Prince George Cougars
Encyclopedia
The Prince George Cougars are a major junior ice hockey
team in the Western Hockey League
. The team is based in Prince George, British Columbia
, and plays its home games at the CN Centre
(formally Prince George Multiplex). The Cougars were founded in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars, but later moved to Prince George in 1994.
The Prince George Cougars played the 1994–95 WHL season at the Prince George Coliseum
along the Tier II Prince George Spruce Kings
, until the construction of their own arena was complete. The Cougars logo for their first season in Prince George closely resembled that of the Victoria Cougars. For the 1995–96 WHL season, the Cougars moved into their new home, the "Prince George Multiplex", since renamed the CN Centre
. A new logo was also unveiled the same season.
The Cougars most successful playoff run came during the 2006–07 WHL season. Prince George achieved their first sweep of the Kamloops Blazers in a best of seven game series, proceeded to defeat the top ranked Everett Silvertips in six games and reached the conference finals for the third time where they lost in five games to the eventual Memorial Cup Champion Vancouver Giants.
The Cougars are the only team in Western Hockey League history to draft 2 brothers in the first round of the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. Jesse Forsberg, a defenceman, was drafted 11th overall by the Cougars in 2008, and his younger brother Alex, a centerman, was taken first overall in 2010.
.
Dustin Byfuglien became the first ex-Cougar to win the Stanley Cup while he was a member of the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. He was followed by Zdeno Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup in the 2010-2011 post season.
The Cougars colours are red, white
and black
. Home jerseys have a white upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal black stripe. Away jerseys have a black upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal white stripe. Prince George's third jersey features a redesigned logo (inset), on a burgundy jersey, with black, grey and white trim on the lower portion. On August 20, 2008, the Cougars unveiled a new logo. It was closer to the third logo than the second. It was designed by Mike Doran of Splash Media.
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
team in the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
. The team is based in Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
, and plays its home games at the CN Centre
CN Centre
The CN Centre is a 5,967-seat multi-purpose arena, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by PBK Architects, opened in 1995 and is owned by the City of Prince George. There are 14 luxury suites...
(formally Prince George Multiplex). The Cougars were founded in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars, but later moved to Prince George in 1994.
History
Prince George Coliseum
The Prince George Coliseum is an indoor arena located in Prince George, British Columbia, that was built in 1958. It is located next to the Prince George Civic Centre on Dominion Street. It seats 1,800 and is home to the Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League...
along the Tier II Prince George Spruce Kings
Prince George Spruce Kings
The Prince George Spruce Kings are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League...
, until the construction of their own arena was complete. The Cougars logo for their first season in Prince George closely resembled that of the Victoria Cougars. For the 1995–96 WHL season, the Cougars moved into their new home, the "Prince George Multiplex", since renamed the CN Centre
CN Centre
The CN Centre is a 5,967-seat multi-purpose arena, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by PBK Architects, opened in 1995 and is owned by the City of Prince George. There are 14 luxury suites...
. A new logo was also unveiled the same season.
The Cougars most successful playoff run came during the 2006–07 WHL season. Prince George achieved their first sweep of the Kamloops Blazers in a best of seven game series, proceeded to defeat the top ranked Everett Silvertips in six games and reached the conference finals for the third time where they lost in five games to the eventual Memorial Cup Champion Vancouver Giants.
The Cougars are the only team in Western Hockey League history to draft 2 brothers in the first round of the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. Jesse Forsberg, a defenceman, was drafted 11th overall by the Cougars in 2008, and his younger brother Alex, a centerman, was taken first overall in 2010.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1994–95 | 72 | 14 | 55 | 3 | - | 229 | 392 | 31 | 7th West | Out of playoffs |
| 1995–96 | 72 | 17 | 53 | 2 | - | 219 | 340 | 36 | 7th West | Out of playoffs |
| 1996–97 | 72 | 28 | 39 | 5 | - | 238 | 287 | 61 | 6th West | Lost West Division final |
| 1997–98 | 72 | 43 | 24 | 5 | - | 311 | 236 | 91 | 3rd West | Lost West Division semi-final |
| 1998–99 | 72 | 34 | 32 | 6 | - | 255 | 264 | 74 | 4th West | Lost West Division quarter-final |
| 1999–2000 | 72 | 43 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 279 | 228 | 95 | 2nd West | Lost West Division final |
| 2000–01 | 72 | 31 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 242 | 266 | 70 | 5th West | Lost West Division quarter-final |
| 2001–02 | 72 | 34 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 244 | 215 | 79 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 257 | 317 | 57 | 5th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 30 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 214 | 236 | 68 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 158 | 223 | 57 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2005–06 | 72 | 35 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 195 | 195 | 76 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2006–07 | 72 | 33 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 221 | 217 | 74 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2007–08 2007–08 WHL season The 2007–08 WHL season was the 42nd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 20, 2007, and ended on March 16, 2008. The WHL Playoffs began on March 21, 2008, and ended on May 7, 2008.... |
72 | 20 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 172 | 304 | 44 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2008–09 2008–09 WHL season The 2008–09 WHL season was the 43rd season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 18, 2008, and ended on March 15, 2009. The WHL Playoffs commenced on March 20, 2009, and the 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge series, featuring Team WHL versus the Russian Selects, took... |
72 | 25 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 298 | 53 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2009–10 2009–10 WHL season The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010... |
72 | 12 | 56 | 1 | 3 | 172 | 327 | 28 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2010–11 2010–11 WHL season The 2010–11 WHL season is the 45th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 24, 2010 and ended on March 20, 2011. The 2010 Subway Super Series, featuring Team WHL versus Team Russia, took place from November 17–18, 2010.... |
72 | 33 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 258 | 265 | 70 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
Team records
| Team records for a single season | ||
| Statistic | Total | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Most points | 95 | 1999–2000 |
| Fewest points | 28 | 2009–10 2009–10 WHL season The 2009–10 WHL season is the 44th season of the Western Hockey League . The regular season began on September 17, 2009 and ended on March 14, 2010... |
| Most wins | 43 | 1997–98; 1999–2000 |
| Fewest wins | 12 | 2009–10 |
| Most goals for | 311 | 1997–98 |
| Least goals for | 158 | 2004–05 |
| Least goals against | 195 | 2005–06 |
| Most goals against | 392 | 1994–95 |
| Individual player records for a single season | |||
| Statistic | Player | Total | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most goals | Quinn Hancock | 54 | 1997–98 |
| Most assists | Quinn Hancock | 58 | 1997–98 |
| Most points | Quinn Hancock | 112 | 1997–98 |
| Most points, rookie | Jozef Mrena Jozef Mrena Jozef Mrena is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who played with HC Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Extraliga.-References:... |
41 | 1998–99 |
| Most points, defenceman | Christian Chartier Christian Chartier Christian Chartier is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Augsburger Panther in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga .-Junior:... |
68 | 2000–01 |
| Most penalty minutes | Clayton Catellier | 287 | 1994–95 |
| Most games played (Goalie) | Scott Myers | 66 | 1998–99 |
| Best GAA (goalie) | Scott Bowles | 2.40 | 2005–06 |
| Most shutouts (goalie) | Scott Bowles | 6 | 2005–06 |
| Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played |
NHL alumni
Twenty three alumni of the Prince George Cougars have played in the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
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Dustin Byfuglien became the first ex-Cougar to win the Stanley Cup while he was a member of the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. He was followed by Zdeno Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup in the 2010-2011 post season.
Uniforms and logos
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
. Home jerseys have a white upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal black stripe. Away jerseys have a black upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal white stripe. Prince George's third jersey features a redesigned logo (inset), on a burgundy jersey, with black, grey and white trim on the lower portion. On August 20, 2008, the Cougars unveiled a new logo. It was closer to the third logo than the second. It was designed by Mike Doran of Splash Media.