Sports season
Sports season
The 2007–08 WHL season was the 42nd season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 20, 2007, and ended on March 16, 2008. The Tri-City Americans won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for the best regular season record. The playoffs began on March 21, and ended on May 7, with the Spokane Chiefs defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the championship series to claim their second Ed Chynoweth Cup and a berth at the 2008 Memorial Cup tournament, which Spokane would go on to win.[ 1]
The Edmonton Oil Kings joined the league as an expansion club—their name paying homage to Edmonton's original WHL team—bringing the WHL to 22 teams.[ 2]
The WHL had announced at the 2007 Memorial Cup tournament that it would rename its championship trophy—until then, known as the President's Cup—after Ed Chynoweth .[ 3] The Chiefs 2008 championship was thus the first featuring the renamed trophy. The Edmonton Oil Kings joined the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, bringing the Eastern Conference to twelve teams, while the Western Conference remained at ten. The playoff format was revised so that the top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, as opposed to the top four in each division. Division winners are guaranteed a top two seed in each conference. Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; x = Clinched playoff berth; y = Clinched conference title
Map of WHL, 2007–08 to 2010–11
200km 125miles
Wheat Kings
Pats
Warriors
Raiders
Blades
Broncos
Tigers
Hurricanes
Oil Kings
Rebels
Hitmen
Ice
Chiefs
Americans
Rockets
Blazers
Bruins
Silvertips
Thunderbirds
Winterhawks
Cougars
Giants
East Division
Central Division
BC Division
US Division
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Leading goaltenders [ edit ] Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SOL = Shootout losses ; GA = Goals against; SO = Total shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Conference quarter-finals [ edit ] Moose Jaw vs. Calgary Date Away Home March 21 Moose Jaw 1 5 Calgary March 23 Moose Jaw 4 2 Calgary March 25 Calgary 8 3 Moose Jaw March 26 Calgary 3 1 Moose Jaw March 28 Moose Jaw 4 2 Calgary March 30 Calgary 4 2 Moose Jaw Calgary wins 4–2
Swift Current vs. Regina Date Away Home March 21 Swift Current 1 2 Regina March 22 Swift Current 5 3 Regina March 25 (OT) Regina 4 3 Swift Current March 26 Regina 4 5 Swift Current (2OT) March 28 Swift Current 6 3 Regina March 29 Regina 2 5 Swift Current Swift Current wins 4–2
Brandon vs. Lethbridge Date Away Home March 21 Brandon 1 2 Lethbridge March 22 Brandon 3 4 Lethbridge March 25 Lethbridge 4 3 Brandon March 26 Lethbridge 1 5 Brandon March 28 Lethbridge 3 4 Brandon March 30 Brandon 0 4 Lethbridge Lethbridge wins 4–2
Kootenay vs. Medicine Hat Date Away Home March 21 Kootenay 5 2 Medicine Hat March 22 (OT) Kootenay 4 3 Medicine Hat March 25 Medicine Hat 1 2 Kootenay March 26 Medicine Hat 5 3 Kootenay March 28 Kootenay 3 1 Medicine Hat Kootenay wins 4–1
Kamloops vs. Tri-City Date Away Home March 21 Kamloops 1 6 Tri-City March 22 Kamloops 1 4 Tri-City March 25 Tri-City 4 3 Kamloops March 26 Tri-City 6 2 Kamloops Tri-City wins 4–0
Chilliwack vs. Vancouver Date Away Home March 21 Chilliwack 1 2 Vancouver March 22 Chilliwack 2 3 Vancouver March 25 (3OT) Vancouver 4 3 Chilliwack March 26 Vancouver 2 1 Chilliwack Vancouver wins 4–0
Everett vs. Spokane Date Away Home March 21 Everett 2 5 Spokane March 22 Everett 1 4 Spokane March 26 Spokane 4 1 Everett March 28 (OT) Spokane 3 2 Everett Spokane wins 4–0
Kelowna vs. Seattle Date Away Home March 21 Kelowna 3 2 Seattle March 22 Kelowna 3 1 Seattle March 24 (OT) Seattle 3 2 Kelowna March 25 Seattle 6 4 Kelowna March 27 Kelowna 2 6 Seattle March 29 Seattle 3 4 Kelowna (OT) April 1 Kelowna 2 4 Seattle Seattle wins 4–3
Conference semi-finals [ edit ] Eastern Conference Swift Current vs. Calgary Date Away Home April 4 Calgary 2 3 Swift Current April 5 Calgary 5 2 Swift Current April 8 Swift Current 5 6 Calgary (2OT) April 9 Swift Current 2 3 Calgary April 11 Swift Current 5 2 Calgary April 12 Calgary 8 4 Swift Current Calgary wins 4–2
Kootenay vs. Lethbridge Date Away Home April 4 Kootenay 3 2 Lethbridge April 5 Kootenay 4 5 Lethbridge (OT) April 8 Lethbridge 5 2 Kootenay April 9 (2OT) Lethbridge 2 1 Kootenay April 11 Kootenay 0 3 Lethbridge Lethbridge wins 4–1
Western Conference Vancouver vs. Spokane Date Away Home April 4 Vancouver 4 1 Spokane April 6 Vancouver 1 4 Spokane April 9 Spokane 3 2 Vancouver April 11 Spokane 1 3 Vancouver April 12 Spokane 4 0 Vancouver April 14 Vancouver 1 3 Spokane Spokane wins 4–2
Seattle vs. Tri-City Date Away Home April 4 Seattle 7 1 Tri-City April 5 Seattle 0 4 Tri-City April 8 Tri-City 3 2 Seattle April 9 (OT) Tri-City 3 2 Seattle April 11 Seattle 0 4 Tri-City Tri-City wins 4–1
Eastern Conference Western Conference Lethbridge vs. Calgary Date Away Home April 17 Lethbridge 5 2 Calgary April 18 (OT) Lethbridge 4 3 Calgary April 22 Calgary 0 6 Lethbridge April 23 Calgary 2 4 Lethbridge Lethbridge wins 4–0
Spokane vs. Tri-City Date Away Home April 18 (2OT) Spokane 1 0 Tri-City April 20 Spokane 0 1 Tri-City (2OT) April 21 Tri-City 0 2 Spokane April 22 (OT) Tri-City 3 2 Spokane April 26 (2OT) Spokane 4 3 Tri-City April 28 (OT) Tri-City 2 1 Spokane April 29 Spokane 4 1 Tri-City Spokane wins 4–3
Lethbridge vs. Spokane Date Away Home May 2 Lethbridge 1 4 Spokane May 3 Lethbridge 2 5 Spokane May 6 (OT) Spokane 2 1 Lethbridge May 7 Spokane 4 1 Lethbridge Spokane wins 4-0
The 90th Memorial Cup was held in Kitchener, Ontario .[ 4]
source: Western Hockey League press release First round [ 5]
^ "Spokane Chiefs win Memorial Cup" . CBC Sports . May 25, 2008. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2024 . ^ "Edmonton joins WHL as 22nd franchise" . The Globe and Mail . The Canadian Press . March 17, 2006. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024 . ^ Vanstone, Rob (January 29, 2017). "Ed Chynoweth was an early architect of Canadian junior hockey" . Regina Leader-Post . Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2024 . ^ "Kitchener Rangers to Host 2008 MasterCard Memorial Cup" . Ontario Hockey League (OHL). May 9, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2008 .[dead link ] ^ "2008 WHL Bantam Draft: Round 1" . WHL. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008 .