Grande Prairie Storm

Hockey team
team = Grande Prairie Storm

city = Grande Prairie, Alberta
league = Alberta Junior Hockey League
division = North
founded = 1995
arena = Canada Games Arena
colours = Navy blue, yellow and white
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The Grande Prairie Storm are an ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They play in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada at the Canada Games Arena, capacity 3228, also known as the Crystal Centre.

:Founded: 1995-96:First AJHL Season: 1996-97:Division titles won: 2003-04:League Championships won: 2004:Doyle Cup Titles: None:Royal Bank Cup Titles: None

History

The Grande Prairie Storm franchise is the successor to the Grande Prairie Chiefs of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League. The Storm came into being after a community led group bought the team with the goal of paying off its $150,000 in debts, and restoring junior A hockey to prominence in the Peace Country.

Already having a brand new arena, the Canada Games Arena, built for the 1995 Canada Winter Games, the group was quickly able to retire the debt, and the Grande Prairie Storm took to the ice for its first season in 1995-96 in the RMJHL, winning the league championship.

In 1996, the Storm jumped to the AJHL, where they have competed since. In their ten year tenure, the Storm have never failed to qualify for the post season. In 2004, the Storm won their first AJHL championship. They also hosted the Royal Bank Cup tournament that season, however they failed to win the Canadian national championship.

The Storm have been a major success off the ice as well, as the franchise perennially leads the AJHL in attendance, and often leads the entire Canadian Junior A Hockey League in attendance. [http://ca.images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fca.images.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dcanada%2Bgames%2Barena%2B%26fr%3Dyfp-t-501%26toggle%3D1%26cop%3D%26ei%3DUTF-8&w=475&h=317&imgurl=www.gpstorm.com%2Fupl%2Fimages%2FArena%2520Board%2520Work.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gpstorm.com%2F%3Fp%3Darchives%26amp%3Bi%3D778531&size=184.7kB&name=Arena%20Board%20Work.jpg&p=canada%20games%20arena&type=JPG&oid=169653173b625cca&no=7&tt=187] The Storm broke the previous attendance record for the Royal Bank Cup by over 9000 fans in 2004.

eason-by-season Record

"Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T/OTL = Ties/Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against"

NHL alumni

The following former Storm have gone on to play in the NHL:

*Grant Stevenson

ee also

* List of ice hockey teams in Alberta

References

: [http://www.ajhl.ca Alberta Junior Hockey League website] : [http://www.gpstorm.com Grande Prairie Storm website]