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1988-1989 Swift Current Broncos
Just three years after returning to Swift Current and the devastating bus crash which cost the lives of four teammates in 1986, the Broncos reached the pinnacle of junior hockey by winning the 1989 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) title.
The 1988-89 Broncos are one of the greatest teams in the history of major junior hockey winning 33 of 36 home games. They finished with 180 power-play goals and had five 100-point scorers.
The Broncos finished the regular season with a 55-16-1 record, good for 111 points, and went a perfect 12-0 defeating Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, and Portland en route to becoming Western Hockey League (WHL) champions.
Swift Current then advanced to the Memorial Cup tournament where they met the Peterborough Pete’s, Laval Titans and Saskatoon Blades in the round-robin competition. They lost only once in the event and met the Blades in an all-Saskatchewan final. The Broncos defeated the host Blades 4-3 in overtime to win the Memorial Cup.
The 1989 Swift Current Broncos were inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
Members of the 1989 team are:
Don Blishen, Dan Lambert, Kevin Knopp, Jeff Knight, Geoff Sanderson, Sheldon Kennedy, Tim Tisdale, Trevor Sim, Blake Knox, Peter Soberlak, Kyle Reeves, Mark MacFarlane, Kimbi Daniels, Kevin Barrett, Darren Kruger, Peter Kasowski, Bob Wilkie, Chris Larkin, Trevor Kruger, Lorne Frey (asst. coach/general manager), Grant Farquhar (trainer), Gord Hahn (athletic trainer), John Foster (public relations), John Rittinger (team president), Bruce Franklin (director of player personnel), Ramona Schwartz (office manager).