Calgary Hitmen

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Calgary Hitmen
City: Calgary, Alberta
League: Western Hockey League
Conference: Eastern
Division: Central
Founded: 1995-96
Home Arena: Pengrowth Saddledome
Colours: Black, silver & copper
Head Coach: Kelly Kisio
General Manager: Kelly Kisio
Playoff game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Playoff game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Calgary Hitmen are a junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). They play their home games at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Hitmen name is derived from Calgary-born wrestler, and original part owner, Bret "the Hitman" Hart. The Hitmen's original jerseys were a distinctive mix of pink, black and grey, also taken from Hart's ring attire.

The Hitmen are the third WHL team to represent Calgary, preceded by the Centennials and Wranglers. In 1999, the Hitmen became the first Calgary team to win the President's Cup as league champions, and the first to represent Calgary in the Memorial Cup since the Calgary Canadians won the national junior title in 1926.

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Calgary had been without a WHL team since 1987, when the Calgary Wranglers moved south to become the Lethbridge Hurricanes, as the juniors could not compete against the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. Eighteen investors, however, convinced the WHL to grant the city of Calgary an expansion franchise for the 1995-96 WHL season. In addition to Hart, the ownership group included NHL stars Theo Fleury and Joe Sakic.[1] Though initially nervous of competing with the Hitmen for hockey fan's dollars, the Flames chose to purchase the Hitmen in 1997, and have since built the team into one of the premier junior hockey teams in Canada.

The controversial original logo of the Hitmen, and the alternate they were forced to use in their first season.
The controversial original logo of the Hitmen, and the alternate they were forced to use in their first season.

The Hitmen immediately generated controversy when the team logo was unveiled. While the "Jason Vorhees" style logo was instantly popular with many fans, some in the local media, as well as the league office found the look too violent, and the Hitmen were forced to use an alternate "starburst" logo in their inaugural season. The WHL relented after one year, allowing the original logo to return in 1996.[2]

The Hitmen were caught up in a second controversy in their second season as general manager and head coach Graham James was forced to resign partway through the 1996-97 season after being charged with sexually assaulting two of his players while coaching the Swift Current Broncos. James was convicted in January 1997.[3]

The team on the ice did not fare much better than it did off of it. The Hitmen won only 33 games in their first two seasons, finishing safely out of playoff contention both years.

2005 Hitmen Teddy bear toss
2005 Hitmen Teddy bear toss

After two challenging seasons, the Hitmen quickly rose to prominence. In 1997-98, the Hitmen won 40 games and the Central Division. Entering the playoffs for the first time, the Hitmen cruised past the Saskatoon Blades, then upset the Swift Current Broncos before falling in the Eastern Conference final to the Brandon Wheat Kings. Head coach Dean Clark, brought in to replace James, won the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL coach of the year for his efforts. He was also named the CHL coach of the year.[4]

Calgary improved to 51 wins in 1998-99, narrowly edging the Kamloops Blazers for the regular season title. Led by Brad Moran, Pavel Brendl and goaltender Alexandre Fomitchev, the Hitmen lost just five games in the playoffs, capturing their first President's Cup at home before a WHL playoff record crowd of 17,139.[5]

In the 1999 Memorial Cup, the Hitmen finished atop the round robin standings earning a berth straight into the final. Calgary faced the host Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League in the championship game in an exciting back-and-forth affair. The Hitmen fell just short however, losing 7-6 in overtime.[6]

In 1999-00, the Hitmen set franchise records for wins (58) and points (120) while capturing their second straight regular season title. After sweeping their first two playoff series, the Hitmen were stunned by the eventual WHL champion Kootenay Ice.

Hitmen in action against the Saskatoon Blades
Hitmen in action against the Saskatoon Blades

In the past several seasons, the Hitmen have settled in as a middle of the road team on the ice. Despite this, the team has become a perennial attendance leader, finishing atop the WHL standings each of the past four years. In 2004-05, the Flames heavily marketed the Hitmen in the wake of the 2004-05 NHL lockout. As a result, the Hitmen averaged 10,062 fans, the first junior team to average 10,000, and the highest average of any junior or professional team in North America. Their season total of 362,227 set WHL and CHL records.[7]

While the team has not been extremely successful in recent years, the Hitmen have developed several players who have gone onto success in the NHL and at major international tournaments. Ryan Getzlaf and Andrew Ladd were both members of the dominating Canadian team that won the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[8] Justin Pogge emerged as the unlikely hero for team Canada as they defended their gold medal at the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[9] Pogge would also be named the WHL and CHL goaltender of the year in 2005-06.[10]

Ladd also became the first Hitmen alumnus to win the Stanley Cup, which he did with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.[11]

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

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1995-96 72 18 51 3 - 222 359 39 5th Central Out of playoffs
1996-97 72 15 53 4 - 199 360 34 4th Central Out of playoffs
1997-98 72 40 28 4 - 265 232 84 1st Central Lost Eastern Conference final
1998-99 72 51 13 8 - 319 187 110 1st Central Won championship; Memorial Cup finalist
1999-00 72 58 10 2 2 313 182 120 1st Central Lost Eastern Conference final
2000-01 72 37 27 5 3 284 250 82 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2001-02 72 33 33 5 1 271 281 72 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2002-03 72 27 36 7 2 240 260 63 4th Central Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2003-04 72 34 24 8 6 220 187 82 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2004-05 72 34 23 9 6 200 183 83 3rd Central Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
Season GP W L OTL SOL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
2005-06 72 47 18 3 4 195 155 101 2nd Central Lost Eastern Conference semi-final
2006-07 72 39 26 3 4 251 205 85 3rd Central In progress


Source: [12]

The Hitmen presently have 25 players on their active roster,[13] while 21 former Hitmen have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.[14]

Goaltenders
# Player Born Place of Birth Drafted
1 Flag of Canada Martin Jones 1990 North Vancouver, British Columbia Eligible 2008
33 Flag of Canada Dan Spence 1988 Langley, British Columbia Free Agent
Defencemen
# Player Born Place of Birth Drafted
2 Flag of Canada Brett Plouffe 1989 Winnipeg, Manitoba Eligible 2007
3 Flag of Canada Dan Mercer 1987 West Vancouver, British Columbia Free Agent
4 Flag of Canada Alex Plante 1989 Brandon, Manitoba Eligible 2007
5 Flag of Canada Dylan Yeo 1986 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Free Agent
6 Flag of Canada Eric Frere 1988 Trochu, Alberta Free Agent
26 Flag of Canada Ryan Gillen 1987 Golden, British Columbia Free Agent
27 Flag of Canada Karl Alzner 1988 Burnaby, British Columbia Eligible 2007
28 Flag of Canada Michael Stone 1990 Winnipeg, Manitoba Eligible 2008
Forwards
# Player Position Born Place of Birth Drafted
7 Flag of Canada Keegan Dansereau RW 1988 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Free Agent
9 Flag of Canada Brodie Dupont LW 1987 St. Lazare, Manitoba NYR - 3rd round 2005
10 Flag of Sweden Fredrik Pettersson LW 1987 Gothenburg, Sweden Edm - 5th round 2005
11 Flag of Canada Steve Covington RW 1986 Maple Ridge, British Columbia Free Agent
12 Flag of Canada Brett Sonne C/LW 1989 Maple Ridge, British Columbia Eligible 2007
14 Flag of Canada Carson McMillan RW 1988 Brandon, Manitoba Free Agent
15 Flag of Canada Brandon Kozun C 1990 Calgary, Alberta Eligible 2008
16 Flag of United States Ryan Letts RW 1989 Newport Beach, California Eligible 2007
17 Flag of Canada Ian Duval C 1988 Winnipeg, Manitoba Free Agent
18 Flag of Canada Brendan Rowinski LW/C 1990 Winnipeg, Manitoba Eligible 2008
21 Flag of Canada Riley Merkley C 1987 Blackie, Alberta Free Agent
22 Flag of Canada Devon Kalinski LW/C 1990 La Corey, Alberta Eligible 2008
23 Flag of Sweden Robin Figren RW 1988 Stockholm, Sweden NYI - 3rd round 2006
24 Flag of Canada Derek LeBlanc C 1986 Brandon, Manitoba Free Agent
25 Flag of Canada Ryan White C 1988 Brandon, Manitoba Mtl - 3rd round 2006


Roster as of March 12, 2007

List of Calgary Hitmen alumni who have played in the NHL.

#20 - Brad Moran 1995-2000

The Hitmen have had five coaches in their history.[14]

# Name Dates Games Record Winning % Playoffs Notes
1 Graham James 1995-96 95 21-71-3 .237 0-0 Resigned 23 games into 1996-97 season
2 Dean Clark 1996-01 334 183-118-30-3 .597 40-24 1998 WHL, CHL coach of the year
3 Richard Kromm 2001-04 216 94-93-20-9 .502 7-12
4 Dean Evason & Kelly Kisio 2004-05 72 34-23-9-6 .576 7-5 Co-coaches
5 Kelly Kisio 2005-present 72 47-18-3-4 .701 7-6

Team records held by the Hitmen and players:[12]

Hitmen "Wall of Fame", hanging above section 104 at the Pengrowth Saddledome
Hitmen "Wall of Fame", hanging above section 104 at the Pengrowth Saddledome

Individual

Team

WHL and CHL awards captured by the Hitmen:[4]


  1. ^ hitmenhockey.com, "Inside the Club", Accessed October 16
  2. ^ Hart, Bret, Bret Hart's Calgary Sun column for April 30,2004 reproduced at brethart.com. Accessed October 14, 2006
  3. ^ Deacon, James, Hockey Coach Guilty of Sexual Assault, MacLean's January 13, 1997. Reproduced on thecanadianencyclopedia.com. Accessed October 14, 2006
  4. ^ a b 2005-06 WHL guide, WHL Awards, pgs. 167-170
  5. ^ WHL playoff records, whl.ca. Accessed October 14, 2006
  6. ^ Lajoie, Roger, MasterCard Memorial Cup Priceless Moment No. 9 - Ottawa scores in overtime to win Memorial Cup at home, chl.ca. Accessed October 16, 2006
  7. ^ WHL season records whl.ca. Accessed October 14, 2006
  8. ^ 2005 WJHC roster, hockeycanada.ca. Accessed October 16, 2006
  9. ^ 2006 WJHC roster, hockeycanada.ca. Accessed October 16, 2006
  10. ^ Del Wilson Trophy winners, whl.ca. Accessed October 16, 2006
  11. ^ Shea, Kevin HHOF Stanley Cup journal - Andrew Ladd], hhof.com. Accessed October 16, 2006
  12. ^ a b 2005-06 WHL guide, Calgary Hitmen, pgs 22-25
  13. ^ whl.ca Calgary Hitmen Roster
  14. ^ a b Calgary Hitmen all-time roster hockeydb.com. Accessed October 16, 2006

Western Hockey League
Current teams : Brandon Wheat Kings | Calgary Hitmen | Chilliwack Bruins | Everett Silvertips | Kamloops Blazers | Kelowna Rockets | Kootenay Ice | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Medicine Hat Tigers | Moose Jaw Warriors | Portland Winter Hawks | Prince Albert Raiders | Prince George Cougars | Red Deer Rebels | Regina Pats | Saskatoon Blades | Seattle Thunderbirds | Spokane Chiefs | Swift Current Broncos | Tri-City Americans | Vancouver Giants
Expansion for 2007-08 : Edmonton Oil Kings
CHL: Memorial Cup | President's Cup | OHL | QMJHL | WHL
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../c/a/l/Calgary_Hitmen_af97.html"
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