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Junior ice hockey season
Sports season
Sports season
The 1988–89 WHL season was the 23rd season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring fourteen teams and a 72-game regular season. Less than three years after the 1986 team bus crash that killed four players, the Swift Current Broncos put together the best season in the club's history. The Broncos won their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for the best regular season record, and in the playoffs defeated the Portland Winter Hawks to win their first President's Cup as league champions—the Broncos went undefeated throughout the playoffs. This earned the Broncos a berth in the 1989 Memorial Cup tournament, which was hosted in Saskatoon . At the tournament, the Broncos defeated the host Saskatoon Blades to win the Memorial Cup title.[ 1]
This was the first season for the Tri-City Americans after the New Westminster Bruins relocated to Kennewick, Washington prior to the season. The Americans became the fourth WHL club based in the United States.
1988–89 Western Hockey League
Division
Team
City
Arena
Capacity
East
Brandon Wheat Kings
Brandon , Manitoba
Keystone Centre
5,102
Lethbridge Hurricanes
Lethbridge , Alberta
Lethbridge Sportsplex
5,479
Medicine Hat Tigers
Medicine Hat , Alberta
Medicine Hat Arena
4,006
Moose Jaw Warriors
Moose Jaw , Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw Civic Centre
3,146
Prince Albert Raiders
Prince Albert , Saskatchewan
Prince Albert Communiplex
2,580
Regina Pats
Regina , Saskatchewan
Regina Agridome
6,000
Saskatoon Blades
Saskatoon , Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Place
12,911
Swift Current Broncos
Swift Current , Saskatchewan
Centennial Civic Centre
2,879
West
Kamloops Blazers
Kamloops , British Columbia
Kamloops Memorial Arena
2,500
Portland Winter Hawks
Portland , Oregon
Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,000
Seattle Thunderbirds
Seattle , Washington
Mercer Arena
5,000
Spokane Chiefs
Spokane , Washington
Spokane Coliseum
5,400
Tri-City Americans
Kennewick , Washington
Tri-Cities Coliseum
5,694
Victoria Cougars
Victoria , British Columbia
Victoria Memorial Arena
5,000
East Division
West Division
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
Swift Current earned a bye
Saskatoon earned a bye
Lethbridge defeated Prince Albert 3 games to 1
Moose Jaw defeated Medicine Hat 3 games to 0
Division semi-finals [ edit ]
Swift Current defeated Moose Jaw 4 games to 0
Saskatoon defeated Lethbridge 4 games to 0
Portland defeated Tri-City 5 games to 2
Kamloops defeated Victoria 5 games to 3
Swift Current defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 0
Portland defeated Kamloops 5 games to 3
Swift Current defeated Portland 4 games to 0
On January 24, the West Division defeated the East Division 5–1 at Brandon, Manitoba before a crowd of 2,933.
Most Valuable Player - Four Broncos Memorial Trophy : Stu Barnes , Tri-City Americans
Scholastic Player of the Year - Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy : Jeff Nelson , Prince Albert Raiders
Top Scorer - Bob Clarke Trophy : Dennis Holland , Portland Winter Hawks
Most Sportsmanlike Player - Brad Hornung Trophy : Blair Atcheynum , Moose Jaw Warriors
Top Defenseman - Bill Hunter Trophy : Dan Lambert , Swift Current Broncos
Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy : Wes Walz , Lethbridge Hurricanes
Top Goaltender - Del Wilson Trophy : Danny Lorenz , Seattle Thunderbirds
Coach of the Year - Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy : Ron Kennedy , Medicine Hat Tigers
Executive of the Year - Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy : Dennis Beyak , Saskatoon Blades
Regular season champions - Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy : Swift Current Broncos
WHL Plus-Minus Award : Darren Stolk , Medicine Hat Tigers