The Spokane Chiefs are an American major junior ice hockey team based in Spokane, Washington. The Chiefs play in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference and play home games at Numerica Veterans Arena. The Chiefs are two-time Memorial Cup champions—the second American team to win the title—winning in 1991 and 2008. Spokane hosted the first outdoor game in WHL history on January 15, 2011, at Avista Stadium.

History

Origins

The original Spokane Chiefs were a senior team that played in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) from 1982 to 1985, the last of several Spokane teams to play in the league dating back to the 1940s. In their final year, the Chiefs were the regular season and playoff WIHL champions. In 1982, Kelowna, British Columbia, was awarded an expansion team in the junior Western Hockey League; the Kelowna Wings played three seasons before the team relocated to Spokane in 1985 and took up the Chiefs name. The Chiefs became the second WHL team in Spokane after the short-lived Flyers, a team that stemmed from the WHL-charter member Flin Flon Bombers and operated from 1980 to 1982, when the team folded. The team began playing in the Spokane Coliseum, which had been hosting hockey since the 1950s.

First title and the 1990s

The Chiefs found relatively early success in Spokane, missing the playoffs only once in the team's first thirteen seasons. In their sixth season, led by Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney—both of whom would be drafted that summer by the National Hockey League's expansion San Jose Sharks—the team secured its WHL championship. The title helped to save the team, which was struggling financially; in 1990, the team was sold to new ownership, and hired two figures who had played roles in the Medicine Hat Tigers' 1987 Memorial Cup title in coach Bryan Maxwell and 32-year old general manager Tim Speltz. The 1990–91 season saw Whitney lead the league with 67 goals and 185 points, with Falloon trailing just behind with 64 goals and 138 points; meanwhile, the team saw what started the season as a half-full arena for home games start to sell-out. In the playoffs, the Chiefs avenged a loss from the previous year against the defending champion Kamloops Blazers before dispatching the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the league final in four straight games. The team went on to secure the 1991 Memorial Cup, defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs 5–1 in the championship game to become the second American team after the Portland Winter Hawks to win the title. Later that year, the Chiefs moved to the new Spokane Arena. In 2016, Whitney became the first player to have his number retired by the organization. There, they defeated the Kitchener Rangers in the final by a score of 4–1; Tokarski's 53 saves in the final led to him being named the tournament's most valuable player. During the team's celebration with the trophy, its cup famously separated from its base, leaving the replica of the storied trophy in two pieces. Spokane native Johnson would go on to a successful career with the Chiefs, and in 2022 he became the second alumnus to have his jersey number retired by the club.

After their second Memorial Cup title, the Chiefs remained competitive for several seasons. In 2010, the Chiefs lost a playoff series to Portland four games to three; it was the first series in league history in which the home team did not win a game. The team entered a rebuilding phase in the late 2010s, a period disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outdoor game and fan support

thumb|The Chiefs hosted the [[Kootenay Ice in the WHL's first outdoor game at Avista Stadium in Spokane. The Chiefs won the game 11–2.]]

Spokane hosted the Western Hockey League's first ever outdoor game on January 15, 2011 against the rival Kootenay Ice. The game, dubbed the "Outdoor Hockey Classic", was played at Avista Stadium in front of a sell-out crowd of 7,075. The Chiefs won the game by a score of 11–2.

Spokane has developed a reputation for strong support for the Chiefs, drawing large crowds recognized for their local traditions, like clapping in unison to celebrate goals. Attendance was especially strong coming off of the team's first championship in 1991, jumping thirty percent the following season, and helping the team commit to plans to build a new, larger arena.

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|Ray Whitney

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Executives

Head coaches

All-time regular season records in parentheses.

  • 1985 Ernie Gare Jr. (1–5–0)
  • 1985–1986 Marc Pezzin (30–41–1)
  • 1986–1987 Peter Esdale (37–33–2)
  • 1987–1989 Butch Goring (39–41–3)
  • 1989 (Interim) Bob Strumm (2–4–0)
  • 1989 Gary Braun (21–32–2)
  • 1989–1994 Bryan Maxwell (165–155–22)
  • 1994 (Interim) Tim Speltz (1–0)
  • 1994 (Interim) Perry Shockey (0–1)
  • 1994 (Interim) Mike Fedorko (9–11–2)
  • 1994–2000 Mike Babcock (234–169–29–2)
  • 1997 (Interim) Brian Cox (5–2–0)
  • 2000–2002 Perry Ganchar (68–53–18–5)
  • 2003–2005 Al Conroy (82–103–18–13)
  • 2005–2008 Bill Peters (111–81–10–12)
  • 2008 (Interim) Leigh Mendelson (1–0)
  • 2008–2010 Hardy Sauter (91–45–3–5)
  • 2010–2017 Don Nachbaur (261–190–30–19)
  • 2017–2019 Dan Lambert (81–46–5–8)
  • 2019–2020 Manny Viveiros (41–18–5)
  • 2020–2022 Adam Maglio (18–36–9)
  • 2022–2024 Ryan Smith (42–46–7)
  • 2024–present Brad Lauer (0–0–0)

General managers

  • 1985–1986 Marc Pezzin
  • 1986–1989 Bob Strumm
  • 1989–1990 Brian Maxwell
  • 1990–2016 Tim Speltz
  • 2016–2022 Scott Carter
  • 2022–present Matt Bardsley

Radio and television coverage

Spokane Chiefs games are broadcast on AM 1510 KGA throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and parts of British Columbia.thumb|300px|right|The Chiefs play home games at Spokane Arena.

Arenas

  • 1950–1995: Spokane Coliseum (capacity: 5,400)
  • 1995–present: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (capacity: 9,916)

Chiefs attendance

Table includes average attendance and WHL attendance rank.

{| class="wikitable"

|- style="background:#ddd;"

|Season || Total attendance || Average|| Games|| WHL rank

|-

||1996–97 || 281,743 || 7,826 || 36 || 2nd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||1997–98 || 289,735 || 8,048 || 36 || 2nd

|-

||1998–99 || 259,150 || 7,482 || 36 || 2nd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||1999–2000 || 255,974 || 7,200 || 36 || 1st

|-

||2000–01 || 231,960 || 6,669 || 36 || 2nd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2001–02 || 229,308 || 6,370 || 36 || 3rd

|-

||2002–03 || 219,586 || 6,100 || 36 || 3rd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2003–04 || 226,550 || 6,293 || 36 || 3rd

|-

||2004–05 || 225,002 || 6,250 || 36 || 4th

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2005–06 || 219,802 || 6,092 || 36 || 5th

|-

||2006–07 || 220,019 || 6,028 || 36 || 4th

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2007–08 || 236,056 || 6,557 || 36 || 3rd

|-

||2008–09 || 239,620 || 6,656 || 36 || 3rd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2009–10 || 243,370 || 6,453 || 36 || 3rd

|-

||2010–11 || 231,811 || 6,439 || 36 || 3rd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2011–12 || 231,946 || 6,443 || 36 || 2nd

|-

||2012–13 || 229,232 || 6,368 || 36 || 3rd

|- style="background:#eee;"

||2013–14 || 219,662 || 6,102 || 36 || 4th

|-

||2014–15 || 209,836 || 5,829 || 36 || 5th

|- style="background:#eee;"

|2015–16 || || 5,765 || 36 || 4th

|-

|2016–17 || 209,225 || 5,812 || 36 || 5th

|- style="background:#eee;"

|2017–18 || || 5,741 || 36 || 3rd

|-

|2018–19 || || 5,959 || 36 || 2nd

|- style="background:#eee;"

|2019–20 || || 5,709 || 31 || 3rd

|-

|2020–21 ||Season Cancelled || — || 21 || 4th

|- style="background:#eee;"

|2021–22 || || 4,419 || 34 || 4th

|-

|2022–23 || || 5,842 || 34 || 5th

|- style="background:#eee;"

|2023–24 || 205,500 || 6,044 || 34 || 3rd

|}

References

  • Spokane Chiefs website