The history of ice hockey in Calgary extends back well over a century to the first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta in 1893. Imported from eastern Canada, the game's popularity rapidly grew in the city, with teams at every level playing for and capturing Canada's national championships. Calgary is known today as one of Canada's best ice hockey cities with the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen receiving immense support from the city. The Calgary Oval X-Treme is one of the most dominant women's ice hockey teams in the country, while Junior A ice hockey is also well supported with two teams in the city. Calgary is home to the Mac's AAA midget hockey tournament, one of the most prestigious midget hockey tournaments in the world which has seen dozens of future National Hockey League players play in this city before their professional careers began.
History
Early days
The first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta took place in Calgary on January 4, 1893, between two city teams: the Town Boys and the Tailors. The game was played with seven players aside and the Town Boys won 4-1. Shortly after, the Town Boys met a challenge from a team of North-West Mounted Police officers, losing 4-0 before avenging the defeat in a rematch.
In 1898, the first "Battle of Alberta" took place in Edmonton, as the Edmonton Thistles faced a team made up of members of the Calgary fire brigade. The match turned violent and a brawl saw Calgary's E.D. Marshall lose an eye in a stick swinging incident.
Calgary Tigers
Major professional ice hockey arrived in the prairies in 1921 with the formation of the Western Canada Hockey League. The Calgary Tigers brought five future Hockey Hall of Fame players to the city in Barney Stanley, Red Dutton, Rusty Crawford, Herb Gardiner and Harry Oliver. During the Tigers' six-year run, they captured three regular season titles and two playoff championships. In 1924, the Tigers challenged the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup. The Tigers lost, however, in two straight games with scores of 6-1 and 3-0, Howie Morenz scoring a hat-trick in the first game and another goal in the second for the Canadiens. It was nearly 60 years before Calgary again challenged for ice hockey's holy grail. The Tigers ceased operations in 1927, succumbing to the costs of maintaining an all-star lineup. Following the demise of the Tigers, no major professional club would emerge in Calgary until the 1975 arrival of the World Hockey Association.
Calgary Stampeders
In the year following World War II, the Calgary Stampeders brought home Calgary's first, and only, Allan Cup national senior championship with a four games to one series victory over the Hamilton Tigers. The 1945–46 Stampeders were a powerhouse club, compiling a record of 42-9-5, culminating in a 1-0 victory in the fifth and deciding game against Hamilton, played before a sold-out crowd of over 6,000 at the Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton. The Stampeders won three Western Canada Senior Hockey League titles in the league's six-year run.
After having a new arena built in 1950, the Stampeders turned professional in 1951, spending the next twelve years in the Western Hockey League, which was at the time the top professional circuit in the west. The Stampeders won the 1954 WHL championship in Calgary. The team folded in 1963 after succumbing to the financial pressures of operating in such a widespread league.
Junior ice hockey
Alberta Junior Hockey League
Junior ice hockey in Alberta began to take shape in 1963 when the Alberta Junior Hockey League was formed, partially to check the dominance of the Edmonton Oil Kings at the time. The five team loop featured two teams from Calgary - the Calgary Cowboys and Calgary Buffaloes. The Buffaloes were the early powerhouse of the league, winning the AJHL's first two championships in 1964 and 1965. The two teams struggled against the Western Canada Hockey League, however, and in 1965, the Cowboys merged with the Buffaloes before folding altogether in 1969.