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.St. Albert snaps up Fort Saskatchewan hockey team, cbcsports, March 16, 2007 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 FedunMatt Frattin Paul Healey Justin Hocking Pat MacLeod Clint Malarchuk Dave Marcinyshyn Richard MatvichukJohn Mokosak Mike Needham Parry Pelensky Jim Playfair Grant Sasser Wally SchreiberSheldon 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
References
External links Alberta Junior Hockey League website