Tigers an RYAN MCCRACKEN


rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com Twitter: MHNMcCracken


Fifty seasons ago, one


organization came into existence and changed the fabric of Medicine Hat as we know it — and they did it by playing a game.


Names like Lanny McDonald, Tom Lysiak, Kris Russell and Willie Desjardins will forever hold a place in the hearts of thousands of Hatters all because of their devoted work on the ice as members of the Medicine Hat Tigers. While the team has seen its highs and lows over the decades, there’s no denying the way the boys in orange and black have impacted their city.


It all started when a group of young men showed up for training camp in 1970, hoping to make a name for themselves on the ice. Although the inaugural Tigers team ultimately fell short of the post-season with a 22-43- 1 record, they immediately began laying the framework for an epic rise to power in the coming years.


With Jack Shupe behind the bench and McDonald entering the picture alongside Lysiak, Stan Weir and Jeff Ablett, the Tigers surged into the playoff picture with a 35-30-3 record the following year. The four forwards wreaked havoc on scoresheets all season long to transform the Tigers from a startup franchise into a serious contender. Lysiak closed out the year with 143 points in just 68 contests. Weir followed up at 133. Ablett and McDonald finished just behind


6 | MEDICINE HAT TIGERS


at 116 and 114, respectively. The Tabbies went on to fall to the Calgary Centennials in the quarter-final that year before losing Weir and Ablett in the off- season, however both McDonald and Lysiak managed to improve on their staggering numbers from the previous year before taking their team all the way to a championship in just their third season on the ice.


into the post-season, where the Tigers got their revenge on the Centennials with a 4-2 series win in the quarter-finals. Medicine Hat then handed the Edmonton Oil Kings the same fate in the semis before defeating the Saskatoon Blades 3-0 with two ties to clinch the Western Canadian Hockey League's President’s Cup — now the Ed Chynoweth Cup.


integral aspect of Medicine Hat's identity


It took 14 years for the Tigers to work their way back on top of the league — but when they finally made their return, they kept on climbing. Led by players like Mark Pederson, Dean Chynoweth and Trevor Linden, the Tigers rebounded from a 1-1 split in the Memorial Cup group stage with a two-game sweep over the Longueuil Chevaliers in the semifinal before bringing a national championship to the Gas City with a 6-2 win over the Oshawa Generals.


The team repeated the feat in similar fashion the following year. After winning their second consecutive President’s Cup without facing a single elimination game, the Tigers went 2-1 in the round robin before avenging their lone loss with a wild 7-6 win over the Windsor Spitfires.


The Tigers went on to produce a consistent string of playoff appearances, totaling 15 consecutive seasons before hitting a five-year drought from 1998-2002. But the following fall, a new coach stepped in behind the bench and brought a new chapter in franchise history with him.


Joined by newcomer Boyd Anderson, the duo of Lysiak and McDonald picked up right where they left off the previous season. In one fewer game, Lysiak managed 11 more points for a total of 154 while McDonald jumped to 139 in 68 games and Anderson rounded out the line with 112.


That dominance carried over


The Tigers had their dominant squads over the next four decades — including a 1975-76 roster featuring Greg Carroll and Don Murdoch, who both went on to surpass Lysiak’s single-season scoring record with 171 and 165 points, respectively — but only one generation managed to do what Lysiak and McDonald could not, and they did it twice.


Willie Desjardins quickly transformed the Tigers into a playoff performer for the 2002- 03 season, and much like with the team’s success in 1973, it laid the groundwork for another championship to come.


In just his second year behind the bench, Desjardins took this city back to the mountaintop with an incredible 16-3 run through a post-season that ended in a


History in the making:


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