Grande Prairie Storm

The Grande Prairie Storm are an ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They play in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada at the Canada Games Arena, capacity 3228, also known as the Crystal Centre.

Founded: Circa 1975

First AJHL Season: 1996-97

Division titles won: 2003-04

League Championships won: 2004, 2009

Doyle Cup Titles: None

Royal Bank Cup Titles: None

History

The Grande Prairie North Stars were members of the Peace Junior B Hockey League in the early 1970s. When the Quesnel Millionaires and Prince George Spruce Kings joined the league in 1975, the league became the Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League. In 1980, the league was promoted to Junior A and the North Stars with it. The North Stars were not financially strong and ended up sitting out two years (1989-1991). They came back as the Grande Prairie Chiefs in 1991, but the league had brought in teams from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and reformed as the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League.

The Grande Prairie Storm franchise is the successor to the Grande Prairie Chiefs of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League. The Storm came into being after a community led group bought the team with the goal of paying off its $150,000 in debts, and restoring junior A hockey to prominence in the Peace Country.

Already having a brand new arena, the Canada Games Arena, built for the 1995 Canada Winter Games, the group was quickly able to retire the debt, and the Grande Prairie Storm took to the ice for its first season in 1995-96 in the RMJHL, winning the league championship.

In 1996, the Storm jumped to the AJHL, where they have competed since. In their ten year tenure, the Storm have never failed to qualify for the post season. In 2004, the Storm won their first AJHL championship. They also hosted the Royal Bank Cup tournament that season, however they failed to win the Canadian national championship.

The Storm have been a major success off the ice as well, as the franchise perennially leads the AJHL in attendance, and often leads the entire Canadian Junior A Hockey League in attendance.[1] The Storm broke the previous attendance record for the Royal Bank Cup by over 9000 fans in 2004.

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

Playoffs

PCJHL Years

• 1981 DNQ
• 1982 Lost Final

Grande Prairie North Stars defeated Dawson Creek Kodiaks 4-games-to-none

Prince George Spruce Kings defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 4-games-to-1

• 1983 Did Not Participate
• 1984 Lost Semi-final

Williams Lake Mustangs defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 4-games-to-none

• 1985 Lost Semi-final

Fort St. John Huskies defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 4-games-to-2

• 1986 Lost Semi-final

Prince George Spruce Kings defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 4-games-to-none

• 1987 Lost Final

Grande Prairie North Stars defeated Fort St. John Huskies 4-games-to-3

Quesnel Millionaires defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 4-games-to-2

• 1988 Won League, Won Mowat Cup

Grande Prairie North Stars defeated Williams Lake Mustangs 4-games-to-1

Grande Prairie North Stars defeated Prince George Spruce Kings 4-games-to-3 PCJHL CHAMPIONS

Vernon Lakers (BCJHL) defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 2-games-to-none

• 1989 Lost Final

Grande Prairie North Stars defeated Prince George Spruce Kings 4-games-to-1

Williams Lake Mustangs defeated Grande Prairie North Stars 4-games-to-1

• 1990 Did Not Participate
• 1991 Did Not Participate

RMJHL Years

• 1992 DNQ
• 1993 Lost Quarter-final

Prince George Spruce Kings defeated Grande Prairie Chiefs 4-games-to-none

• 1994 Lost Quarter-final

Fort St. John Huskies defeated Grande Prairie Chiefs 4-games-to-3

• 1995 Lost Quarter-final

Williams Lake Mustangs defeated Grande Prairie Chiefs 4-games-to-2

• 1996 Lost Quarter-final

Quesnel Millionaires defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-2

BCHL Years

• 1997 Lost Semi-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Bow Valley Eagles 4-games-to-2

Calgary Canucks defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 1998 Lost Semi-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Bow Valley Eagles 4-games-to-1

Fort Saskatchewan Traders defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 1999 Lost Quarter-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Bonnyville Pontiacs 2-games-to-none

St. Albert Saints defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 2000 Lost Preliminary

Bonnyville Pontiacs defeated Grande Prairie Storm 3-games-to-none

• 2001 Lost Semi-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Fort Saskatchewan Traders 3-games-to-2

Grande Prairie Storm defeated St. Albert Saints 4-games-to-1

Camrose Kodiaks defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 2002 Lost Final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 3-games-to-none

Grande Prairie Storm defeated St. Albert Saints 4-games-to-2

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Canmore Eagles 4-games-to-3

Drayton Valley Thunder defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-none

• 2003 Lost Quarter-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Drayton Valley Thunder 4-games-to-2

St. Albert Saints defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 2004 Won League, Lost Doyle Cup, Hosted and Lost 2004 Royal Bank Cup semi-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Lloydminster Blazers 4-games-to-1

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Olds Grizzlys 4-games-to-2

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Fort McMurray Oil Barons 4-games-to-1 AJHL CHAMPIONS

Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

First in 2004 Royal Bank Cup round robin (3-1)

Kindersley Klippers (SJHL) defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-3 in semi-final

• 2005 Lost Quarter-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Bonnyville Pontiacs 3-games-to-1

Fort McMurray Oil Barons defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 2006 Lost Preliminary

Bonnyville Pontiacs defeated Grande Prairie Storm 3-games-to-1

• 2007 Lost Semi-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Sherwood Park Crusaders 3-games-to-none

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Spruce Grove Saints 4-games-to-1

Camrose Kodiaks defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-2

• 2008 Lost Quarter-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated St. Albert Steel 3-games-to-2

Spruce Grove Saints defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-3

• 2009 Won League, Lost Doyle Cup

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Lloydminster Bobcats 3-games-to-1

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Sherwood Park Crusaders 4-games-to-2

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Brooks Bandits 4-games-to-1

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Spruce Grove Saints 4-games-to-none AJHL CHAMPIONS

Vernon Vipers (BCHL) defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-none

• 2010 Lost Quarter-final

Grande Prairie Storm defeated Lloydminster Bobcats 3-games-to-1

Fort McMurray Oil Barons defeated Grande Prairie Storm 4-games-to-1

• 2011 Lost Preliminary

Lloydminster Bobcats defeated Grande Prairie Storm 3-games-to-2

Players

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed AJHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Storm player

NHL alumni

The following former Storm have gone on to play in the NHL:

• Grant Stevenson

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in Alberta

References

Alberta Junior Hockey League website

Grande Prairie Storm website