About The Medicine Hat Tigers
Medicine Hat, Alberta, is home to one of the most venerable teams in junior hockey. Founded in 1970, the Medicine Hat Tigers are the proud holders of five WHL championships and back-to-back Memorial Cups in 1987 and 1988. The Tigers are the second team in Medicine Hat to go by this name, following a franchise that played in both the Southern Alberta Junior Hockey League and the Western Canada Junior Hockey League from 1947 to 1956.
In the nearly 50-year history of the franchise, many notable players have been associated with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Future ESPN analyst Barry Melrose began his coaching career with the Tigers, leading Medicine Hat to the 1988 Memorial Cup title in his one season with the team. Legendary Vancouver Canuck Trevor Linden was a driving force behind both of the Tigers' Memorial Cups, while veteran NHL defenceman Jay Bouwmeester cut his teeth with the Tigers before being selected third overall in the 2002 NHL Draft.
Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald helped lead the Tigers to their first league title in 1973 before spending 16 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, and Calgary Flames. Former NHL and Tigers player Murray Craven has the unique honour of having his father Ron play for and coach the original Tigers, and his son Joel play for the Tigers starting in 2017.
The Tigers play at the state-of-the-art Canalta Centre, which opened in 2015 and seats 7,100. Medicine Hat plays in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, where they face off against such rivals as the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Kootenay Ice, Lethbridge Hurricanes, and Red Deer Rebels.