1971–72 WCHL season
The 1971–72 WCHL season was the sixth season of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). It featured twelve teams and a 68-game regular season. While the Calgary Centennials topped the season standings with 49 wins, the Edmonton Oil Kings won their second consecutive President's Cup, defeating the Regina Pats in the championship series.
| 1971–72 WCHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Calgary Centennials (1) |
| Season MVP | John Davidson (Calgary Centennials) |
| Top scorer | Tom Lysiak (Medicine Hat Tigers) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Edmonton Oil Kings (2) |
| Runners-up | Regina Pats |
| 1971–72 Canadian major junior season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 32 |
| OHA | |
| QMJHL | |
| WCHL | |
| Memorial Cup | |
| Finals champions | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Peterborough Petes (OHA) |
This season also saw the league expand into British Columbia, becoming a truly Western Canadian organization. On the national scene, 1972 also marked the beginning of a new era as it was decided that the Memorial Cup would be contested through a round robin tournament featuring the champions from the country's three major junior leagues—the WCHL, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey Association.[1] The Oil Kings became the WCHL's first participant under this new format at the 1972 Memorial Cup tournament.
League notes
- The Estevan Bruins, one of the league's charter members, relocated to New Westminster and became the New Westminster Bruins. While the move left Estevan without major junior hockey, a new Estevan Bruins Junior A franchise was started in 1971, playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
- The Victoria Cougars and the Vancouver Nats joined the WCHL as expansion clubs, bringing the number of British Columbia-based teams up to three.
- With the B.C. teams joining the West Division, the Swift Current Broncos and Saskatoon Blades moved to the East division to create two divisions of six teams each.
- The season schedule expanded from 66 games to 68.
Regular season
Final standings
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Regina Pats | 68 | 43 | 23 | 2 | 88 | 287 | 225 |
| x Saskatoon Blades | 68 | 37 | 28 | 3 | 77 | 312 | 258 |
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 68 | 35 | 33 | 0 | 70 | 338 | 331 |
| x Flin Flon Bombers | 68 | 31 | 36 | 1 | 63 | 265 | 307 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 68 | 25 | 42 | 1 | 51 | 252 | 311 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 68 | 24 | 43 | 1 | 49 | 238 | 273 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Calgary Centennials | 68 | 49 | 16 | 3 | 101 | 296 | 169 |
| x Edmonton Oil Kings | 68 | 44 | 22 | 2 | 90 | 320 | 246 |
| x New Westminster Bruins | 68 | 40 | 27 | 1 | 81 | 285 | 240 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 68 | 35 | 30 | 3 | 73 | 351 | 312 |
| Victoria Cougars | 68 | 18 | 48 | 2 | 38 | 215 | 321 |
| Vancouver Nats | 68 | 17 | 50 | 1 | 35 | 213 | 379 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Lysiak | Medicine Hat Tigers | 68 | 46 | 97 | 143 | 96 |
| Stan Weir | Medicine Hat Tigers | 68 | 58 | 75 | 133 | 77 |
| Blaine Stoughton | Flin Flon Bombers | 68 | 60 | 66 | 126 | 125 |
| Robbie Neale | Brandon Wheat Kings | 65 | 53 | 73 | 126 | 54 |
| Dennis Sobchuk | Regina Pats | 68 | 56 | 67 | 123 | 115 |
| Jeff Ablett | Medicine Hat Tigers | 68 | 59 | 57 | 116 | 99 |
| Lorne Henning | New Westminster Bruins | 60 | 51 | 63 | 114 | 29 |
| Lanny McDonald | Medicine Hat Tigers | 68 | 50 | 64 | 114 | 54 |
| Ron Chipperfield | Brandon Wheat Kings | 63 | 59 | 53 | 112 | 29 |
| Glen Mikkelson | Brandon Wheat Kings | 67 | 44 | 62 | 106 | 52 |
1972 WCHL Playoffs
Quarterfinals
- Brandon defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 3 with 1 tie
- Regina defeated Flin Flon 3 games to 2 with 2 ties
- Calgary defeated Medicine Hat 4 games to 2 with 1 tie
- Edmonton defeated New Westminster 4 games to 1
Semifinals
- Regina defeated Brandon 4 games to 2
- Edmonton defeated Calgary 4 games to 2
Finals
- Edmonton defeated Regina 4 games to 1
All-Star game
The 1971–72 WCHL All-Star Game was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the East Division All-Stars defeating the West Division All-Stars 4–2 before a crowd of 5,783.
Awards
| Most Valuable Player: John Davidson, Calgary Centennials |
| Top Scorer: Tom Lysiak, Medicine Hat Tigers |
| Most Sportsmanlike Player: Ron Chipperfield, Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Defenseman of the Year: Jim Watson, Calgary Centennials |
| Rookie of the Year: Dennis Sobchuk, Regina Pats |
| Goaltender of the Year: John Davidson, Calgary Centennials |
| Coach of the Year: Earl Ingarfield, Sr., Regina Pats |
| Regular Season Champions: Calgary Centennials |
All-Star Teams
| First Team | Second Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | John Davidson | Calgary Centennials | Bernie Germain | Regina Pats |
| Defense | Jimmy Watson | Calgary Centennials | Tom Bladon | Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Phil Russell | Edmonton Oil Kings | Larry Sacharuk | Saskatoon Blades | |
| Center | Tom Lysiak | Medicine Hat Tigers | Dennis Sobchuk | Regina Pats |
| Left Wing | Jeff Ablett | Medicine Hat Tigers | Darcy Rota | Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Right Wing | Blaine Stoughton | Flin Flon Bombers | Don Kozak | Edmonton Oil Kings |
References
- 2005–06 WHL Guide
- Lapp, Richard; Macaulay, Alec (1997). The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship. Madeira Park, B.C.: Harbour Publishing. p. 152. ISBN 1-55017-170-4.