Hooked on Winning
Check it out! Alberta has loved ice hockey since 1895. The sport originated just 20 years prior in Montréal in 1875 and since then, its popularity has grown faster than a puck sliding on smooth ice! In 1919, the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) reorganized the province’s hockey into the Big-4 League: two teams from Calgary — the Canadians and Tigers, and two teams from Edmonton — the Eskimos and Dominions. Today, Banff is represented in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) by its Hockey Academy Bears. Since the modern NHL era began in 1967, Alberta has been represented by the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. The Flames won the Stanley Cup in the 1988–89 season. The Edmonton Oilers, went on to become five-time Cup winners between 1983 and 1990, with “the Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, playing for them during the first four wins.
Did You Know? The area behind the net is referred to as “Gretzky’s office” because of his ability to set-up and score goals from the behind-the-goalie area.
16 | Vol. 1 2022 | Wesco VIP Destinations, Banff
