The Drumheller Falcons were a
Junior A ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team in the
Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 ...
(AJHL) based in
Drumheller
Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often referred to as Dinosaur Vall ...
,
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
.
The Falcons joined the AJHL in the 1971–72 season as the league's seventh team after acquiring the assets of the Ponoka Stampeders franchise that ceased operations after the 1969–70 season.
The Falcons had their best season in 1974-75. They finished second overall during the regular season, advanced through the post season to the AJHL finals, going the full seven games before losing the championship to the
Spruce Grove Mets, who would go on to win that year's
Centennial Cup
The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of Junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey. It consists of a ten-team ...
as the best Junior A hockey team in Canada, with no other challenger good enough to take them to a full 7-game series.
The Falcons would struggle with attendance the following season, then took a three-year leave of absence.
The Falcons returned in 1979, however were consistently overmatched, winning just 29 games total between 1979 and 1983. The Falcons folded midway through the 1982-83 season having lost every game they played that year. The Falcons still hold the record for longest losing streak spanning two seasons at 35; a record stopped only by the team's demise.
Four Falcons alumni went on to play in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
:
Merlin Malinowski
Merlin "The Magician" Malinowski (born September 27, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Malinowski was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.
Playing career
Malinowski was drafte ...
,
Jim Nill,
Bryan Maxwell
Bryan Clifford Maxwell (born September 7, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 331 games in the National Hockey League and 124 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Cleveland Crusaders, Cincinna ...
and
John Hilworth.
Drumheller would not get a second chance in the AJHL until 2003, when the
Drumheller Dragons were founded as an expansion team.
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''
†Folded with a record of 0-24-0. The team forfeited two games following its demise.
Playoffs
*1972 ''DNQ''
*1973 ''Lost semi-final''
:
Calgary Canucks
The Calgary Canucks are a junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). They play in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with home games at the Max Bell Centre (Calgary), Ken Bracko Arena. They have won th ...
defeated Drumheller Falcons ''4-games-to-1 with 1 tie''
*1974 ''DNQ''
*1975 ''Lost final''
:Drumheller Falcons defeated
Taber Golden Suns
The Taber Golden Suns were a Junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League based in Taber, Alberta, Canada.
History
The Golden Suns were founded in 1974 as an expansion club, lasting seven seasons before being sold and relocated ...
''4-games-to-1''
:
Spruce Grove Mets defeated Drumheller Falcons ''4-games-to-3''
*1976 ''DNQ''
*1977-79 ''Did Not Participate''
*1980 ''DNQ''
*1981 ''Lost quarter-final''
:
Calgary Spurs
The Calgary Spurs were a Junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Founded in 1972 as The Pass Red Devils and following a two-year stop as the Pincher Creek Panthers, the franchise became the second AJHL franchise in Calgar ...
defeated Drumheller Falcons ''3-games-to-none''
*1982 ''DNQ''
*1983 ''Did Not Finish Season''
See also
*
List of ice hockey teams in Alberta
This is a list of ice hockey teams in Alberta. It features the leagues they have played for, and championships won.
Since hockey was introduced to Alberta, Canada, in the 1890s, teams at all levels have come and gone. While the professional rank ...
References
Alberta Junior Hockey League website*AJHL Annual Guide & Record Book 2006-07
Defunct Alberta Junior Hockey League teams
Defunct ice hockey teams in Alberta
Defunct junior ice hockey teams in Canada
Ice hockey clubs established in 1971
Drumheller
1971 establishments in Alberta
1983 disestablishments in Alberta
Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1983
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