Saskatoon Quakers

The Saskatoon Quakers were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The team played in various senior and minor professional hockey leagues from the 1930s to the 1970s. The Quakers represented Canada and won gold at the 1934 World Hockey Championships held in Milan, Italy. In 1952, they captured the President's Cup as Pacific Coast Hockey League champions.

Saskatoon Quakers
CitySaskatoon, Saskatchewan
LeagueWCSHL (1945–1951)
PCHL/WHL (1952–1959)
Operated(Professional)
1945–1956
1957–1959
Home arenaSaskatoon Arena
Franchise history
1945–1947Saskatoon Elks
1948–1956Saskatoon Quakers
1955–1957Brandon Regals
1957–58Saskatoon/St. Paul Regals
1958–59Saskatoon Quakers

History

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Senior and minor professional

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The Quakers represented Canada in the 1934 World Ice Hockey Championships in Milan, Italy. The team won the gold medal, defeating the United States in the championship final, avenging Canada's loss to the US in the 1933 championship final.[1]

From 1937, the Quakers were based out of the 3,300-seat Saskatoon Arena in downtown Saskatoon.[2] The Quakers were a founding member of the Western Canada Senior Hockey League (WCSHL) in 1945, where they were known their first two seasons as the Saskatoon Elks. They captured the WCSHL championship in 1950–51. The following season, the Quakers joined the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Flyers in turning professional as the WCSHL merged with the Pacific Coast Hockey League, which renamed itself the Western Hockey League in 1952. As a result of the merger, the Quakers lost their amateur status, becoming a minor-professional team. The Quakers succumbed, after five seasons in the WHL, to the increased costs of operating a minor-professional team.[citation needed]

When the Quakers won the WCSHL 1950–51 championship, they became the western league's representative to the 1951 Alexander Cup for the national major ('open' to both amateur and professional leagues) senior ice hockey championship of Canada. They would lose to the Toronto St. Michaels Monarchs in the Alexander Cup's semi-finals. In 1952, they captured the President's Cup as Pacific Coast Hockey League champions.[citation needed]

Brief second iteration

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In 1957–58, Saskatoon returned to the WHL when the Brandon Regals, who had just won the league championship, moved and opted to split home games between Saskatoon and St. Paul, Minnesota as the Saskatoon/St. Paul Regals. The two city concept last just one season, and in 1958–59, the team hosted games only in Saskatoon and adopted the name of the former Quakers. They would last only one more season before folding.[3]

Season-by-season record

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= Denotes Minor Professional status

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

Original iteration

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TeamSeasonLeagueGP W L T GF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
Saskatoon Elks1945–46WCSHL3614192104147303rd Overall
Saskatoon Elks1946–47WCSHL4015232151210324th Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1947–48WCSHL4819272187239405th Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1948–49WCSHL488382144307185th Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1949–50WCSHL5024251190227493rd Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1950–51WCSHL5931271246234633rd OverallWon league
Saskatoon Quakers1951–52PCHL70352114273225842nd OverallWon championship
Saskatoon Quakers1952–53WHL7035269268240791st Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1953–54WHL7032299226214733rd Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1954–55WHL70194111207273496th Overall
Saskatoon Quakers1955–56WHL702735820824923rd Prairie

Second iteration

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TeamSeasonLeagueGP W L T GF GA PointsFinishPlayoffs
Brandon Regals1956–57WHL7044224250186921st OverallWon championship
Saskatoon/St. Paul Regals1957-58WHL7025450214323504th Prairie
Saskatoon Quakers1958–59WHL6429314208201624th Prairie

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Holland, Dave (2008). Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008. Canada On Ice productions. pp. 39–39. ISBN 978-0-9808936-0-1.
  2. ^ "Saskatoon's last downtown arena". CBC News. 2016-04-07. Archived from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  3. ^ Romuld, Darrell (2022-10-04). "What pro sports teams used to exist in Sask.?". CTV News Regina. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
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