The Moose Jaw Canucks were a junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were one of the founding members of the original Western Canada Junior Hockey League (1948âÂÂ1956), and in 1966 were founding members of a new Western Canada Junior Hockey League (known since 1978 as the Western Hockey League) following a rebellion within the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The franchise evolved from the Moose Jaw Cubs in the early 1930s.
The Canucks won the Abbott Cup in 1945 and 1947, making them the Junior "A" Champion for Western Canada and earning a playoff against the George Richardson Memorial Trophy- winning Eastern Champion for the Memorial Cup. The Canucks lost their Memorial Cup competition against the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in both years.
The Canucks played in the following leagues in their history:
In 1984, the Canucks folded to make room for the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors, when that franchise transferred from Winnipeg. Another team, also known as the Moose Jaw Canucks, played in the South Saskatchewan Junior B Hockey League (now known as the Prairie Junior Hockey League) from 1992âÂÂ94.
The Canucks legacy is survived by the Jr. C Canucks, who have played in the Saskatchewan Junior C Hockey League since 2006.
In the summer of 1966, the Canucks were one of five SJHL clubs that left the provincial league to join franchises in Calgary and Edmonton in the new Western Canada Junior Hockey League. The league was considered a "rebel league" by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and thus denied the right to compete for Canadian junior hockey's top prize, the Memorial Cup.
In the WCJHL's inaugural season, the Canucks won the playoff championships despite finishing 4th in the overall standings. The following year, the Canucks would lose out in the playoff semi-finals after another 4th-place finish.
Concerned about the WCJHL's poor reputation with the CAHA and hoping to once again compete for the Memorial Cup, the Canucks, along with the Regina Pats and Weyburn Red Wings, would leave the WCJHL to return to the reborn SJHL. Following the reorganization of junior hockey in 1970, which saw the Western Canada Hockey League gain Tier-I status, and the SJHL being deemed Tier-II (not Memorial Cup eligible), the Canucks attempted to rejoin the WCHL but were denied. The Canucks would remain in the SJHL until the arrival of the Warriors.