1966–67 CMJHL season
First season of Canadian hockey league
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The 1966–67 CMJHL season was the inaugural season of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League. The fledgling league was formed by five members of the former Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, along with the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Calgary Buffaloes. However, the league did not receive the sanction of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and was considered an "outlaw league" whose members were ineligible to compete for the Memorial Cup.[1]
| 1966–67 CMJHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Teams | 7 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Edmonton Oil Kings (1) |
| Season MVP | Gerry Pinder (Saskatoon Blades) |
| Top scorer | Gerry Pinder (Saskatoon Blades) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Moose Jaw Canucks (1) |
| Runners-up | Regina Pats |
The CMJHL's inaugural season featured seven teams based in Alberta and Saskatchewan and a 56-game schedule. The Oil Kings topped the regular season standings with 34 wins; however, the Oil Kings were upset in the playoffs by the Moose Jaw Canucks, who went on to win the President's Cup, defeating the Regina Pats in the league final.[2]
Regular season
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 56 | 34 | 12 | 10 | 281 | 188 | 78 |
| 2 | Estevan Bruins | 56 | 33 | 18 | 5 | 273 | 197 | 71 |
| 3 | Regina Pats | 56 | 31 | 18 | 7 | 324 | 230 | 69 |
| 4 | Moose Jaw Canucks | 56 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 215 | 190 | 62 |
| 5 | Saskatoon Blades | 56 | 25 | 24 | 7 | 288 | 271 | 57 |
| 6 | Weyburn Red Wings | 56 | 16 | 30 | 10 | 271 | 274 | 42 |
| 7 | Calgary Buffaloes | 56 | 4 | 47 | 5 | 178 | 426 | 13 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerry Pinder | Saskatoon Blades | 56 | 78 | 62 | 140 | 95 |
| Rick Sentes | Regina Pats | 56 | 66 | 61 | 127 | 100 |
| Herb Pinder | Saskatoon Blades | 49 | 44 | 75 | 119 | 113 |
| Brian Lavander | Regina Pats | 56 | 39 | 71 | 110 | 100 |
| Ernie Hicke | Regina Pats | 55 | 37 | 72 | 109 | 184 |
| Ken Faranski | Regina Pats | 42 | 40 | 54 | 99 | 28 |
| Morris Stefaniw | Estevan Bruins | 55 | 36 | 58 | 99 | 44 |
| Garnet Bailey | Edmonton Oil Kings | 56 | 47 | 46 | 93 | 177 |
| Galen Head | Edmonton Oil Kings | 56 | 50 | 42 | 92 | 43 |
| Ron Walters | Edmonton Oil Kings | 54 | 44 | 40 | 84 | 31 |
| Grant Erickson | Estevan Bruins | 55 | 35 | 49 | 84 | 49 |
1967 CMJHL playoffs
Quarterfinals
- Regina defeated Weyburn 4 games to 1
- Estevan defeated Saskatoon 3 games to 2, with 2 ties
Semifinals
- Moose Jaw defeated Edmonton 3 games to 2, with 4 ties
- Regina defeated Estevan 4 games to 1
Finals
- Moose Jaw defeated Regina 4 games to 1
All-star game
The 1966–67 WCJHL all-star game was held in Calgary, Alberta, with the Reds defeating the Whites 7–0 before a crowd of 1,000.
Awards
| Most Valuable Player: Gerry Pinder, Saskatoon Blades |
| Top Scorer: Gerry Pinder, Saskatoon Blades |
| Most Sportsmanlike Player: Morris Stefaniw, Estevan Bruins |
| Defenseman of the Year: Barry Gibbs, Estevan Bruins |
| Rookie of the Year: Ron Garwasiuk, Regina Pats |
| Goaltender of the Year: Ken Brown, Moose Jaw Canucks |
| Regular Season Champions: Edmonton Oil Kings |
All-star teams
| First team | Second team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Ken Brown | Moose Jaw Canucks | none (Brown received all goaltender votes) | |
| Defence | Barry Gibbs | Estevan Bruins | Ken Hodge | Moose Jaw Canucks |
| Ray McKay | Moose Jaw Canucks | Kerry Ketter | Edmonton Oil Kings | |
| Centre | Morris Stefaniw | Estevan Bruins | Jim Harrison (tied) | Estevan Bruins |
| - | - | Herb Pinder (tied) | Saskatoon Blades | |
| Left wing | Gerry Pinder | Saskatoon Blades | Bill Lesuk | Weyburn Red Wings |
| Right wing | Rick Sentes | Regina Pats | Galen Head | Edmonton Oil Kings |