Traders have gone on to play in the NHL:

Dave Babych Jim Benning Mike Berger Keith Brown Mike Commodore Paul Comrie Taylor Fedun

Matt Frattin Paul Healey Justin Hocking Pat MacLeod Clint Malarchuk Dave Marcinyshyn Richard Matvichuk

John Mokosak Mike Needham Parry Pelensky Jim Playfair Grant Sasser Wally Schreiber

Sheldon Souray Randy Turnbull Brad Werenka Gary Yaremchuk Ken Yaremchuk Zarley Zalapski

Traders who moved on to play for the Canadian Women's National & Olympic Teams:

• Shannon Szabados

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta

External links

• Alberta Junior Hockey League website

Notes and References

1. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2007/03/16/alberta-fortsask.html St. Albert snaps up Fort Saskatchewan hockey team